New beginning: Billionaire love story (Claire and Alex) novel Chapter 399

The next morning, Claire opted for the helicopter instead of her usual car to get to Cryptonic, hoping to dodge the traffic that clogged the streets below. As they zipped over the city, Claire glanced down, thinking how much simpler life would be if problems were as easy to bypass as morning gridlock. Unfortunately, with the mounting complications piling up, it didn’t feel that way.

Once she touched down, she wasted no time heading to her office. Last night, she’d had a late conversation with Winnie, and despite it only being day two of the assignment, Claire was itching for an update on Lisa. What had Winnie learned so far? She was eager to find out.

Around ten, Winnie arrived, her usual calm composure intact as she entered Claire's office. Claire motioned for her to sit down and asked her assistant, Billy, to bring in tea. As they waited, Claire studied Winnie, wondering if the mild-mannered therapist was finding the job as nerve-wracking as Claire had expected. When the tea arrived, Claire poured a cup for each of them, gesturing for Winnie to take hers. “Drink up, relax a bit,” Claire said with a small smile.

Winnie smiled back, taking a sip before setting the cup down. “Thank you, Ms. Peterson.”

“So,” Claire leaned forward, fingers steepled under her chin, “how is everything going? How’s the acting going with Lisa?”

Winnie took a deep breath, her fingers brushing the edge of her cup. “It’s… going well, I think. But, honestly, it’s still pretty nerve-wracking. Every time I walk into that room, I’m reminded I’m breaking the law. Fake credentials, fake identity—it’s a lot.”

Claire nodded, her expression softening slightly. She knew it was a lot to ask, but they didn’t exactly have other options. “I get it. Believe me, I know this isn’t an easy role to play. But we need to understand Lisa’s angle. Her whole fake-crazy act has a reason, and I need to know what it is.”

Winnie took another sip of tea, and then cleared her throat. “So, it’s only been two days, so I haven’t gotten too far. But yesterday, Lisa was more talkative. We even played a game of chess.”

“Chess?” Claire raised her eyebrows. “Interesting choice for a therapy session.”

“I need to get something out of her,” Winnie explained, “and while we played, I casually asked her what she’d do if she had to ‘eliminate’ her enemies. Just a hypothetical.”

Claire’s brows shot up. “Oh? Do tell.”

Winnie leaned forward, voice low. “She said, ‘Enemies aren’t as hard to deal with as everyone thinks. You just have to play smarter. I’ll wait until that person shows weakness.’”

Claire’s eyes narrowed as she took in Lisa’s words. Her mind immediately started spinning. Enemies aren’t as hard to deal with… wait until they show weakness… It sounded like Lisa was waiting, biding her time. But how could she do anything if she was stuck inside a psychiatric ward? Claire frowned, a sense of unease settling in her stomach. Could Lisa have someone helping her from the outside?

“Has she had any visitors?” Claire asked.

Winnie shook her head. “Not when I was there, at least. No friends, no family, nobody.”

“Not even her mother?” Claire’s eyes narrowed. Lisa’s mother was the only family member they knew of who might still visit her, if anyone.

“Nope, not her either,” Winnie confirmed. “But I’ll keep an eye out and let you know if that changes.”

Claire nodded, grateful for Winnie’s thoroughness. “Thanks. This is good work, Winnie. Keep at it.”