New beginning: Billionaire love story (Claire and Alex) novel Chapter 501

Claire groaned as the loud beeping of her alarm filled the hotel suite.

Slamming her hand on the bedside table, she silenced it, then pulled the pillow over her head.

Last night had been exhausting. She hadn’t been able to sleep until nearly 4 AM, and now, with barely four hours of rest, her body felt like it was shutting down.

But there was no time to sleep in.

Grumbling, she dragged herself out of bed, shuffled into the bathroom, and freshened up before heading to the living room to order breakfast.

Her fingers scrolled through the room service menu, but her mind wasn’t even processing what she was looking at. Abandoning the menu for a moment, she grabbed the TV remote and turned it on, letting it play in the background as she continued deciding what to eat.

That was, until—

"Breaking news on Quantum Haven’s disastrous opening night!"

Claire’s head snapped toward the screen.

The footage of the accident played again, and she sighed heavily.

Of course, the media was eating this up.

Alexander appeared on the screen next, giving a short, clipped statement to reporters.

"Last night was an unfortunate accident, but I assure you, Quantum Haven remains fully operational and safe. We are investigating the cause of the incident, and all affected guests will be compensated accordingly."

Claire raised an eyebrow.

“Damage control at its finest,” she muttered, rubbing her temple. She had told Alexander to act fast, but she hadn’t expected him to have a PR statement ready this quickly.

Still, she couldn't focus on that right now. There were only two people responsible for this mess—one was the idiot who executed the plan, and the other was the mastermind.

She cursed under her breath.

“Eligos, you bastard.”

Before she could stew in her thoughts any longer, her phone buzzed loudly from the bedroom.

She got up to check, sighing as she saw Matthew’s name flashing on the screen.

She had a feeling she knew what this was about.

She answered, bracing herself.

“Matthew—”

“Why did you lie to me?”

Matthew’s voice was cold.

Claire pinched the bridge of her nose. She really didn’t want to deal with this first thing in the morning.

“I didn’t lie,” she replied evenly. “I just didn’t tell you everything.”

“That’s the same damn thing, Claire!” Matthew snapped. “I saw the video. You almost got crushed, and you told me you were fine. Do you have any idea how pissed I am right now?”

Claire sighed. “Matthew, if I had told you the truth, you would’ve immediately booked a flight here.”

“You’re damn right I would’ve!”

“Exactly,” Claire said. “And I don’t want that.”

Matthew fell silent for a moment before he exhaled sharply.

“I just want to make sure you’re safe,” he said, his voice quieter but still frustrated. “If something happened to you, I’d—” He stopped himself. “I’d feel guilty.”

Claire softened slightly but kept her tone firm.

“I get it, Matthew. I do. But you also need to rest. You’re still recovering.”

Matthew grumbled something under his breath.

Claire quickly cut in before he could argue further. “What matters is that I’m fine, okay? And right now, I need to know Andre’s location.”

Matthew sighed heavily. “I figured you’d say that.”

There was some clicking on his end before a message notification popped up on Claire’s phone.

“That’s the address,” Matthew said. “If you just want to know.”

Claire raised an eyebrow. “Emphasizing the word ‘just’ like that… Do you think I’m going to do something reckless?”

Matthew scoffed. “Oh, I know you will. I’ve known you long enough, Claire. You don’t just ‘know’ things. You act on them.”

Claire smirked slightly. “Well, you’re not wrong.”

“Which is exactly why I’m telling you to be careful,” Matthew warned. “If you walk into whatever mess Andre is in, you better have a damn good plan.”

“I always do,” Claire replied confidently.

Matthew sighed. “Yeah, and somehow, you always end up in danger anyway.”

Claire chuckled softly. “That’s just life, isn’t it?”