New beginning: Billionaire love story

Chapter 204 Statement

"You..." her mother began, her voice trembling with rage.

Lisa's hand instinctively touched her cheek where the slap had landed, her eyes widening in shock. "What the heck was that for?" she demanded, her own anger rising to match her mother's. Her mother's expression hardened. "How could you end up in jail, Lisa?" she spat, the words laced with disgust.

Lisa frowned, trying to compose herself. "It was a misunderstanding," she said, the lie slipping out before she could stop it. She could see her mother wasn't buying it for a second.

Her mother scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "You're such a good liar," she said bitterly, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

The nervousness Lisa had felt earlier was quickly replaced by irritation. Crossing her arms over her own chest, she shot back, "Well, I learned from the best." Her eyes locked onto her mother's with a sharpness that made it clear she wasn't backing down. Her mother rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed. "Why were you on top of that building, Lisa? The police inform me about your crazy doings! That was not part of the plan!" she snapped.

Lisa sighed harshly, her jaw clenching as she fought to keep her emotions in check. She didn't want to talk about it, especially not with her mother. Without saying another word, she turned and walked towards the house, but before she could step inside, her mother pushed her back, blocking her path.

"You've got to be kidding me," Lisa said in disbelief, her voice thick with sarcasm. "First, you don't want to bail your own daughter out of jail, and now you won't even let me into the house? What kind of mother are you?"

Her mother's eyes narrowed, a warning in her gaze. "Watch your tone, young lady."

her own eyes in response, refusing to be intimidated. "I'll watch my tone when you start acting like a mother who genuinely wants to help

company's publicity team. The gravity of the situation was evident on her face as she addressed them with a calm yet stern tone. "We need to make a statement," Claire began, her voice

them, a young woman with glasses, hesitated for a moment before speaking up. "What if the media asks for an interview or a phone call?

don't forget to post it online and on all social media platforms." The publicity team nodded again, understanding the weight of the directive. They knew how important it was to control the narrative in situations like this. Without wasting any time, they got up and headed back to their respective workspaces to execute Claire's orders. As Claire stood up to leave the room, Sandra, her efficient assistant, walked up beside her. "The poster for the competition is ready," Sandra said, handing Claire an

displayed on the screen. She was silent for a moment, considering

"I'll inform the

Matthew sitting comfortably in her chair, a mischievous grin on his face. Amusement danced

any work to do, so I thought I'd come visit my lovely boss,"

but the amusement never left her face as she walked over and took a seat on the other side of her desk. "Well, I'm flattered you find my office more

are you going to proceed with your plan

she finally said, her voice firm. "I have

about it. You never know what Lisa might do

before Lisa decided to pull that stupid stunt, I sent her a document through my lawyer, she said, her voice low. "I think that's why she pulled her little

words. "You're enjoying pulling Lisa's strings,