New beginning: Billionaire love story

Chapter 212 On the Move

Alex stepped inside the room, still struggling to believe that his childhood friend was the one who had won the competition. "Since when are you into robots?" he asked, his voice full of curiosity. Abigail chuckled, the sound light and familiar. "I've always been into robots, Alex. You just never noticed."

Claire, who had been observing their encounter with a confused expression, finally spoke up. "Do you two know each other?" she asked, her tone curious but with a hint of detachment. Alex almost forgot that Claire was in the room. "Oh, yeah," he said, turning towards her. "We're childhood friends."

Claire nodded her head slowly, her expression unreadable. "Oh," was all she said, her tone indicating that she didn't really care. "Well, now that the introduction is over, we can go over the details."

For the next two hours, they discussed the robots that would be used in Alex's hotel. Abigail was clearly passionate about her work, and Alex found himself impressed by her knowledge.

He leaned forward, looking at the designs she had presented. "These are great, Abigail," he said. "But could you make another design that fits better with the hotel's theme?"

Abigail nodded a confident smile on her face. "Of course, Alex. I'll send you the new design as soon as it's ready."

Claire, who had been watching their interaction with a slight frown, couldn't help but feel a pang of irritation. As far as she remembered, Alex had never mentioned Abigail before. But then again, she reminded herself, back then, Alex couldn't stand her. It made sense that he wouldn't share anything personal with her. Not that she cared.

"Alright," Claire said, interrupting the moment. "I'll contact the robot company in Japan and ask them if they can proceed with our order."

When the meeting was finally over, Claire stood up and extended her hand to Abigail. "Thank you for coming, and for working with us," she said, her tone polite but distant.

Abigail nodded, shaking Claire's hand. "The pleasure is mine," she replied.

Claire didn't even glance at Alex as she left the room, her mind already moving on to the next task. As the door closed behind her, Abigail turned to Alex, a curious look on her face. "Do you and Claire does not like each other?" she asked, pointing out the obvious tension. Alex shrugged, trying to downplay it. "That's just the way she is."

Abigail gave him a knowing look but didn't push further. Instead, she smiled and said, "Your feedback means a lot to me, Alex. I'm glad you like the design."

really amazing work, Abigail. You've come a long way since we were

Alex." She glanced at her watch and suddenly looked apologetic. "I need to go. I have a

teasing grin forming on his face. "Did she force

"Not this time. I actually want

fun," Alex said, still smiling as she gathered her things

giving him one last smile before she

office and knocked on the door. A simple "Come in." greeted him from the other side. He pushed the door open and saw Claire sitting at her

rise within him. It seemed like every conversation with Claire was a battle. "I just wanted to talk," he said, trying to keep his tone

of impatience and indifference. "We just talked earlier, Alex. What else

had fallen apart. She had lost her job, her dignity,

Claire lay in front of

so confident and composed, made Lisa's blood boil. She had ruined everything, taken away everything Lisa had worked for, and now she had

owned the world.

up a pair of scissors and carefully cut along the edges of the photograph: The sound of the scissors slicing through the paper was sharp and

face discarded on the floor

in short, harsh bursts. "I hate you," she whispered to the headless image.

clutching her head in both hands. Her mind was a whirlwind of chaotic thoughts, each one more violent than the last. How had Claire ruined her life so thoroughly? What more did she want? Why couldn't she just disappear? A single thought pierced through the storm in her mind:

only way Lisa

room until they landed on a small knife lying on her bedside table. Without hesitation, she grabbed it and tucked

purposeful. Her mother's voice called out from the living room,

didn't answer. She didn't even pause as she reached the front door,

an important event coming up this week, and even though she normally would skip events like this, this time she have to attend, since

her office. Their conversation had been awkward, as usual. Claire disliked how Alex always seemed to pry into her life, asking questions