New beginning: Billionaire love story

Chapter 223 Claire’s absent

He stepped further into the room, his eyes narrowing at Matthew. "What are you doing here, Matthew? Where's Claire?"

Matthew leaned back in his chair, looking far too comfortable for Alex's liking. "I could ask you the same thing," he said with a smirk, clearly enjoying whatever game he thought they were playing.

Alex, however, was not in the mood for games. He stepped inside the office, letting the door close with a soft click behind him, and walked purposefully toward Matthew. "Where is Claire?" he repeated, his voice sharper now.

Matthew didn't even flinch. He just stared up at Alex with a bored expression, as if Alex's presence was the least interesting thing happening in his day. "Why do you want to know?" he asked, his tone just shy of condescending. Alex's frown deepened, annoyance bubbling under the surface. "I need to see her," he said coldly. "I need to talk to her."

"Well, she's not here," Matthew replied with a shrug, as if that was the end of the discussion.

"Where is she?" Alex demanded, his patience wearing thin.

Matthew leaned forward slightly, connecting his fingers on the desk as he stared directly into Alex's eyes. "And what's so important that you need to talk to her? If it's business, you can tell me, and I'll make sure she gets the message."

Alex bristled at the suggestion. "I'm not here to play telephone with you, Matthew. I need to speak to Claire directly. I don't need you to be the owl delivering messages."

Matthew's cool demeanor started to crack as irritation flickered in his eyes. "I'm busy, Alex. If you don't have anything important to say, maybe you should just leave."

Alex scoffed, the sound full of disdain. "You don't like me, do you?"

eyebrows, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Did

want, Matthew. But you don't have the right to decide who can or cannot talk

reaching for the door handle. But just before he stepped out, he glanced back at Matthew, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "If it weren't for my help, you wouldn't have found Claire in the basement." And with that, he walked out of the office,

like wildfire. As much as he hated to admit it, Alex wasn't wrong. When Claire was missing last night, Matthew had been so overwhelmed with panic that he couldn't think straight. He'd needed Alex's help, and that stung him more than he cared to admit. But that didn't change how he felt about Alex getting anywhere

the office as his frustration simmered. He knew Alex's type all too well charming on the outside, but nothing

lemon soaked in vinegar. He had come all this way to talk to Claire, only to find out she wasn't even there. To make matters worse, Matthew acting like he

Alex yanked open the door to his car and slid into the driver's seat. He let his head fall back against the headrest,

pulled it out, squinting at the screen. Abigail's name flashed brightly. He sighed, knowing that he probably couldn't ignore her without feeling like a jerk, especially after she'd been

to inject some enthusiasm into his voice, though he wasn't sure how successful he

Abigail's voice was chipper as always, like she had a direct line to some endless source of energy. "Just wanted to let you know I've sent over a few sketches

fished his tablet next to him and quickly opened his email. "Got them," he said, scanning through the designs. They were good, really good,

tell she was pleased. "So, um... I was wondering if you'd be up to grab dinner tonight? I figured we could

glancing at the

him wanted to just go home and wallow in his frustration, but the other part the professional part-knew that he should probably

trying to sound more upbeat than he felt. "Dinner sounds good. Let's

picked. It was a cozy, upscale place with dim lighting and soft jazz playing in the background. He spotted Abigail right away, seated

easily enough, but Alex found his mind wandering. He kept thinking about Claire, about Matthew, and about what happened last night. Abigail noticed, of course. She was sharp like that. "You seem a little distracted," she

"Sorry, just a lot on my mind," he said, forcing a