New beginning: Billionaire love story

Chapter 227 The Fire

The chaos at the venue reached its peak when the firefighters burst through the door, a whirlwind of urgency and flashing lights. They immediately went to work, guiding Alex, Claire, and Lisa out of the smoky, debris-strewn space. Claire's face remained a stoic mask, but her mind was racing.

Lisa, unconscious and cradled in the arms of a firefighter, was quickly loaded into an ambulance. Claire's eyes followed her, but she remained impassive, her usual composure not slipping even in the midst of the commotion.

As the paramedics worked on Lisa, one of the firefighters noticed Claire standing off to the side, her attention seemingly elsewhere. He approached her, tapping her gently on the shoulder.

"Hey, Miss!" he said, his voice cutting through the chaos. "Are you okay?"

Claire turned, her gaze meeting his. "I'm fine," she replied with a cool, detached tone.

The firefighter's eyes narrowed slightly as he took in her appearance. "You're bleeding," he said, pointing at her arm.

Claire looked down and saw a long scratch running along her forearm, red and angry. Her legs were dusty, with a few scratches peeking through the grime. She winced slightly, realizing that the scratch was probably from when Lisa had pushed her out of the way of the falling debris.

"It's nothing," Claire said, trying to brush it off.

The firefighter didn't seem convinced. "You need to go to the hospital. That could get infected."

Claire's sharp eyes met his. "I'm fine," she insisted.

The firefighter was persistent, though. "You need to get checked out, just to be safe."

Claire sighed, her frustration evident. "Alright, alright. I'll go. But I'm not happy about it."

With that, she climbed into the ambulance, her movements a bit more brisk than usual. As the doors shut behind her, she glanced out to see Alex being attended to by another firefighter.

The firefighter turned to Alex. "Are you okay?"

Alex nodded, though his face was pale, and he coughed slightly. "Yeah, just a bit shaken."

an oxygen mask, which he took gratefully and began to breathe in deeply. The oxygen

unconscious woman

City Hospital. The

nodded, relief mingling with worry.

to manage the scene, Alex made his way to his car, his steps quick and purposeful. The street was now filled with police and firefighters, the air thick with the remnants of smoke. The fire had died down

car and drove to the City Hospital. His mind was a jumble of thoughts that he couldn't even form

with soot and his face smudged with dust from the fire earlier. The moment he walked in, people turned

of their complicated past swirling in his mind. Recently, when Lisa was in jail, he'd been harsh-maybe too harsh. But

saved Claire from the falling debris. That had thrown him off completely. Maybe, just maybe, Lisa had realized

Claire it was the right thing to do to come beforehand in case something bad happened. The nurse finished bandaging Claire's wounds and

a quick

and leaned back in bed, her thoughts drifting back to the chaos of earlier The fire, the debris, and

her mind. She was still trying to piece it all together, feeling a strange connection to

thought, a voice she knew all too well broke

saw Alex standing in front of her. "What

came to check on you," Alex said, his eyes scanning her from head to toe. "Are you

Claire said plainly, trying to

bandages on her arm. "You're far from fine," he said, his concern evident despite the dust and

rolled her eyes. "It's nothing. How did

he shoved his hands inside his

that you were here. I wanted to

room, and Alex broke it by

went cold.

shouldn't you thank her? She

unmoved. "I'm not going to see her or

She saved you, Claire.

you want to thank