New beginning: Billionaire love story

Chapter 231 Another Big Project

Claire held the phone to her ear, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the sketches Abigail had just sent over. The robot design was detailed-really detailed. Claire let out a deep breath, feeling the weight of the project settle on her shoulders. This was going to be more complicated than she'd anticipated.

Abigail's voice crackled through the phone, sounding slightly concerned. "Claire? What do you think? You've been quiet for a while."

Claire snapped out of her thoughts and cleared her throat. "The sketches are...nice, Abigail. Very detailed."

There was a pause at the other end of the line before Abigail's voice came back, a little less confident. "Just nice? You sound like you're holding something back."

Claire smiled, appreciating Abigail's straightforwardness. "Well, they're a bit complicated. But that's not the real issue here."

"Oh?" Abigail's curiosity was piqued. "What's the issue, then?"

Claire leaned back in her chair, staring at the ceiling as she explained. "Metacortex is going to build this robot from scratch. We can't rely on any other company because no one's willing to take on the project with such a tight deadline." There was a rustling sound on the other end of the line, and Claire could almost picture Abigail sitting up straight, eyes wide. "Are you serious? Why the sudden decision?"

Claire sighed, rubbing her temple. "It's not like we have much of a choice. Every company I approached turned us down. They all said the same thing: the timeline is too short."

Abigail let out a low whistle, then surprised Claire by offering, "Well, if that's the case, I'll help out. I mean, I did graduate with an engineering degree, so this stuff isn't exactly foreign to me."

Claire raised an eyebrow, impressed. "You really want to help? This isn't going to be easy, you know."

Abigail chuckled. "Easy isn't really in my vocabulary. Plus, it sounds like fun. Count me in."

but smile. "Thanks,

when do we start?" Abigail asked, her voice

pick the right people from my team first. I want to make sure we've got the best minds on

let me know what's next,"

for the

to you

even though talking to him wasn't exactly on her list of favorite things to do. Taking a deep breath, Claire dialed his number.

her chair, adopting her most professional tone. "Hello, Alexander. I

of his coffee, raised an eyebrow. "Important, huh?

diving straight into the issue. "No company is willing to take on our robot order because

end of the line before Alex responded, clearly surprised. "You're taking it on yourself? I didn't see

"Absolutely. I've got the best team

felt more thoughtful. Finally, Alex spoke up. "Alright. As long as you're sure. The agreement says you're in charge of the tech, so I'll stay out of it as long as it meets the deadline." Claire nodded, even though he couldn't see her. "It will. I'll

voice softened, catching her

tone. She quickly composed herself. "I'm fine, Alexander. Busy, but fine." There was a small pause before she added, "I'll let you know when we start building the

said, his voice returning to its usual

at her phone for a moment, a mix of emotions swirling in her chest. Shaking it off, she set

set the phone down on

they needed to catch up. Phones were ringing, keyboards were clacking, and there was a low hum of voices

the center of it

gathered around. "Alright, everyone," Claire called out, her voice cutting through the noise like a knife. "We've got a big project ahead, and want the best of the