New beginning: Billionaire love story

Chapter 291 Saint Laurent Jewelry Auction

Alexander paced back and forth in his penthouse; his phone glued to his ear. His fingers drummed impatiently on the window frame as he stared out at the city lights below. The irritation in his voice could've been felt through the phone. "Have you found Lisa yet?" he snapped, voice laced with frustration.

On the other end, his bodyguard, Jake, sounded far less sure of himself. "Uh, no, sir. We're still looking. We've checked all the usual places, but-"

"You've been watching the surveillance cameras, and you still can't find her? How is that even possible?" Alexander cut him off, pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to stave off the headache that was creeping in.

"We're doing our best, Mr. Harris," the bodyguard replied quickly, his voice apologetic. "We'll work harder, I promise. We'll find her soon."

Alexander let out a low growl of annoyance. "I don't want 'soon,'. I want now. Find her, ASAP, or I'll" He stopped himself, knowing he was being unreasonable, but stress was making him snap. With a sigh, he shook his head, "Just find her, okay?" "Yes, sir," Jake said hurriedly.

Without another word, Alexander hung up and pocketed his phone with a sharp motion. He glared at his reflection in the mirror, his frustration still simmering under the surface. He reached for the silk butterfly tie he'd been trying to knot for the last ten minutes, but his fingers fumbled again, making him yank it off with a growl.

"Screw this," he muttered to himself, tossing the tie onto the dresser. He grabbed a plain black tie instead and managed to knot it perfectly on the first try, though it didn't make him feel any better. Staring at his reflection, he ran a hand through his dark hair and muttered under his breath.

"This stupid auction," he grumbled, adjusting his jacket. "Why am I even going to this thing? Saint Laurent jewelry?"

He could skip it, but something - or rather someone - was pulling him there tonight. Claire. The thought of her attending the auction was enough to make him want to keep an eye on her, especially after hearing Lisa words and with Lisa going M.I.A, Alexander worry that she might hurt Claire.

Meanwhile, Claire was in the back of a sleek black car, staring out the window. Her mind was far from the glittering event she was about to attend. Instead, she was still dwelling on her last conversation with Alexander. He knew who was behind Abigail's attack, and yet, he refused to tell her. The fact that he'd kept that information from her, despite her asking, gnawed at her.

"Why won't he just tell me?" she mumbled to herself, watching the city lights blur past.

Sitting next to her, Adrian glanced over. His brows furrowed in concern as he gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "You okay? You've been awfully quiet."

her thoughts, turning to him with a forced smile. "I'm fine, really. Just...

softly, his eyes searching hers. "You don't have to handle everything

head. "Thanks, Adrian, but

look convinced but gave her a small smile anyway. "Just know you're not alone. I'm here

words touched her. Claire wasn't used to leaning on people, but in this moment, she felt genuinely grateful for Adrian's support. She nodded and smiled a little more sincerely this time. "I appreciate it. Really, I

light squeeze before pulling his

sounds of photographers shouting filled the air as they pulled up

elite were all here to show off their wealth. The press was

at Claire, who sat beside him in their sleek black limo. "You ready?" he asked, giving her a sideways

nodded, her long

shimmering in her black, sparkly dress.

then opened the door as their bodyguard swung the car door wide. Adrian stepped out

skipping a beat, he stretched

Claire.

the photographers go wild. She was used to this-both of them were. The heir of Saint Laurent, Adrian, and the CEO of

behind the velvet ropes. "Adrian!

They posed together as if this was just another Monday for them. Claire tilted her head slightly toward Adrian, letting the light

stepped out. His tight smile flickered as the cameras went crazy again.

thought, his jaw tightening slightly. His stomach churned with

up the red-carpeted stairs, the journalists screamed his name too, and photographers snapped away like

Who are you bidding for

Adrian, who were posing together like they owned the place. When Adrian spotted him, he gave a cool nod. Claire, on the other hand, gave Alexander a quick, forced smile. She wasn't exactly thrilled to see him either, but for the sake of the cameras,

journalists, sensing some drama, called out, "How about