New beginning: Billionaire love story

Chapter 315 Celebrating gone wrong

Alexander gritted his teeth.

And now Adrian was the center of attention, stealing the spotlight that Alexander thought should be his. He glanced at Abigail.

"Abigail," Alexander said, his voice a little too loud and a bit too eager. "Have you tried the lasagna yet? It's quite good."

Abigail blinked in surprise, her fork halfway to her mouth. "Uh, no, not yet-" But before she could finish, Alexander had already scooped up a forkful of lasagna and was holding it out toward her like he was feeding a toddler. She awkwardly leaned forward, taking the bite. "It's... good," she said, nodding politely, though she clearly wasn't expecting that.

Claire, noticing the sudden shift in Alexander's behavior, hid a smirk behind her wine glass. She speared a piece of salmon from her plate and turned to Adrian with a smile. "You should try this," she said, offering him a piece. "It's really good. I know you like salmon." Adrian leaned forward and took the bite, nodding appreciatively. "Wow, this is delicious! You always know my favorites," he said with a grin, clearly enjoying the attention from Claire.

Alexander clenched his jaw. How could Claire know Adrian's favorite food and not his? They'd been married for three years, and yet here she was, feeding Adrian like they were the best of friends.

Determined to shift the focus back to him, Alexander turned to Abigail again, reaching for the dessert tray. "You've got to try the chocolate cake," he said, scooping up a slice and holding it out to her, clearly thinking this was a winning move.

But Abigail raised her hand, stopping him with an apologetic smile. "Oh, no, I can't," she said softly. "I'm allergic to chocolate."

Alexander blinked, his fork hovering in the air. He hadn't expected that. He dropped the fork back onto the plate, mumbling an apology. "Oh... I didn't know."

Claire, watching the whole scene, couldn't help but let out a small, amused snort. She quickly covered her mouth, but it was too late. Alexander's eyes flickered to her, his frustration growing.

Meanwhile, Matthew was watching the whole thing unfold like it was a sitcom. He shook his head in amusement and took a sip of his wine. "Well, this is getting interesting," he muttered under his breath, clearly entertained by Alexander's failed attempts at winning back the spotlight.

Standing up from the table, Matthew stretched his arms and turned to Claire. "I think I'm going to mingle a bit," he said with a wink. "I'll leave you all to... this." He gestured vaguely at the tense atmosphere between Alexander, Adrian, and Claire.

Claire nodded her attention back to Alexander, who was now picking at his lasagna with a frustrated expression.

"Are you okay, Alex?" Claire asked, raising an eyebrow. She was trying to hold back her amusement, but it wasn't working too well.

Alexander scowled, stabbing his fork into his plate. "I'm fine," he muttered, but it was obvious he was anything but fine.

should really try the salmon. It might improve your mood," he said, chuckling. Alexander shot him a glare but didn't respond. Instead, he turned to Abigail again, clearly looking for some kind of ally. "Abigail, have you tried the salad yet? It's got these really nice cherry

though it was clear she was trying to stay out

said with a teasing

"No need to be so tense. It's just

winning over the whole table. But before he could

over at Adrian, who was now chatting with Abigail about something that had them both laughing and then back at Claire, who was watching him with that same teasing smile. Maybe there wasn't

that moment, he wasn't

next day, Claire sat at her desk, deep in thought about Jack's suggestion for a press release. She rocked her chair back and forth, staring at the papers in front of her, wondering if

glanced over at

lounging on the couch, scrolling through his phone. "Hey, Matt," she called out, breaking the

work, but... I

raised his brows, sat up straight, and gave her a serious look. "Honestly, Claire, it's a great idea," he said, putting his phone down. "Why? Because if this goes public, no can steal your ideas anymore. That's exactly what happened

One

and

betrayal still stinging. "Ugh, don't remind me," she

"You can't let that happen again. You and your team worked too hard on this project for someone else to

her fingers on the desk. "You're right," she

gave her a thumbs-up. "Atta girl! See, you're already making the smart

a little lighter. She pressed the intercom button on her desk. "Sandra, can you come into my office for a sec?" A moment later, Sandra, her assistant, walked in with a notepad in hand, looking ready for action. "Yes, Ms. Peterson?"

to prepare a press release," Claire said, sitting up straighter. "Let's hold it at the National Theatre on Upper

"When would you like to do

about Monday? Everyone seems to be in full work mode at the start of the week. It'll get more

smiled. "Monday's a great choice. I'll get everything sorted

warm smile. Sandra left the

phone and dialed Jack's extension. When he picked up, she jumped straight in. "Hey, Jack. Just letting you

end of the line. "That's fantastic news, Claire! I'm really glad you considered it. I'll inform the other shareholders about the decision. They'll be happy to hear

now. She hung up and glanced at Matthew, who was