New beginning: Billionaire love story

Chapter 358 Injustice

Alexander's fist connected with Adrian's cheek, a dull thud reverberating through the restaurant as Adrian stumbled back, clutching his face in shock. Claire's eyes went wide, completely taken aback by the sudden violence. This wasn't supposed to happen. Not like this. "Alexander!" she yelled, moving quickly to stand between him and Adrian. She shoved Alexander away from Adrian with both hands, her heart racing. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Adrian, still rubbing his cheek, glared at Alexander, his jaw clenched in pain. "You're out of your mind," he muttered.

Claire wasn't about to let this escalate. She turned on Alexander, her voice low but fierce, trying to keep the growing audience of onlookers from hearing. "You're drunk. You're causing a scene. Everyone's staring," she hissed, pointing a finger at him like she was scolding a child. "I told you to stop this, Alexander. You have no right to decide who I see."

Alexander's face flushed with anger, but Claire didn't give him a chance to respond. She grabbed Adrian's hand, giving it a squeeze, and shot Alexander a glare. "Adrian and I? We're together. You need to get that through your head. You're not in control of my life anymore."

Without waiting for a response, Claire pulled Adrian with her, weaving through the restaurant's tables. People were whispering, some staring openly, while others tried to act like they weren't eavesdropping on the whole mess. Claire's heels clicked sharply on the floor as she marched toward the exit, her grip on Adrian's hand firm and unyielding.

Alexander just stood there, blinking as if trying to process what had just happened. He looked lost, unsure of what to do next. That's when Christian, who had been off somewhere and missed the chaos, walked up with a confused expression.

"What'd I miss?" Christian asked, glancing between Alexander and the curious crowd.

Alexander didn't answer. He just stood there, rubbing his knuckles like he wasn't sure if he'd actually just hit Adrian or if it had all been in his head.

The next morning, Claire was still fuming. She couldn't believe Alexander had punched Adrian. Who does that? She muttered to herself as she brushed her hair, her annoyance bubbling up again. "That man is insane," she grumbled. "Completely lost his mind." Adrian, still nursing a sore cheek, had been sweet about it, trying to make light of the situation. But Claire couldn't let it go. Alexander was out of control, drunk, and acting like a jealous fool. It wasn't the first time he'd tried to push his way into her business, but this? This was a new low.

She couldn't dwell on it too much longer, though. Friday had arrived, and that meant one thing-court. Claire arrived at the courthouse for the third trial, her heels clicking on the marble floor, echoing through the halls as she walked with determination. This process had been dragging on for weeks, and she was ready for it to be over.

felt familiar now-the same stuffy air, the same rigid wooden benches. But this time,

Lisa.

relief seeing her

but firm. Lisa's lawyer tried to object to everything, of course. It was their strategy-discredit, delay, deflect. But

deep voice carrying through the room, "it

the smirk that tugged at her

Finally. Justice.

just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the judge continued. "However, after reviewing the evidence, it has been determined that Lisa Thompson is experiencing severe mental disorders. As such, she will be remanded to a psychiatric hospital for treatment." Claire's smirk vanished, replaced by a scowl. What? She shot a look at her lawyer, David, but before she could say anything, the judge was already holding up

reports show

history of mental health issues, and she has recently exhibited signs of self-harm and unstable behavior. For these reasons,

part of her plan. She didn't buy it for a second. Lisa was cunning, manipulative, and now she was playing the "crazy" card to escape real punishment. She tried to stand up, ready to argue, but the judge banged his gavel, silencing her protests. "The decision is final. Ms. Thompson will remain under strict supervision

courtroom cleared out, Claire couldn't shake her anger. She didn't care if Lisa had issues-she deserved to be behind bars, not sitting in some

nod. "I'll see what I can do, Claire. But

watched as Lisa was

It was blank, emotionless-like there was nothing going on behind her eyes. Maybe she really is crazy, Claire thought. But no. She wasn't falling for that.

act, and Claire knew

faking

his hair. "Maybe, but unless we can prove it, there's

clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. She wasn't about to let Lisa off the