New beginning: Billionaire love story

Chapter 364 Too Late For That

Christian's eyes went wide as he stared at Alexander. "You did what?"

Alexander winced at Christian's loud voice, already feeling a headache creeping in. He'd come to Christian's office hoping for some advice on how to deal with the mess he'd created, but now he was regretting it. Placing his fingers on his temple, he leaned back on the couch, trying to block out the noise. "I don't know, okay? I don't know what to do," Alexander muttered, rubbing his temple harder, as if that could erase the memory of last night's disaster.

Christian plopped down on the couch across from him, still looking dumbfounded. "Dude... you punched Adrian in the face. You punched the guy Claire's seeing. What were you thinking?"

Alexander sighed heavily, feeling like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. "I know, I know, I screwed up. Big time. But I was too drunk to even realize what I was doing."

Christian frowned, his arms crossed as he tried to process what Alexander was saying. "Too drunk? Like, blackout-drunk? You didn't realize you were throwing a punch at Adrian?"

Alexander hesitated for a moment, then let out a long, exasperated sigh. "Okay, maybe I wasn't that drunk. But the booze didn't help. I think..." He paused, searching for the right words. "I think I was blinded by jealousy too. Claire was right there, with him, and it just... I don't know, man, I lost it."

Christian shook his head in disbelief. "Dude, what the hell is wrong with you? You're a mess."

Alexander leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and burying his face in his hands. "I know, I know. It's just, when it comes to Claire, I can't think straight. It's like my brain shuts off. I see her with someone else, and I just... snap."

"Man, I just left you for a minute and this happened? And why are you just telling me just now?" Christian eyes wide in disbelief.

"I didn't cross my mind, I guess."

Christian studied him for a second, then leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a more serious tone. "Look, man. I'm gonna be real with you. From where I'm standing, it looks like you've got zero chance with Claire. And I don't just mean because of this punch thing." Alexander lifted his head, glaring at Christian. "What's that supposed to mean?"

sighed, trying to soften the blow. "I mean, she's with Adrian now. She's moved on. Even before all of this, it didn't seem like she was looking back. You've got to face it-Claire's

his head again, still trying to wrap his mind around how Alexander had managed to make such a colossal mistake. "So what's your plan now? You can't just sit around and mope. You've got to do something." Alexander shrugged, clearly at a loss. "Honestly? I have no

that's not going to help you now. You can't just shut down whenever

his face. "Yeah, easier said than done. So, what do you think I should do? Apologize? Try to

not that'll fix anything? Who knows, man. Claire's with Adrian now. This whole thing... it's complicated. But punching Adrian? That's not something she's gonna

"Too

deal with the fallout. But honestly, man? Maybe it's time to let her go. I mean, Claire's moved on. You need to, too." Alexander

Frank stormed

the makeshift lab where his hastily assembled team was working on a robot project. The goal? Beat Metacortex at their own game. Frank had come up with the idea on a whim, but now

team huddled together, looking tense and uneasy. Something was

to keep his voice calm, though the

exchanged nervous glances. One of them, a guy with thick glasses and a clipboard, cleared his throat and stepped forward cautiously. "Uh, well, there's been... a few

integrating with the hardware like we thought it would. And, um, we haven't exactly nailed down the design for the robot yet..." Frank's eye twitched. "Wait, you're telling me you don't even know what the robot's going

team all looked down at their feet, avoiding eye

on it, but there have been

Frank's voice rose, and his temper flared. "You're telling me that after all this time, you still don't even have a vision for the robot? What have you been

room went silent, everyone

pressure rising. He'd put together this team in a hurry, but he'd expected them to pull it together by now. How was he supposed to take down

basic prototype?

back and forth in front of the team. "I don't care about your excuses. I want to see results, and I want them yesterday. Got

team members all nodded nervously, not daring