New beginning: Billionaire love story

Chapter 365 The Game Will Begin

Claire rubbed her tired eyes, staring at the never-ending stream of paperwork on her computer screen. She had been pulling an all-nighter, going through documents and files for a potential new client that could change the game for her company. The glow of her desk As she scrolled through another tedious contract, her phone buzzed loudly on the desk, snapping her out of her zone. Glancing at the screen, she groaned. "Oh great, it's him."

lamp flickered slightly, reminding her of how much she had been burning the midnight oil lately. But there was no time for rest. Not yet.

It was Alexander.

Claire rolled her eyes, ignoring the call. She didn't have the patience to deal with whatever drama he wanted to drag her into tonight. But the phone kept vibrating, buzzing like an annoying mosquito that wouldn't quit. After the third call, her patience was gone. She grabbed the phone and forcefully swiped to answer, her voice dripping with irritation.

"What?" she barked into the phone, clearly annoyed.

There was silence on the other end, just the sound of breathing. Claire narrowed her eyes, gripping the phone tighter. "If you're just gonna breathe into the phone like a creep, I'm hanging up."

Finally, Alexander spoke, his voice low and hesitant. "Claire, I wanted to talk."

Claire sighed loudly, leaning back in her chair. "I don't want to talk, Alexander. In case you haven't noticed, I'm working."

"But it's important-"

"Nothing you have to say is important to me," she cut him off coldly. "Why are you even calling me at this hour? Where I am or what I'm doing is none of your business."

There was a pause, and Claire could almost hear Alexander scrambling for words. Before he could come up with anything, Claire shook her head and ended the call. With a huff, she tossed her phone onto the desk and flipped it to silent mode. She had more important things to deal with than whatever Alexander wanted to whine about tonight.

By the time midnight rolled around, Claire had had enough. Her eyes were blurry, and she couldn't focus on the screen anymore. Deciding to call it a night, she shut down her computer, switched off the lamp, and grabbed her bag. The office was eerily quiet-everyone had left hours ago, and she was likely the only one still there.

absentmindedly fumbled with her car keys. She wasn't expecting anything unusual, just a quick escape to her car and

one of the lobby chairs,

loud," Claire muttered under her breath. She rolled her eyes and started walking toward the exit,

let her off that easily. The moment he spotted her, he jumped up and hurried over, standing directly in her path. Claire stopped abruptly, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her foot impatiently.

of his neck. "I wanted to apologize... for what I did.

one way to put it.

sighed, nodding.

up her hand,

mid-sentence. "But

what? You never change. You do the same thing over and over again, and then you come crawling back, saying sorry like it's supposed to fix everything." She took

punch to the gut. He'swallowed hard, feeling his

u

know how to respond. He stared at Claire, trying to find something-anything-that would make her see he was trying, that he

to himself. Maybe this is a sign. Maybe it's time to stop chasing after her, to let her go. But deep down,

over. We're done. Our relationship is strictly business

words came out. He watched as Claire strode past him, her heels clicking sharply against the lobby floor. She didn't

without a second thought. Alexander

what felt like an eternity, his heart sinking as the weight of her words settled

alone in the empty

forward, his eyes glued to the glowing computer screen, fingers dancing across the keys as he orchestrated his plan.

of his computer were the only companions in his dark hideout. His eyes flicked from one screen to another, absorbing data, clicking through endless files, setting traps,