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.

just a quick escape to her car and straight home to

sitting in one of the lobby chairs,

her eyes and started walking

chest and tapping her foot impatiently. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at him. "What are you doing here?" she

wanted to apologize... for

Yeah, that's one way to put it.

sighed, nodding. "You're

held up her

mid-sentence. "But nothing.

then you come crawling back, saying sorry like it's supposed to fix everything." She took a step closer, her voice

words hit Alexander like a punch to the gut.

u

to find something-anything-that would make her see he was trying, that he wasn't the same person she thought

Maybe it's time to stop chasing after her, to let her go. But deep down, he knew he couldn't. He

shaking her head in frustration. "Look, Alexander, whatever this is, whatever you think this is-it's over. We're done. Our relationship is strictly business now, nothing more." She uncrossed her arms,

mouth to speak, but no words came out. He watched as Claire strode past him, her heels

unlocked her car, and slid inside without a second thought. Alexander stood frozen in place, watching as she drove away,

sinking as the weight of her words settled in. Apologies wouldn't fix this. Nothing he could say or

standing alone in the empty lobby, wondering why he couldn't just let

fingers dancing across the keys as he orchestrated his plan. He'd been at this for

light of the room and the quiet hum 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,