New beginning: Billionaire love story

Chapter 372 The Explosion

Adrian stood by the restaurant's entrance, beaming as he extended his hand toward Claire. The entire place was empty-well, aside from the two of them. Adrian had booked the whole outdoor dining area just for their special night. His eyes sparkled as he asked,

"Ready?"

Claire looked up at him, momentarily stunned by the gesture. "You did all this?" she asked, taking his hand and nodding as her smile widened.

Adrian led her to the table by the lake, the soft glow of fairy lights dancing on the water's surface. Claire felt her heart skip a beat. It was the stuff of romance novels-the kind she never expected to experience in real life. The breeze was gentle, the night sky clear, and the setting was beyond perfect.

"Wow," she murmured, taking it all in. "No one's ever done something like this for me."

Adrian chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, I came up with the idea, but I did need a little help setting it up," he admitted shyly, eyes flickering toward the lights as if to emphasize how much work went into this.

Claire grinned at him. "Adrian, this is amazing. It's like something out of a book!" Her eyes wandered over the scene: the candlelit dinner table, the soft glow of fairy lights strung above them, the peaceful lake shimmering in the distance. Everything was so... romantic. Adrian smiled and gestured to the table. "Please, have a seat, m'lady," he said, pulling out her chair with an exaggerated flourish.

Claire let out a playful chuckle. "Why, thank you, kind sir," she teased, taking the seat with a grin. They both laughed at their own silliness, the tension of the world outside melting away as they settled into the moment.

Meanwhile, far from the dreamy lakeside scene, in a hidden room lit only by the cold glow of computer monitors, Eligos sat hunched over his desk, his fingers tapping away at the keys with growing frustration. His gaze flickered from one screen to the next, eyes narrowing as he muttered under his breath.

"Claire... you've been busy," he said to himself, smirking slightly.

was different. He couldn't get through. Claire upgraded the firewalls and the encryptions. And she had done it fast. Eligos couldn't help but feel a grudging admiration. "Damn it! She changed the whole damn firewall

into Cryptonic's database, hoping to corrupt

he muttered, "you're good. But I'm better." But each time, he hit a

if his anger alone could break through the defenses. But Claire had fortified the system well. Too well. Shifting his focus, Eligos turned his sights on Metacortex, but the result was the same-failure. He cursed under his breath, his eyes narrowing into

this?" he snarled, cracking his knuckles in frustration. "Well, if I can't get in quietly... it's time

he'd find another way. Maybe it was time to stop playing around and up the ante. He wasn't just some hacker. He was Eligos, and no

and Adrian were deep in conversation, the wine flowing and the night growing cozier. Claire felt more relaxed than she had in ages. Adrian was telling

going to meet him?" Claire asked, raising an eyebrow as she sipped

the kind of guy I want to get involved with. It'd be bad for

head slightly, her expression turning more serious. "How's your cheek?" she asked, remembering the punch Alexander had

up to touch his face as if testing it. Then, with a grin, he shrugged. "Better now. Barely even feel it

Without thinking, Claire's hand

smile like that made her want to comfort him in some way. Adrian leaned into her touch, his

a sweet smile, he lifted her hand to his lips

it felt... nice. Adrian noticed her flustered expression and chuckled softly. "You're cute when you get all shy,"

rolled her eyes playfully, trying to hide the fact

out a light chuckle and he stared into Claire's

really enjoy it. But unfortunately, I still have a lot of work to do back in the office. Maybe