New beginning: Billionaire love story

Chapter 380 Breaking News

Alexander lay in his massive, king-sized bed, staring at the ceiling. It was one of those frustrating nights where sleep just refused to come. He rolled over and glanced at the clock-3 AM. Great. His mind wouldn't shut off, and he knew exactly why. Claire.

He couldn't stop thinking about her. No matter how much time had passed, no matter how many times he tried to distract himself, she kept sneaking back into his thoughts. Was there a chance they could reconcile? Or was it too late?

He sighed, running a hand through his messy hair, knowing full well that Claire wasn't the kind of person who forgave easily. Especially not after everything that had happened.

Annoyed with himself for even entertaining the idea, he got out of bed. Sleep clearly wasn't happening, so he might as well do something productive. He headed to the kitchen, the soft hum of the city outside barely audible from his penthouse high above the streets. Grabbing a mug, he poured himself some coffee-black, just the way he liked it.

He made his way to his study, pushing the door open with his shoulder. The space was immaculate, filled with expensive furniture, shelves lined with books he never had the time to read, and the soft glow of a desk lamp casting long shadows. Alexander flicked on the TV, letting it play quietly in the background. He hated silence. It always made him think too much.

Sitting down at his desk, he took a sip of his coffee, the bitterness snapping him back into focus. Time to get to work. He opened his laptop, his fingers immediately tapping away on the keys. He had some meetings to schedule with investors for his hotel. There was always something that needed his attention, something to keep his mind occupied and away from Claire.

Hours passed, the coffee in his mug long gone and his eyes growing heavy, when suddenly, something on the TV caught his attention. He paused, his fingers freezing mid-type as he turned toward the screen. The newscaster was talking about a car explosion. Alexander wasn't really listening until he heard a name that made his blood run cold.

"Adrian Saint Laurent."

He frowned, his heart skipping a beat. The footage on the screen showed a charred car, still smoldering as police swarmed the scene, investigating.

"Breaking news: a car belonging to Adrian Saint Laurent, grandson of one of the wealthiest men in the world, Mr. Laurent himself, was found in flames late tonight..."

Alexander's hand froze over the keyboard. His gaze shot up to the TV. The image on the screen showed a car-completely charred, still smoking in the night. Police officers were walking around it, investigating the wreckage.

hell?" he muttered to himself, leaning forward and turning the

at the screen, trying to make sense of

What was going on?

under control, and authorities are still looking into the cause of the explosion. No official statements have

damage was obvious. As the camera panned to the police on the scene, Alexander felt

chest tighten with anger. If she had been with Adrian and gotten hurt... He clenched his jaw

his phone and scrolled through his contacts, finding Claire's name. His finger hovered above it, hesitation creeping in. What was he going to say? Claire would

to be

number. His Pl. The guy was good, and more importantly, discreet. It took a few rings-probably because it was almost 4 AM-but finally, the line picked up. "Yeah?" came the groggy

you to look into something for me. Adrian Saint Laurent. There was a

but Alexander could hear him shuffling out of bed. "I'll look into it," the PI mumbled. "Give me a couple

This wasn't how he wanted to spend the night, but something

to Adrian, to the damn car explosion. Annoyed, he opened a browser and started searching for updates. After a few minutes

grandfather, leaving the hospital. The old man looked as composed as ever, despite the journalists swarming him, throwing questions his way. His security team tried to shield him

into a sleek black car and drove off, leaving the

have happened? Before he could think too

info for you," the PI said, sounding more awake now. "Adrian Saint Laurent was

tightened on the phone.

hurt, but they haven't released any details on