New beginning: Billionaire love story

Chapter 409 Banquet

Alexander gritted his teeth as he walked into the grand banquet hall. If it weren't for business obligations, he'd be anywhere else. The place was packed with overly-dressed guests, all buzzing with chatter about mergers, acquisitions, and the latest financial drama. He "Alexander, good to see you here!" A familiar voice called out, and he turned to see Mr. Dawson, an old partner in the tech industry. With a polite nod, Alexander extended a hand.

could barely muster up the energy to pretend he was interested in any of it.

"Good to see you too, Dawson. How's the recent project treating you?" Alexander asked, already bracing himself for the inevitable long-winded answer.

"Oh, you know, busy as ever! I've got the best team, though," Dawson said, clearly proud of himself. "Maybe one day we'll give Metacortex a run for their money, eh?" Alexander gave a slight chuckle, more out of courtesy than anything. "Good luck with that. They're quite the competition."

Another business partner joined them, immediately launching into talk of numbers and predictions for the upcoming quarter. After a while, Alexander couldn't take any more. Business talk was exhausting on the best of days, and tonight, he simply wasn't in the mood. As soon as he spotted an opening, he excused himself. "If you'll excuse me, I need to grab a drink," he said with a slight smile, making his way to the bar. He was about to order a whiskey when he turned, bumping into someone. His eyes narrowed when he saw who it was.

"Cindy?" he asked, surprise mixed with irritation. "What are you doing here?"

She flashed him a sweet, borderline smug smile. "Oh, Alexander! Nice of you to finally talk to me," she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Especially after you so kindly ruined my career."

Alexander rolled his eyes. "You deserved it. You embarrassed Claire back in America-don't pretend like you're innocent."

Cindy scoffed, folding her arms. "So, you really are that whipped by her, huh? It's almost cute."

His eyes flashed with irritation. "Watch it, Cindy. Don't do anything stupid or think about bothering Claire. If you do, I won't hesitate to do the same thing I did before."

with, Alexander." With that, she tossed her hair back and sauntered off, leaving him staring after her, puzzled. What did she mean by that? It wasn't like Cindy to issue vague threats, but maybe she was just trying

but his attention drifted until his gaze landed on Claire from across the hall. She was talking to a group of people, laughing at something someone said, her expression as poised and composed as

moment, he felt a pang of something uncharacteristic-a bit of regret, maybe? Or something he didn't want to name. He wasn't even sure why he hadn't gone up to her to say hello. Instead, he just stood there, watching her from afar, feeling somehow out of place. With a sigh, he downed his drink. This banquet was a nightmare

glass in hand, but her mind was drifting far from the swirling

now Claire was feeling unusually... rattled. She

crowd again, hoping for a glimpse of Cindy's blonde hair bobbing around. Spotting Matthew across the room, she made her

him a little closer, "did you see

squinted at her, looking thoroughly perplexed.

she repeated, glancing around. "She was here earlier. And she said something that's really bugging

raised a brow, looking curious and amused

make sure no one

from amused to serious, his brow furrowing. "She said that? What... what could

the thing, Matthew! I have no idea. That's

his mind clearly turning. "So now you're suspicious of

a sip of her wine. "Well,

he said,

for fun." He leaned a bit closer, adding in a conspiratorial tone, "Or maybe she's just trying to get a

unconvinced. "But... there's something