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."

did she mean by that? It wasn't like Cindy to issue vague threats, but maybe she was just trying to rattle him. Still, something about her tone stuck in his

nods and small talk here and there, but his attention drifted until his gaze landed on Claire from across the hall. She was talking to a group of people, laughing at

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 of boring conversations, stiff competition, and

hand, but her mind was drifting

had spoken with that sly grin, the kind that stuck with you, and now Claire was feeling unusually... rattled. She couldn't help but wonder,

across the room, she made her way over

little closer, "did you see Cindy

perplexed. "Cindy?

she repeated, glancing around. "She was here earlier.

and amused all at once. "What'd she say

no one was listening. "She said

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

frustration. "That's the thing, Matthew! I have no idea. That's why I'm worried. I mean, Cindy's showing up here out of

slowly, the wheels in his mind clearly turning. "So now you're suspicious of

her wine. "Well, it wouldn't

he said,

how some people like to stir things up just for fun." He leaned

Claire muttered, unconvinced. "But... there's something about