New beginning: Billionaire love story

Chapter 434 Who’s Behind This?

Matthew shifted awkwardly, unsure if he should follow Claire's order. She had a way of making everything sound like a perfectly reasonable idea, even when it wasn't. But, for now, he nodded, forcing a small smile. "Alright, Claire, no dangerous stuff. I'll play it safe." Claire tilted her head, giving him one of those "yeah, right" looks. "Promise me, Matthew. I mean it."

He hesitated, but only for a second. Internally, he made a different promise not to Claire, but to himself. No matter what, he was going to protect her. Dangerous or not, he wasn't backing out. "Yeah, yeah, I promise," he finally said, though his tone didn't quite match the words.

Claire narrowed her eyes but decided to drop it. She had more pressing matters. "So, about the investigation, I asked you to do on Adrian. What did you find?"

Matthew sighed and plopped onto the couch next to her, his laptop in hand. "Okay, so here's the thing. I got my hands on the guest list from that event," he began, scrolling through a document on his screen. "And there's one name that really caught my attention." Claire arched a brow. "Who?"

He turned the laptop toward her, pointing at a name highlighted in yellow. "Cindy Marshall. Sound familiar?"

Claire frowned, leaning in to get a closer look. The name stirred a faint memory. "Cindy Marshall..."

Matthew said, leaning back, "She's the woman whose career Alexander totally destroyed a few months ago. Remember? The one that you told me about when you met her at the salon?"

Claire's eyes lit up as the memory clicked. "Oh, right! Her. Yeah, I remember now." She crossed her arms and thought for a moment. "Wait-do you think she's the one in the photo?"

Matthew nodded. "I was wondering the same thing. So, I hacked into the surveillance footage from the event." He pulled up a grainy video. "Look here. That's her, wearing the exact same dress as the one in the picture."

Claire's lips pressed into a thin line as she watched the footage. "So, it is Cindy. But why on earth would Adrian kiss her? What's the connection?"

"That," Matthew said with a frustrated sigh, "is the part I haven't figured out yet. She just kind of shows up, mingles for a bit, and then leaves. No obvious reason for Adrian to be involved with her."

and leaned back against the couch. She stared at the ceiling for a moment,

words. "Yeah, that's probably the right way

imaginary dust off her

in surprise. "Wait-right now? You just

shrugged, already grabbing her coat. "I'll rest later. I can't sit still

a hand through his hair. "Do you want me to come with you? You know,

nursing your bruises and wounds first. Once you're all healed up, then you can jump back into the action." Matthew rolled his eyes, huffing in mock annoyance. "Sure, make

as

don't do anything reckless, alright? And keep me updated!"

vel

laptop screen. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this Cindy Marshall situation than they realized. Something about it felt too convenient, too... orchestrated. But for now, he'd let Claire handle Adrian. She was good at getting to the bottom of

sighed, shaking his head. "She's going to run herself ragged at this rate," he muttered to himself. But then again,

settled back against the cushions, his mind wandered. Cindy Marshall. Adrian. The photo.

"at least things are never

house, she took a deep breath, and stepped out into the cool evening air. She adjusted her coat, feeling the weight of the conversation she was about to have. As she reached the door, she pressed the doorbell, and within seconds,

maid said warmly, holding the

you," Claire replied with a polite smile. "Is

is. Please, come in. I'll let him know you're here. You can wait in the living

cozy living room, her heels clicking softly on the polished wooden floors.

her

thoughts. Moments later, the sound of hurried footsteps descending the staircase made her