New beginning: Billionaire love story

Chapter 440 Secret Weapon

Eligos sat at the head of the grand dining table in his lavishly decorated dining room. The flickering candlelight danced across the polished wood and fine China, casting shadows that should have been calming. A perfectly seared steak sat on his plate, accompanied by an elegant medley of vegetables. His favorite bottle of red wine, aged to perfection, rested nearby. By all accounts, it should have been the perfect evening. But Eligos couldn't focus.

His knife hovered over the steak, untouched. His thoughts were elsewhere, swirling around Claire Peterson. The name alone made his jaw clench. The image of her cool, unbothered expression when things didn't go his way gnawed at him.

He stabbed the meat with his force and chopped it brutally as if the meat did some terrible things.

How had this happened?

This was supposed to be his moment. His plan to humiliate Claire should have been flawless. The fake scandal with Cindy was designed to wreak havoc on Claire's reputation or, at the very least, destabilize her relationship with Adrian Saint Laurent. Yet here he was, sitting alone with nothing to show for it.

Claire hadn't been humiliated. She hadn't crumbled under the weight of public scrutiny or flown into a fit of anger like he'd hoped. No, she'd stood tall, and worse-she and Adrian were seen having a romantic dinner afterward!

The mere thought made Eligos's blood boil. He could picture them now: Adrian doting on Claire, Claire looking smug as if she'd won. His grip on the knife tightened until his knuckles turned white.

He'd had men watching Claire that night. They reported back dutifully, their voices laced with fear of his reaction. And they were right to fear-he hadn't taken the news well. It was one thing for the plan to fail, but it was another thing entirely for Claire to bounce back stronger than ever. It felt like a slap in the face.

Eligos exhaled sharply and dropped the knife onto the plate with a loud clatter. The noise echoed in the silent room. His patience, already threadbare, snapped. With a growl of frustration, he swept the plate off the table with a forceful motion. It shattered against the marble floor, the sound satisfying in a twisted way. The red wine in his glass trembled from the force of his anger, a single drop spilling over the rim.

He stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor, and leaned on the table with both hands. His dark eyes burned with fury, locked on nothing in particular.

wasn't supposed to win. Claire was supposed to crack and the headline about her

piece on the chessboard that he could manipulate

going to let this

new approach, something sharper, something that would cut deeper. And then it hit him-a name, one he'd been holding in

Andrea.

curling into a sly, almost sinister smile. Andrea. His secret weapon. The young man was desperate, vulnerable, and utterly terrified

right moment to bring him into play. And maybe that moment was now. Claire's Achilles' heel was her family; that much was obvious. Her half-sibling, Andrea, was the perfect tool to exploit that weakness. "Maybe it's time," Eligos murmured to himself, his voice barely audible in the vast

shape with each passing second. Andrea's desperation to save

made him

All Eligos had to do was dangle the right carrot in front of him, and Andrea

do

whatever was asked-whether he

wanted to or not.

couldn't act rashly. Andrea was a

to wait for the perfect opportunity, the exact moment when Andrea's desperation would peak, and Claire's guard would

is that perfect opportunity come? If I

Claire wouldn't see it coming? He could picture it already the look of betrayal on her face when Andrea, of

herself resourceful, and quick on her feet. She wasn't an easy target, and she certainly wasn't predictable. If he underestimated her again, it could

to be smart and not reckless. One thing about Claire is catching her off guard. And if shocking her is that easy let me just hire someone who looks like Claire's parents,

stopped pacing and poured himself another glass of wine, though he barely tasted it as he sipped. His anger had subsided slightly, replaced by a cold, calculating focus. Andrea was the key, and Eligos would make sure to turn it at just the right