New beginning: Billionaire love story

Chapter 457 Without Matthew

Claire barely had time to catch her breath. The buzz of the event hummed around her like an annoying mosquito she couldn't swat away. She was pretending to admire a fancy display of jewelry-though in truth, she was more focused on counting down the minutes until she could leave-when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

Startled, she spun around, nearly colliding with the familiar face of Mr. Novak's assistant.

"Oh! Hello," Claire said, plastering on her polite smile. It wasn't a particularly enthusiastic smile, but hey, it was professional. The assistant, a young man with slightly crooked glasses and a nervous energy, grinned back.

"Good evening, Ms. Peterson. How are you?" he asked, his voice a little too cheerful.

"I'm doing fine, thank you," Claire replied, keeping her tone neutral but friendly. "And you?"

"Oh, I'm good, just running around like crazy tonight. You know how these events go!" He chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. Then he straightened up, as if remembering something important. "Uh, Mr. Novak wanted to see you. He asked me to come and get you."

Claire nodded, her curiosity piqued. "Lead the way."

The assistant led her down a sleek, modern staircase to the first floor of the event venue. It was a lavish space-shiny marble floors, walls lined with abstract art, and waiters floating around with trays of champagne. At the far end of the room, she spotted Mr. Novak, a tall, confident man in his mid-fifties, deep in conversation with someone who looked just as important.

As they approached, Novak glanced up and spotted Claire. His face lit up, and he immediately excused himself from his guest, making his way toward her with the enthusiasm of someone greeting an old friend. "Claire!" he boomed, extending a hand. "I'm so glad you could make it tonight."

Claire shook his hand firmly, her polite smile still in place. "Of course, Mr. Novak. It's part of the job." "Nonsense," Novak said, waving her comment away like an annoying fly. "It's more than that. I've been looking forward to thanking you in person. The work you and your team at Metacortex did? Phenomenal. Absolutely phenomenal."

"Thank you," Claire said, feeling a small swell of pride despite herself. "We're glad we could meet your expectations."

booming laugh echoing through the room. "I'm more

better of her. "That's great to hear. But I have

just noise. People love drama, don't they?

if she admired his pragmatism or found it slightly reckless. "Well, I'm glad

you," Novak said

fake laughter to make Claire's cheeks hurt. She checked her watch for what felt like the hundredth time when Novak's voice boomed through the

time to officially open

red ribbon stretched across the entrance to his shiny new pop-up store, glimmering under the lights. "Claire, I'd be honored if you'd cut

poised and snipped the ribbon with practiced

opened to cheers and applause, Claire quietly stepped back, her smile fading the second she was out of the photographers' view. She found herself retreating to a quiet corner, sipping a glass of sparkling

were all the same headache from trying to stay polite for hours. "Why did I even agree to this?" she muttered under her breath. She glanced at her watch again, calculating how much longer she'd have to

from the awkward small talk, endless schmoozing,

I just...

his new store, and the rest of the crowd didn't even know her name. It wasn't

grinned mischievously to herself. Decision made. She grabbed her coat from the rack near the entrance, blending into the background like a pro. Before she knew it, she was out the door and into the crisp night

London was alive with

street performer adding to the chaos Claire pulled her coat tighter around herself and took a deep breath, savoring

better,” she said to no

Those tiny appetizers didn't count as food. She spotted a late-night food truck parked across the street, the smell of grilled cheese and fries wafting over

street and got in

was sitting on a bench, a gooey grilled cheese sandwich in hand. It wasn't glamorous, but it was exactly what she needed.