New beginning: Billionaire love story

Chapter 464 Thanksgiving with The Robert

Two weeks had flown by in a blur for Claire, and yet she felt like she had lived a lifetime in that short span. Between patching up Metacortex's compromised systems after Eligos's latest stunt and trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy at Cryptonic, she was running on fumes.

The nights were sleepless, her days overrun with work and stress, and she hadn't even had the mental bandwidth to check in on Matthew's progress at the hospital.

When her phone rang and Alexander's name appeared on the screen, Claire debated ignoring it. But she knew him too well. If she didn't answer, he'd call back, and she wasn't in the mood to play phone tag with her ex-husband.

"Yes?" she answered curtly, her voice devoid of any warmth.

"Hello to you, too," Alexander said, the slightest hint of amusement in his voice. "I'm calling to talk about the Vegas hotel. It's opening in less than a month, as you probably remember. Just reminding you that you need to be there."

Claire sighed, leaning back in her chair and staring at the ceiling of her office. "Hmm," she murmured, noncommittally.

"Is that a yes?" Alexander pressed.

"Yes," she said flatly.

"And you're sure you're not going to flake on this?" he teased. "I know how much you love these kinds of

events."

"Hmm," Claire replied again, barely paying attention. She was already scrolling through her emails, her mind occupied with work.

"Claire," Alexander's tone shifted to something more serious, "you've been short with me on every call these past two weeks. Is everything okay?"

she snapped, then immediately regretted the sharpness in her voice. "I've just been...

end of the line, as if deciding whether or not to push further. Finally, he said, "Alright. Just don't forget

won't," Claire said, her tone

"Goodbye, Claire."

it aside. She hadn't meant to be so curt with him, but she couldn't help it. Between Eligos's constant attacks and the

Claire hours to finally throw him out. Normally, she and Matthew worked on these breaches together, their combined efforts quickly neutralizing the threat. But with Matthew in the hospital, Claire

from scratch, reinforcing it with new layers of security. Yet somehow, Eligos always found a way in. If he weren't her sworn enemy, she might have admired his skill. Hell, she might've even hired him at Cryptonic. But the man was a threat, and the fact that he

just about business anymore. It was

Her relationship with Robert Robertson

of her. If nothing else, she might glean some useful information about his

a dish that looked deceptively delicious. However, she added a secret ingredient: a generous pinch of salt. If they were going to drag her into this awkward Thanksgiving dinner, they deserved a

a tired-looking maid. The woman's frazzled appearance didn't surprise her. She imagined Gretta Robertson had been barking orders all day, driving the staff to exhaustion in preparation for what was likely an

Miss Peterson," the maid said politely. "I'll

nodded, stepping into

foyer and glancing around. The mansion was as ostentatious as she remembered, with its gilded mirrors and marble floors. She set the pudding on a nearby table

appeared at the top of the staircase, her perfectly coiffed hair and immaculate outfit giving her the air of a woman

ΛΟ

nice of you to join

a tight smile.

stairs, her eyes narrowing slightly as they landed on

bring something.

didn't waver. "Oh,

stared at each other for a moment, the tension between them palpable,