New beginning: Billionaire love story

They spent the next stretch of the flight chatting about the timeline, laughing over some of the absurd twists and turns in the drama.

Claire filled Adrian in on the major events, from Alexander's public meltdown to the press releases that had sparked it all, and how Claudia had seen her chance to strike. Adrian listened intently, nodding along, occasionally throwing in a sarcastic remark that had Claire rolling her eyes.

The flight was short, and before they knew it, the pilot's voice crackled over the intercom, announcing their descent into Paris.

"Already?" Adrian asked, glancing at his watch.

"Time flies when you're plotting someone's downfall," Claire quipped, shutting her laptop and standing up. She straightened her jacket and made her way to the front of the plane. As she reached the door, she turned and smiled at the pilot. "Thanks for the smooth ride. Excellent service, as always."

The pilot smiled back, giving her a polite nod. "Our pleasure, Ms. Peterson."

Claire thanked the air stewardess too before stepping onto the stairway, the crisp Parisian air greeting her. Adrian followed close behind, pulling his jacket tighter around him.

"Always feels different landing here," Adrian commented as they descended the stairs.

"Yeah, it's got that charm," Claire agreed, spotting the sleek black car waiting for them at the bottom. The driver stood by the car, nodding at Claire as she approached. Without hesitation, they climbed into the backseat, the leather interior cool and smooth. Once inside, Claire took out her phone and dialed Matthew. He picked up almost immediately, his tone casual.

"What's up, Claire?"

"I need Claudia's location," Claire said, her tone brisk.

"On it," Matthew replied. She could hear the familiar sounds of him typing away, rapid clicks filling the line.

After a minute or so, Matthew's voice returned. "Got her. She's at her office. Sending the address now."

Claire's phone buzzed with the incoming message, and she glanced at the screen before looking up at the driver. Switching to flawless French, she gave him the address. "Nous allons à cette adresse, s'il vous plaît." (we are going to this address, please.) The driver nodded and the car smoothly pulled away from the tarmac. Adrian, amused, turned to her with a grin. "You really have thought of everything, haven't you?"

Claire laughed, shaking her head. "Nope, not this time. This was pretty last-minute, actually. I mean, I had some ideas, but nothing solid. When you have someone you trust, though, someone reliable, everything just sort of falls into place." Adrian leaned back, his smile widening. "Matthew, right?"

Claire pretended to be shocked, her hand flying dramatically to her chest. "How did you know?"

Adrian chuckled. "Just a wild guess. I mean, the guy is practically your secret weapon."

Claire grinned, shrugging. "Can't argue with that. He's got a way of making things happen."

Alexander Harris had been pacing back and forth in Claudia Wright's office for hours, growing more agitated by the minute. The room was sleek, with expensive modern art lining the walls, but to Alexander, it felt like a cage. He had flown straight to France the moment his plane landed, his sole mission was to confront Claudia and make her delete that damn video.

But, of course, when he got to her office, she wasn't there. Instead, he had been told to wait. One whole hour of sitting in that sterile, overly decorated space, his impatience growing by the second. And now that Claudia had finally arrived, she was acting like she had all the time in the world.

She sat across from him, sipping tea as if he weren't fuming on the other side of her desk. Alexander clenched his jaw, fists tightening at his sides. "Enough, Claudia. I've had it with your games."

Claudia, unfazed, raised an eyebrow over the rim of her cup. "Oh? Which ones specifically, darling?" she asked with a slow, deliberate smile.

Alexander could feel his blood

boiling. He stepped closer to her

desk, his voice low but sharp. "First you limit the wine stock at my hotel-even after we had an agreement. Then, you demand raise your profit margins. And now, you leak a video of meating' an employee? That's a lie." noveldrama

Claudia set her cup down carefully, not a drop of tea spilling as she leaned back in her chair, looking completely at ease.

"That employee made a mistake, and I was just 'fixing' it by scolding him."

"In front of the entire staff?" she asked, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Yes, because it needed fixing," Alexander shot back. "It wasn't mistreatment. People make mistakes, and sometimes they need to be told off for it. That's how things get better."

Claudia's lips curled into a smile one that made Alexander's skin crawl. "Oh, I'm sure that's how it works in your world, Mr. Harris. But in mine? We call that bad leadership."

Alexander fisted his palms, trying hard to suppress the rage bubbling inside him. "This is not how business works, Claudia! You and I had an agreement, and now you're playing games with the wine supply. There's nothing in the contract that says you can limit it."

Claudia's smile grew even wider, which, if possible, only infuriated Alexander more. She tossed a document onto the coffee table between them, her voice sickeningly sweet. "You might want to take another look at the contract, Alex. I believe you missed a little detail." Alexander snatched the contract from the table, eyes scanning the pages furiously. His heart pounded in his chest as he read through it, each line making less sense than the last. And then, he saw it.

His voice rose in disbelief. "This is trash!" he practically shouted, slamming the paper down on the table. "You put in a clause about limiting the wine stock if profits don't rise by 50%? What kind of ridiculous demand is that?"

Claudia chuckled, clearly enjoying every second of his meltdown. "It's right there in black and white. You should've read the whole thing, darling. I did warn you."

Alexander's eyes flashed with anger as he took a step toward her. "You tricked me. You're nothing but a-"

"A witch?" Claudia finished for him, smiling smugly. "Call me what you want, but you signed the contract. You agreed to the terms."

Alexander's hands shook, and it took everything in him not to flip her desk over right then and there. "This... this is deceit! You tricked me into signing this garbage! Moreover, you told me to not read it cause we have been business partners for years."

Claudia shrugged, utterly unbothered. "And it's your fault for believing what said. If reading contracts is too hard for you, maybe you shouldn't be in business, Alex. Don't be so gullible next time."

He stared at her, barely able to contain his fury. His breath came out in harsh bursts as he pointed at her. "You think you're clever, don't you? You think you've won."

Claudia leaned forward, that same

infuriating smirk plastered on her face. "Oh, I know I've won. You underestimated me, and now

paying the price. And as for the video..." She waved her hand dismissively. "Well, let's just say it's Karma for forcing me to make that humiliating apology video."