New beginning: Billionaire love story (Claire and Alex) novel Chapter 356

Matthew barged into Claire's office, as he usually did, without so much as a knock. Claire, who had been peacefully scrolling through some documents on her computer, jolted in her chair. She turned to glare at him, her voice dripping with mock annoyance.

“There’s this magical thing called knocking, you know,” she said, raising an eyebrow.

Matthew just chuckled and plopped himself down in the chair opposite her desk, completely unfazed. Leaning forward, his eyes gleamed with excitement. “Tell me.”

Claire blinked, confused. “Tell you what?”

Matthew rolled his eyes dramatically, making it clear he wasn’t in the mood for her games. “Oh, come on. Don’t play dumb with me. Tell me about your date! Last night!”

An “oh” slipped out of Claire’s lips as a teasing smile slowly spread across her face. “Why are you so eager?” she asked, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair, clearly enjoying Matthew’s enthusiasm.

“Of course I’m eager!” Matthew exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. “This is the first time I’ve seen you dating anyone since, like… ever!”

Claire laughed softly, feeling her cheeks warm as memories of last night came flooding back—Adrian’s confession, her own shy admission, and of course, that sweet, passionate kiss. A blush crept up her face, and it didn’t go unnoticed.

“Oh, look at that blush!” Matthew teased, leaning even closer. “Something juicy happened, didn’t it?”

Claire rolled her eyes but couldn’t help the smile tugging at her lips. “Fine,” she relented. “We had dinner, and it was… nice. Really nice.”

Matthew’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s it? ‘Nice’? C’mon, Claire. You’re killing me here.”

Claire bit her lip, a playful glint in her eye. “Well… when we left the restaurant, I kinda just… told him how I felt.”

Matthew’s grin widened. “Go on.”

“And then,” Claire continued, twirling a pen between her fingers, “the next thing I know, Adrian kissed me.”

Matthew nearly jumped out of his chair, his excitement almost comical. “He kissed you?! Like a real kiss? How was it? Tell me everything!”

Claire’s blush deepened, but she laughed. “Yes, a real kiss. And it was… amazing. I didn’t think it would happen so quickly, but it felt right. He told me not to overthink it, to just take my time.”

Matthew clapped his hands together, beaming. “I’m so happy for you, Claire. Seriously. It’s good to see you smile like this.”

Before Claire could respond, the door to her office flew open again, and Sandra, her ever-efficient secretary, walked in with a determined look on her face.

“Claire,” Sandra said, making her way to the desk, “you’re trending on social media.”

Claire blinked, her smile fading into confusion. “I’m what?”

Sandra handed her an iPad, her expression unreadable. Claire’s eyes scanned the screen, and sure enough, there it was—photos and news articles about her and Adrian from the night before. There was a shot of the two of them kissing, another of Adrian twirling her around, and the headlines were all buzzing about their “new romance.”

Claire frowned, her finger hovering over the screen. “Wait… is this really the talk of social media right now?”

Sandra nodded. “Yes. It’s everywhere at the moment. Everyone’s talking about you and Mr. Saint Laurent.”

Claire sighed, leaning back in her chair, feeling the weight of the situation settle over her. “Great,” she muttered under her breath. “Just what I needed.”

“Do you want me to take care of it?” Sandra asked, her voice calm and professional. “I can have it removed from the news cycle if you want.”

“Of course, Ms. Peterson. I will try my best.”

“Thank you, David, for your help.”

“Of course, Ms. Peterson,” David added before hanging up.

Claire dropped the phone on her desk and slumped back in her chair. Matthew watched her with a sympathetic expression.

“Trial stuff?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

Claire nodded, her energy suddenly drained. “Yeah. It’s never-ending, honestly. However, is not about the trial it’s more like Lisa playing her games so she didn’t get sentenced to jail.”

Matthew gave her a supportive smile. “Well, it’s Lisa. What do you expect? But I know you’ll get through it. You always do.”

Claire smiled back, though it was a bit more strained this time. “Yeah, I know. I’m just… tired.”

Matthew stood up, moving around the desk to give her a quick pat on the shoulder. “Hey, take it easy, okay? You’ve got enough on your plate. Don’t let all this social media stuff or the trial wear you down.”

Claire gave a weak chuckle. “I’ll try. Thanks, Matthew.”

“No problem. And hey,” he added with a cheeky grin, “you’ve got Adrian now. I’m sure he’ll make all this a little more bearable.”

Claire’s blush returned at the mention of Adrian, and she shook her head with a small laugh. “Yeah, we’ll see about that.”