New beginning: Billionaire love story

Meanwhile, Lisa had made it to the Robertson mansion. She stood at the front door, her heart racing, glancing over her shoulder nervously. She knocked, her fist hitting the door harder than she intended.

A maid opened the door, dressed in a neat uniform, and gave Lisa a polite smile. "May I help you-"

But Lisa shoved past her, barely acknowledging the maid's existence. "Gretta! Gretta, where are you?" she called out, her voice echoing through the grand foyer.

The maid hurried after her, flustered. "Miss, please, you need to be quiet. Madam doesn't like loud noises-"

But Lisa didn't care. She kept calling out for Gretta, louder this time.

After a tense minute, Gretta appeared at the top of the grand staircase, her perfectly manicured hand resting on the banister. She wore an elegant dress that looked expensive, and her face was a mixture of annoyance and surprise. "Lisa," Gretta said, her voice cool but curious. "What on earth are you doing here, barging in like a maniac?"

Lisa didn't waste any time. "I have a plan and I'm gonna need your help."

Claire and Matthew rushed through the hospital hallway, their footsteps echoing off the white-tiled floor. Claire's mind was racing as they approached Abigail's room. She knocked softly on the door, and when she opened it, there was Abigail-sitting up in bed, her face pale but awake. Both of Abigail's parents were there, holding each other, their eyes red from crying.

"Hey, Abigail," Claire greeted softly, stepping into the room. "How are you feeling?"

Abigail turned her head, and the second her eyes met Claire's, they welled up with tears. Claire didn't hesitate; she stepped forward and hugged her gently.

"That night..." Abigail started, her voice shaky. "There were three guys-"

"Shh," Claire cut her off quickly, pulling away slightly to look into her friend's eyes. "You don't have to tell me. I already know. I'm just glad you're awake."

Claire placed her hands on Abigail's shoulders and leaned in a little, her expression softening. "But seriously, are you okay?"

Abigail nodded, biting her lip as another tear slipped down her cheek. "Yeah. I think so," she whispered. "Thank you, Claire."

"For what?" Claire asked, confused.

"My parents told me... about the blood donation. You saved me." Abigail's voice cracked as she spoke, and she reached out to grab Claire's hand. "It means so much."

Claire smiled, squeezing her friend's hand. "I just did what was right. Besides, it wasn't even that much blood," she joked, trying to lighten the mood a bit. "I'll probably be fine after, like, a million snacks."

Matthew, who had been standing nearby, finally spoke up. "Hey, Abigail. How're you doing?" he asked gently, offering a small wave.

Abigail smiled weakly. "I've been better, but... I'll live."

Everyone in the room let out a collective sigh of relief. The tension started to ease up, and the conversation turned to small talk about the hospital food (which, as usual, was terrible), and the fact that Abigail was going to need some time to fully recover. About thirty minutes passed, and then there was another knock on the door. This time, it was Alexander. Claire glanced at him, surprised.

"Wait... how did you just get here?" Claire asked, raising an eyebrow. "I swear you were right behind us earlier."

Alexander just shrugged. "Took a detour."

He walked over to Abigail's bed and smiled. "How are you holding up?"

Abigail, with a small smile, reached out and grabbed Alexander by the wrist, pulling him into a hug. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Alexander's hands froze awkwardly by his sides. He looked a little lost, clearly not used to being hugged, especially in front of everyone. After a moment, he gently patted Abigail on the back like he wasn't sure what else to do. "Uh... yeah," he mumbled. "I'm glad you're awake. Just focus on getting better, okay?"

Claire watched the interaction with her arms crossed, frowning a little. Something about it bugged her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Maybe it was the awkward way Alexander had reacted, or maybe it was something else entirely. Either way, she didn't dwell on it for too long.

Abigail, still holding Alexander's hand, looked up at him. "I heard what you did for me... while I was in a coma," she said softly.

Alexander gave her a tight-lipped smile. "Just doing what I could. Don't worry about it. Right now, all you need to focus on is getting back on your feet."

Claire felt the need to step out for a bit. Hospitals always felt too stuffy to her, like they were suffocating." be back in a bit," she said, giving

Abigail's shoulder a light squst

before heading for the door. Just need some fresh air."

As she stepped into the hallway, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and glanced at the screen. It was a message from Adrian.

"In two days, there will be the Saint Laurent family jewelry auction. Be my date?"

Claire stopped in her tracks, staring at the message for a second. Adrian always had a way of popping up at the most unexpected times. She leaned against the wall, typing out a quick reply.

"I already got an invitation, actually."

Not long after, Adrian shot back a response.

"Even better. You shouldn't go alone to something like that. Way more fun with a date, don't you think?"

Claire chuckled under her breath, rolling her eyes at her phone.

"Smooth, Adrian, real smooth," she thought.

She sighed, but her thoughts quickly shifted back to the hospital room and, more specifically, to Alexander.

Claire wandered down the hallway,

trying to clear her head. She couldn't

shake the feeling that there was

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something bigger going on-something they were all missing. And for some reason, Alexander seemed to be at the center of it.

Her phone buzzed again, and another message came from Adrian.

"So, what do you say? Want to be my date?"

Claire glanced at her phone, then went back in the direction of Abigail's room.

"I'll think about it," she texted back, pocketing the phone again.

The sound of the door opening but Claire kept her gaze out the window.

"The stars are shining brightly tonight."

Claire scoffed. She clearly doesn't need this useless talk. "If you are here to make a small talk, don't. I'm not in the mood."

"Are you seriously still mad at me because I didn't tell you who the one behind it was?

Claire turned to him, her eyes glaring at Alexander. "I don't know Alexander, what do you think? My intentions are nice, I wanted to put the person who did all this to Abigail behind the jail."

"I have my reason why I don't tell you."

Claire crossed her arms over her chest looking at him coldly. "And what is the reason?"

Alexander stared at her frowning and cold face then sighed. "You'll see."novelbin

"Fine, keep your secret to yourself but remember, Abigail is awake now and we both don't know if she is targeting Abigail again."

Alexander wanted to scream and tell him that the life that was in danger was not Abigail but Claire herself. But Alex can't tell her that, he doesn't have enough proof. What he needs to do is protect Claire.