New beginning: Billionaire love story

Matthew's eyes darting around as he searched for Claire. The room was buzzing with chatter and clinking glasses, but there was no sign of her anywhere. He cursed under his breath, frustrated that he had gotten caught in traffic and missed her big presentation. Now, he hadn't seen her at all, and his unease was growing by the second. "Matthew!" a voice called out from behind him. He turned around to see Adrian striding toward him, looking as concerned as he felt.

"Adrian," Matthew greeted him, shaking his head. "Have you seen Claire? I just got here, and I've been looking for her too."

Adrian's frown deepened, and Matthew could already tell something was up. "Is something wrong?" he asked, his voice tinged with urgency.

Adrian sighed. "I bumped into her a few minutes ago. We talked for a bit, but then her expression changed. She said she was going to the restroom, but something didn't feel right."

Matthew's pulse quickened as a sense of dread settled in his stomach. "We need to find her," he said, already moving toward the exit of the ballroom. Adrian followed closely behind, both of them picking up their pace.

As they were heading out, Alex, who had been deep in conversation with some guests, noticed them. He smiled politely at his companions, excused himself, and hurried after them. Something about Matthew and Adrian's uneasy expressions had caught his attention. "Matthew!" Alex called out, catching up to them. Matthew spun around, his frown deepening when he saw who it was. The last thing he needed was Alex getting involved, but it looked like he had no choice.

"What do you want, Alex?" Matthew snapped, clearly not in the mood.

Alex ignored the hostility and asked, "Have you seen Claire?"

Matthew let out an exasperated sigh. "I should be the one asking you that, not the other way around."

Alex's confusion turned to irritation, and he stepped closer to Matthew, their faces just inches apart. "What do you mean, 'where is Claire'? You're the one who's supposed to be keeping an eye on her." Matthew's jaw clenched, and he looked ready to punch Alex right then and there, but Adrian quickly stepped between them, his expression serious. "Hey, this isn't the time to fight. We need to find Claire." Alex's frown deepened as he looked from Adrian to Matthew. "What's going on?" he demanded.

Adrian's voice was calm but firm. "Matthew has a bad feeling that something's not right."

Alex's demeanor shifted instantly. All traces of irritation vanished, replaced by concern. "Then let's go find her," he said, already moving toward the exit. But Matthew wasn't having it. "We can handle this," Matthew insisted, stopping Alex in his tracks.

Alex's eyes narrowed. "This is my hotel, Matthew. If anything, I know the ins and outs better than anyone."

Matthew still looked like he'd rather do anything than accept Alex's help, but Adrian stepped in again, trying to be the voice of reason. "With Alex's help, we might be able to find her faster."

Matthew hesitated, glancing between Adrian and Alex. Finally, he relented. "Fine. But I'm doing this for Claire."

Alex gave him a cold look. "So am I."

Without another word, Alex strode ahead of them, his expression set in determination. Adrian hurried after him, but Matthew lingered for a moment, watching Alex with a mixture of frustration and grudging respect. He knew Alex wasn't going to back down. As they followed Alex down the hall, Adrian couldn't help but ask, "What about your event, Alex?"Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Alex didn't even break his stride. "Claire's more important," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Adrian and Matthew hurried down the ballroom hallway, both of them on high alert.

As they walked, Adrian suddenly spotted something glinting on the floor. He stopped in his tracks, squatting down to get a closer look. "Hey, wait a second," he muttered, reaching out to pick up a sleek black clutch. "Isn't this Claire's?"

Matthew turned around, eyebrows raised. "What did you find?"

Adrian held up the clutch. "This is Claire's purse. I saw her hold this earlier."

Matthew quickly walked over, snatching the clutch from Adrian's grasp. He opened it up and checked inside. "Her phone and cards are still here," he noted. His gaze shifted upwards, and he spotted a surveillance camera mounted on the ceiling. A lightbulb went off in his head. "Alex, you need to check the cameras,"

Alex, without hesitation, nodded. "Of course." He headed off down the hallway, already dialing for security.

Adrian watched him go, then turned back to Matthew. "You think we should split up? Might find her faster that way."

Matthew considered it for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, let's cover more ground."

They both set off in different directions, Matthew grumbling under his breath as he went. "What happened to you, Claire."

Adrian, meanwhile, was thinking

hard. If someone was targeting

Claire, where would they take her? He had a bad feeling about this, and after a moment's hesitation, he decided to head to the basement. "If

=

Q Search...

somewhere hidden... like the

basement," he muttered to himself as he pressed the button for the elevator.

While Adrian was on his way to the basement, Alex arrived at the control room. The moment he stepped inside, he was met with a scene of absolute chaos-security guards scrambling around, clearly not on top of their game.

"Hey!" Alex snapped, causing everyone to freeze. "What the hell is going on here? An important guest is missing."

The head of security, looking more flustered than anyone, stepped forward, stammering out an apology. "S-sorry, sir! We didn't realize—"

"Yeah, you didn't realize," Alex cut him off, annoyed. "Get it together and pull up the surveillance from the tenth floor. Now."

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the screen.

Sure enough, it was Claire. But as he watched, his blood began to boil. Claire was walking down the hallway, looking unstable as she hold on to the wall for a support until she suddenly collapsed. "What

get

the" Alex muttered, watching as a man in a black suit and mask appeared out of nowhere, scooped her up, and carried her toward the elevator.

The security team looked at Alex, waiting for his next move. His fists clenched as he fought to keep his anger in check. "I want that man found, and I want him found now. Search the hotel and contact me the second you have anything." The head of security nodded frantically. "Yes, sir! We'll get right on it."

As they got to work, Alex pulled out his phone, intending to call Matthew. But then he remembered something that made him groan in frustration. "Damn it, I don't even have his number!" He cursed under his breath, pacing the small room before a thought struck him. Claire's phone-Matthew has it.

Without wasting another second, Alex dialed Claire's number. It rang a few times before Matthew picked it up.

"Damn it!"

"Matthew, it's Alex," he said urgently. "I just saw the footage. Claire's been taken by some guy in a black suit and mask. He's in the hotel, and I've got security searching for him."