New beginning: Billionaire love story

Claire stretched out on the couch in her office at Cryptonic, letting out a long, exaggerated sigh. She glanced around, taking in the peace and quiet.

It was a refreshing change from the constant buzz of Metacortex, not to mention the relentless media and police hounding her every move. "So, this is what it feels like to not be chased 24/7," she said, leaning back, her head sinking into the cushion. Matthew, who had just settled into a chair across from her, chuckled. "Enjoying your little vacation from chaos?"

Claire rolled her eyes but smiled. "Honestly, yes. I wish Metacortex could be more calm and quiet but unfortunately, my main business is all about connecting."

"Yeah, especially that meeting then that other meeting, and oh forgot the banquet and party. That thing wore me out."

Claire couldn't help but chuckled, hearing him ramble dramatically. "Seems like I need to stay here for a few days."

Matthew grinned. "Yeah, well, you deserve a break. Plus, it's a lot harder for the paparazzi to chase you down in here. I'd like to see them try to breach Cryptonic's security."

Claire laughed, but then something flickered in her mind a memory. She sat up a little straighter. "You know... speaking of things I should be dealing with..." She reached into her bag, pulling out a small, crumpled piece of paper.

Matthew's eyes followed her hand. "That's not your shopping list, is it?"

Claire shook her head, a more serious expression settling on her face. "No, this is from Bruno's body. It's the only thing I didn't give to the police."

Matthew's eyes twinkled with amusement. "You know what people said about keeping stuff from a death body?"

She rolled her eyes. "Ha ha...funny Matthew." Claire looks down at the paper she is holding between her fingers. "I don't know. Call it a hunch, but I feel like this is connected to me, personally. I should've handed it over, I know that. But something's telling me I need to handle this myself."

Matthew raised an eyebrow, leaning forward. "And what does your gut say? You thinking of calling whoever's on that paper?"

Claire sighed, leaning back again, and looking at the ceiling. "Eventually. I just... I don't know what I'm walking into with this. I'll call when I'm ready."

"Well, just don't sit on it too long," Matthew advised, though his tone was light. "You know how these things go. If your gut's telling you something, it's probably right." Then, in an attempt to steer the conversation away from all the tension, Matthew grinned and leaned back in his chair. "Anyway, how about we talk about something less grim? Like... Lisa."

Claire raised her eyebrows in surprise and chuckled. "Wow, it's been a while since I've heard her name. That's one person I almost managed to forget about."

"Yeah, well, she's kinda out of the spotlight now. Probably enjoying her life pretending to be crazy."

"Don't even remind me," Claire scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief. "Lisa... ugh. She's such a master manipulator. She's been pretending to be insane just so she can get out of jail. Can you believe that?"

Matthew nodded, looking thoughtful. "Well, she's good at playing the long game, I'll give her that. But you know, Claire... what if you hired someone?"

Claire blinked, confused. "What do you mean? Hire someone for what?"

Matthew leaned forward, clearly getting into his idea. "Think about it. If Lisa's pretending to be crazy, that means she's getting treatment, right? She's seeing a therapist or a psychiatrist or whatever. You could hire someone like, a private investigator-who poses as a doctor, but not a real therapist. That way, they can keep tabs on her, get close to her, and figure out what's really going on."

Claire's eyes widened. "Wait, that's actually... a pretty good idea. Why didn't I think of that?"

Matthew puffed up a little, clearly proud of himself. "Hey, that's why you keep me around. I've got all the good ideas."

Claire smirked "Alright, genius. But

it's not a bad plan. Lisa won't

suspect a thing, especially if we hire someone with the right qualifications. Once

e gatherne

concrete proof that she's faking it, we can throw her back in jail where

she belongs."

"Exactly," Matthew agreed, nodding enthusiastically. "It'll take some time, obviously. She won't open up to this 'doctor' right away. But once she does, we'll have everything we need to nail her."

Claire drummed her fingers on thenoveldrama

couch, thinking. "We'll need to find the perfect candidate, though. Someone who can play the part well enough to fool her. If she catches even a whiff of suspicion, this whole thing could backfire."

"Right, no amateurs," Matthew agreed. "We need someone who's sharp, professional, and subtle. Lisa's not stupid-she'll see through anything less than perfect."

Claire nodded, already mentally compiling a list of contacts who could help with this. "We'll do some digging. I'm sure we can find someone. And once we have the proof, there's no way she can weasel her way out." Matthew grinned. "Sounds like a plan. And then, once she's back behind bars, you can finally stop worrying about her."

Claire chuckled. "Yeah, but knowing Lisa, she'll probably try to come up with some new scheme even from prison. I wouldn't put it past her."

Matthew shook his head with a smirk. "That woman really is something else."

"No kidding." Claire sighed, standing up from the couch and stretching. "But, one problem at a time. First, we deal with her, then we deal with whoever's on this paper."

"You think they're connected?" Matthew asked, glancing at the crumpled note in her hand.

Claire shrugged. "Honestly? Who knows. By now my brain couldn't think about anything else. But I can't

that's been happening

shake the feeling that eve

lately-Bruno's death, the explosion, Lisa-it's all somehow connected. And until I figure it out, I'm not letting my guard down."

"Smart," Matthew agreed, standing up he headed to Claire's desk. "Alright, let's do some digging. The faster the better so we can still have time to interview them and such." Claire nodded, slipping the paper back into her bag. "Good idea. Let's work on this now." Claire stood up and headed over to her desk as she stood behind the chair.

"You ever think about taking an actual vacation?" Matthew asked as he turned on Claire's monitor.

Claire snorted. "A vacation? What's that?"

Matthew laughed. "I'm serious! You're always running around putting out fires. You should take a week off. Go somewhere tropical, sip on a margarita, and forget about all this chaos."

Claire gave him a sidelong glance. "Yeah, sure. And while I'm gone, Lisa escapes, Eligos burns down Cryptonic, and the media tracks me to a beach in the Bahamas."

"Hey, a little sunburn is a small price to pay for margaritas," Matthew joked.

"Maybe once all this is over," Claire conceded with a grin. "But for now, I think I'll stick to fighting off the chaos from the comfort of Cryptonic."

They both laughed as they stepped outside into the cool London air, ready to tackle whatever came next. But at least for the moment, Claire had a sense of direction-and maybe, just maybe, a little less stress.