New beginning: Billionaire love story

Eligos lounged back in his plush leather chair, a wicked grin spreading across his face as he sipped a glass of red wine. The news broadcast in front of him was showing the story he had been waiting for all evening: a car explosion. The anchor was doing their best to sound serious, describing the incident, but all Eligos could hear was the satisfaction in his own thoughts.

"Finally, some action," he muttered to himself, swirling the wine in his glass.

He leaned forward as the news mentioned that the explosion involved the car of Adrian Saint Laurent. Eligos's grin widened. He could barely contain his excitement. Setting the glass down, he tapped his fingers impatiently against the armrest, then called over one of his men.

"Do we know how Claire is?" he asked, his voice dangerously calm, but with a glint in his eyes that suggested otherwise.

His henchman, looking more nervous than usual, nodded and quickly pulled out his phone. After a few rings, another man on the other end picked up. Eligos sat back, crossing his legs as he waited, eyebrows raised expectantly. His man's hand trembled slightly as he held the phone, waiting for an answer from the contact on the scene.

The phone call was brief. When it ended, Eligos tilted his head and raised a brow. "Well? What's the news?"

The man hesitated, swallowing hard before answering. "Uh... Claire's safe, boss. She's unharmed. But... the man she was with, Adrian, he's the one who got hurt."

For a second, the room fell silent. Then, in an instant, the glass of wine was airborne, shattering against the wall. Eligos stood up, fury etched across his face. "That's not what I wanted to hear!" he roared, glaring at the man.

The henchman took a step back, clearly terrified. "I-I'm sorry, boss, I-I'll call the men back right away."

Eligos narrowed his eyes. "Yes, you will. And when they get here, I'll be having a little chat with them."

The man nodded frantically and stumbled away, already dialing the phone to call the others. Eligos paced the room, his fury barely contained. Those men had failed him, and there would be consequences.

There always were. On the other end of the line, the two men who had been responsible for the botched explosion were already sweating, exchanging nervous glances as they heard the command to return. They knew Eligos too well to think they could escape punishment. Running wasn't an option-Eligos had eyes everywhere.

Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Claire was sitting by Adrian's bedside, her eyes never leaving him. The sterile smell of the hospital, the rhythmic beep of the machines-none of it registered with her.

All she could focus on was Adrian, lying there with bandages wrapped around him, looking far too pale. They had moved him to a VIP room since he was stable now, but Claire hadn't left his side once. She was waiting, hoping that at any moment he'd wake up.

As she sat there, the TV in the corner of the room caught her attention. It was the same news report-about the explosion. She stood up instinctively, walking closer to the screen, her expression darkening. The journalist was going on about how the explosion appeared to be caused by a gas leak in the car.

"Yeah, right," Claire scoffed, shaking her head. "Gas explosion my ass."

She watched the footage of the crime scene, police officers putting up the yellow tape, and photographers snapping pictures of the wreck. The car, now unrecognizable, was being carefully examined. The reporter continued, stating that the car belonged to none other than Adrian Saint Laurent and that an investigation was underway.

Claire clenched her fists. She couldn't believe that someone had gone this far to target her. This wasn't just some random accident. Someone had meant to hurt her, and worse, Adrian had got caught in the middle. She was so lost in thought she didn't hear the faint groan from the bed behind her until it grew louder.

"Claire..." Adrian murmured, his voice raspy and weak.

She spun around and hurried to his side. "Adrian? Adrian, can you hear me?"

His fingers twitched as he struggled to move, his hand slowly reaching out. Claire quickly took it, squeezing it gently. "I'm right here. Don't try to move too much," she said softly.

As if on cue, the door to the room opened, and Adrianna and Adrian's grandfather walked in.

"He's awake," Claire said quickly. "He just woke up."

Adrianna's face lit up with both relief and worry as she rushed over to her son's bedside. "Adrian, darling, are you alright? How are you feeling? Do you need anything? Does it hurt? Are you in pain?" The questions poured out of her like a flood, but Adrian only chuckled weakly.

"Mum... one question at a time, please," he joked, though his voice was barely above a whisper.

Adrianna's eyes filled with tears as she leaned over him, kissing his forehead. "We were so worried about you."

While Adrianna and her husband spoke to the doctor, who had just entered the room for a check-up, Claire kept her attention on Adrian. "How are you feeling?" she asked quietly. Adrian coughed lightly, trying to clear his throat. "I feel like absolute shit," he muttered with a small smile, which only made Claire frown.

"I'm so sorry, Adrian," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "This is all my fault."

Adrian shook his head weakly, his hand squeezing hers. "Claire, don't. It's not your fault. Some things... just happen. Even you, the unstoppable Claire Peterson, can't prevent everything."

Claire sighed heavily, guilt gnawing at her, but Adrian's words, despite his weak state, were meant to reassure her. "I'll find whoever did this," she said, her eyes narrowing in determination. Adrian's smile didn't waver. He just looked at her with that same soft expression. "I'm just glad you're okay... and that you were here when I woke up."

Before Claire could respond, Adrianna turned her attention back to her son, tears glistening in her eyes. "Adrian, are you alright? Do you need anything? Does it hurt? Oh, my poor boy." Adrian chuckled weakly, trying to lighten the mood. "Mum, I'm fine. Really. Well, sort of," he added with a cough. "But I'll be okay."

Adrianna dabbed at her eyes with a

tissue and turned to his

father-in-law, who nodded in

agreement with the doctor's

prognosis. "He's stable," the doctor said, glancing at all of them. “But he needs rest and recovery. He won't soon."noveldrama

be discharged anytime He won't

Claire stood back, watching the emotional moment between Adrian and his family. She felt a lump in her throat, but she didn't want to

excused herself and slippedel

interrupt. Instead, she quietly

of

the room. She needed to clear her

head, to focus on what was next.

Out in the hallway, Matthew was leaning against the wall, sipping a cup of coffee. When he saw Claire, he raised an eyebrow. "Everything okay in there?" Claire's expression hardened as she walked over to him. "I need to find whoever did this, Matthew. And I need to find them fast."

Matthew nodded, his tone serious. "I'm with you. Let's get started."

And with that, Claire and Matthew set out to get some answers. Eligos had made his move. Now it was Claire's turn. The question is can she figure out the mastermind?