New beginning: Billionaire love story novel Chapter 460

Claire was still fuming from her confrontation with Mr. Andrews when her phone rang. The sudden break in her thoughts made her grimace, and she glanced at the screen to see it was Alexander.

Her ex-husband. Business partner. The man who had a knack for popping up at the most inconvenient times.

She sighed and swiped to answer the call, her irritation creeping back to the surface. "What is it, Alexander?"

"Claire," came his voice, smooth as ever but with an edge of something that didn’t quite sit right. "Is Matthew still in the hospital?"

Claire raised an eyebrow, her grip tightening around her phone. "Where did you hear that?" she asked, her voice colder than she intended.

Alexander’s response was casual as if he were asking about the weather. "I have my sources."

"Sources?" Claire’s heart skipped a beat, and her eyes narrowed as the annoyance from earlier boiled over. "Are you seriously calling me to ask about Matthew?"

"I wasn’t calling to ask, Claire," Alexander replied, his tone firm now. "I’m just checking in. Is he okay?"

Claire couldn’t hide her irritation anymore. "I don’t need you checking in, Alexander. I’m dealing with it, okay?" She tried to keep her voice steady, but there was an edge to it now—something that revealed just how much everything, from the meeting with Mr. Andrews to Matthew’s condition, was getting to her.

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line. "I didn’t mean to upset you, Claire," Alexander said, his voice softer now, though still carrying that familiar hint of concern. "I just thought you might want to talk. You’ve been quiet lately."

"I’m fine," she snapped, a little too quickly. The words were automatic, and defensive. "I don’t need to talk about it with you."

"Then what’s going on, Claire?" Alexander pressed, not letting up. "You’ve been on edge. I can hear it in your voice. You’re not the same. What's really going on?"

Claire’s stomach twisted. She didn’t want to admit it, not to him—not to anyone. But the frustration, the exhaustion, the helplessness, they all seemed to be bubbling up, threatening to spill over. She rubbed her temple, trying to force herself to calm down.

"Can you just drop it, Alexander?" she said, her voice quieter now but laced with frustration. "I don’t need you lecturing me. I’m dealing with it all, okay? Just... just leave me alone for a while."

Alexander paused, and for a moment, Claire thought he might say something more, push further. But he didn’t. Instead, there was a soft exhale on the other end of the line, followed by a resignation she wasn’t used to hearing from him.

"Alright," he said, finally. "I’m not trying to make things harder for you. I just... I know you’re under a lot of pressure. If you need anything—"

"I have work to do, Alexander," Claire interrupted abruptly, her patience thinning. "I don’t have time for this right now."

The words felt sharp, too sharp, but she didn’t care. She was tired—tired of being strong, tired of pretending like everything was under control. Tired of people poking around in her personal life. She had too much on her plate already.

"Okay," Alexander said again, his voice taking on an odd note. "But just... think about it. You know where to find me."

"Yeah, I do," Claire said curtly. Without another word, she hung up the phone, her hand trembling slightly as she set it back down on the desk.