Alexander Harris gripped his phone tightly, his knuckles turning white as the call ended with a sharp tap. He stood frozen for a moment, staring blankly at the screen, then let out a slow breath. Christian, his assistant, who had been standing nearby the entire time, took a cautious step forward.
"Uh... where's Claudia?" Christian asked, trying to keep his voice neutral, but curiosity was written all over his face. The Claudia drama had everyone in the office on edge lately.
Alexander's jaw tightened as he turned towards Christian. "She's back in France"" he said, his voice as cold as the January wind. The words sliced through the air, leaving no room for further questions. He brushed past Christian without another glance, his long strides heading straight for the door.
"Get the jet ready," Alexander ordered his secretary on the way out. "I'm flying to France."
"Right away, Mr. Harris," the secretary responded, quickly dialing the necessary arrangements.
Christian raised an eyebrow as he hurried to keep up with Alexander's fast pace. Flying to France? This day was getting more complicated by the minute, and he couldn't help but wonder what exactly Claudia had done this time.
Meanwhile, Claire Peterson was feeling somewhat better for the first time in days. Her lunch with Adrian had gone smoothly, which was a miracle in itself, given the chaos surrounding her life lately. As they walked out of the restaurant, Claire looked more relaxed, though the tension hadn't fully left her shoulders. The constant headaches from everything spiraling out of control were still there, lurking just beneath the surface.
"Thanks for lunch, Adrian," Claire said, offering him a grateful smile as they strolled down the sidewalk. "You really didn't have to. I know you're busy."
Adrian chuckled, though there was a nervousness behind it. "Least I could do, Claire. You've been dealing with a lot lately." He paused for a second, rubbing the back of his neck as if searching for the right words. His heart pounded, and for a brief moment, he considered saying something he'd been holding back for a while now. But just as he opened his mouth, Claire's face clouded over.
"Adrian..." she muttered, her eyes narrowing. "Why are there so many journalists out here?"
Adrian spun around and blinked, his eyes landing on a crowd of reporters gathered outside the restaurant. A camera flashed, and one of the journalists raised a microphone.
"I have no idea," Adrian said, confusion spreading across his face. "Maybe there's a celebrity in the restaurant?"
Claire shook her head, her brows knitting together in suspicion. "This doesn't feel right.
As they approached the door, the journalists rushed toward Claire, microphones in hand, questions being hurled at her left and right. "Claire, any comment on Harris Company's recent scandal?" one reporter asked, shoving their mic closer.
Claire's heart sank. "What scandal?" she mumbled under her breath. She hadn't heard anything about a scandal, and immediately, her mind raced to Claudia Wright, wondering if this had something to do with the mess between her and Alexander. But Adrian was quick to react, gently guiding her away from the crowd.
"Let's get you out of here," Adrian said softly, helping Claire into her car while shielding her from the reporters. Claire didn't resist, but she couldn't stop the flood of questions swirling in her mind.
Just as Adrian was about to close the door, one of the journalists yelled something that made Claire freeze in her seat. "What do you think about Alexander Harris trending for mistreating his employees?"
Her heart dropped. Wait, what did you say?" Claire called back, leaning out of the car window. The journalist, sensing a response, approached eagerly.
"Alexander Harris is trending on social media. There's a video of him treating his employees poorly. It's blowing up."
Claire's chest tightened. This wasn't about Claudia at all. A new problem-again. "What... video?" she asked, though she wasn't sure if she wanted to know the answer.
The reporter looked like she was about to explain, but Adrian shot her a stern look and stepped in. "Claire, get in the car," he said gently but firmly. "You don't need to deal with this right now."
Claire nodded, her thoughts still racing, and sank back into her seat. Adrian closed the door behind her and waved the driver on. "Be careful," he said through the window as the car started moving.
Inside the car, Claire fumbled for her phone. Her fingers moved quickly, pulling up social media. Her pulse quickened as she scrolled through the trending topics, and then she found it. A video of Alexander Harris.
In the video, Alexander stood in an office, his expression hard and voice raised as he scolded one of his employees. The scene looked heated-uncomfortable. The timestamp showed it was from a couple of years ago, but that didn't seem to matter. People were outraged. Comments flooded in, condemning Alexander's behavior, criticizing his character, and questioning the entire culture at Harris Company.
Claire's stomach flipped. She knew Alexander had a temper, but why was this video surfacing now? Who had dug it up, and for what reason? She couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't a coincidence.
Claire leaned back in the plush leather seat of her car, crossing her arms in frustration as she stared out the window. The sun was out, casting bright rays across the city, but she wasn't in the mood to appreciate it. She looked at the driver and sighed. "Take me to Harris Company," she instructed, tapping her fingers against her phone.
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The driver nodded, and they were off, weaving through the traffic. As they neared Harris Company, her mood soured even further. There was a small crowd of journalists. clustered outside the entrance, cameras ready, and microphones at hand. She cursed under her breath.
"I can't deal with those vultures right now," Claire muttered, shaking her head. "Turn around. Take me back to Metacortex."
The driver didn't need to be toldnoveldrama
twice. He smoothly changed
direction, avoiding the chaos outside Harris Company. Claire groaned, frustrated. She needed answers, and fast, Pulling out her phone, she dialed Alexander's number trang. And rang. And rang. Straight to voicemail.
"What the ?" she frowned, staring at the phone like it had personally offended her. Alexander was always quick to pick up, always on top of everything. Why now, of all times, was he unreachable? Her confusion quickly turned to suspicion. Something wasn't right.
She scrolled through her contacts and called Christian. He picked up on the third ring.
"Claire, hey," Christian's voice was calm but a little tense. "I'm guessing you've heard about the video?"
"Yes." Claire snapped, though she already had a bad feeling. "Christian, what the hell is going on?"
Christian sighed. "Someone's trying to frame Alexander, or at least ruin his reputation. A video of him yelling at an employee from a couple of years ago has resurfaced. It's everywhere."
Claire rubbed her temples, her frown deepening. "Okay, but why now? And who's behind this?"
"Well, we're pretty sure it's Claudia," Christian replied, his tone dropping.
"Claudia," Claire said, exhaling slowly. "Of course, it's Claudia. I should've known."
There was a long pause as Claire processed the information. Claudia had just made an apology video, claiming to regret the way things
had played out between her and net
Alexander. And now this? Claire wasn't surprised, just... tired. It seemed like Claudia always had some new trick up her sleeve.
"Where's Alexander?" Claire asked, her voice quieter now.
"He's on a plane," Christian explained. "Flying to France. Claudia's back there, and he wants to deal with her personally."
Claire shut her eyes and leaned her head against the seat, feeling the headache building. "So, let me get this straight. She makes a big public apology, and then the next thing I know, she's orchestrating this media circus? Unreal." "Yeah, it's a mess," Christian agreed.
"Thanks for filling me in," Claire sighed. "I'll deal with this my way."
Christian chuckled lightly. "Good luck, Claire. You'll need it."
"Thanks," she said, before hanging up.
For a moment, Claire sat in silence, the sounds of the city humming outside the car. She muttered to herself, "Looks like I'll have to clean this up-Claire style."