New beginning: Billionaire love story

The crowd roared as the horses took off, a blur of colors and powerful muscles racing down the track. The commentator's voice boomed through the speakers, "And they're off! Number three and number five are neck and neck, folks! It's a tight race!" Edward leaned forward, his eyes glued to the track. He almost spilled his champagne in excitement as he watched Silver Arrow, number seven, galloping fiercely beside number three. "Come on, Silver Arrow!" he shouted, completely lost in the thrill of the moment. Adrian chuckled next to him. "Looks like you picked a good one, Ed. But I don't know, number three's looking pretty strong too."

"Ah, no way! Silver Arrow got this," Edward insisted. But before they could continue their debate, number seven surged ahead, surprising everyone.

"Whoa! Where did number seven come from?" Henry exclaimed, his eyes widening. "That horse just shot out of nowhere!"

Claire, standing a few feet away, chuckled as she watched the race unfold. "Now I see why they call it Midnight Thunder!" she said, pointing to the screen. "That horse is like lightning!"

Edward glanced over at her, still a bit flustered from earlier. "Yeah, yeah, but Silver Arrow is still ahead!" He turned back to the race just as number six suddenly made a surprising move, darting past the others.

"Oh my gosh, did you see that? Number six just took the lead!" Claire shouted, clapping her hands in excitement. "Go, number six!"

Henry, on his other side, clapped Edward on the back. "Looks like your Midnight Thunder's about to get struck by a storm," he teased. Edward shot him a look. "Not helping, Henry."

The crowd was buzzing, everyone on the edge of their seats as the horses thundered down the final stretch. Edward's heart pounded as he watched Silver Arrow struggle to catch up. "Come on, don't let me down!" he muttered. The horses flew past the finish line, the results flashing up on the screen. Number three had zoomed in at the last second, snatching the win.

"Yes! What a finish!" Adrian yelled, pumping his fist in the air.

Claire laughed, her face lighting up with joy. She couldn't remember the last time she had so much fun and not thinking about work or even Lisa.

Edward, on the other hand, was pouting. "No way... Silver Arrow was supposed to win!" He slumped against the railing, looking like a disappointed kid.

Claire turned to him with a teasing smile. "I told you number six was going to surprise everyone. You should've listened to me."

Edward shot her a mock glare. "Yeah, yeah. Rub it in, why don't you? Now I'm never getting that Ferrari F40."

Adrian, who had been quietly watching, chuckled. "You and your cars. I swear, Ed, you'd trade your soul for a Ferrari."

Henry burst out laughing. "Oh, come on, Ed! Is not like you don't have money to buy the car on your own. You're just using this as an excuse." Edward sighed dramatically. "It's not the same, Henry. It's about the thrill of winning!"

Henry snorted. "Too late, he already did. Look at him, crying over a horse race."

Edward threw his hands up. "I'm not crying! I'm just... emotionally invested."

"Emotionally invested?" Claire laughed

Edward pointed a dramatic finger at her. "You don't understand, Claire. That horse was supposed to be my ticket to glory!"

"Or at least a new car," Adrian added with a smirk. He turned to Claire. "How did you know number six was going to win?"

Claire shrugged casually. "I didn't. I just had a feeling, you know? Sometimes you've got to trust your instincts."

Edward was still sulking, staring at his empty glass. "I can't believe I lost. No Ferrari, no bragging rights, nothing."

The three of them laughed at his childish behavior, and Claire couldn't help but ask, "How can you act like this in public? Especially when you're a prince?" Edward looked at her, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Like what? I'm just having fun!"

Claire gestured at him, still chuckling. "You know, pouting and complaining like a kid. Aren't you worried someone will see you acting this way?"

Edward waved a hand dismissively.

"Nah, I'm like fortieth in line for the throne. Chances of me becoming king are basically zero. The cameras won't focus on me. They've got more important people to follow-like the king, queen, and the top three in line. I'm just here for the free drinks and the show."

He grabbed another glass of champagne from a passing waiter and downed it in one gulp. "Besides, I can't even imagine being king. Too much work and no time for fun." He shuddered dramatically, making Claire laugh again. Henry clapped his hands together. "Alright, alright, enough about Ed's royal woes. Claire, you ready to hear some embarrassing stories about Adrian?"

Adrian groaned. "Oh, come on, Henry. Don't start!"

Claire's eyes lit up with curiosity. "Oh, this sounds good. Do tell!"

Two days later, life seemed to have slipped back into its usual rhythm, or at least as close as it could get. Claire was focused, determined, and knee-deep in paperwork, trying to get the case against Lisa rolling.

"I'm going to make sure she's locked

up for good," Claire muttered to

herself, pushing the papers aside. According to Matthew, Lisa had been laying low ever since he discreetly escorted her back to the house. She hadn't dared to make

a

scene, which was both a relief and a

bit suspicious.

"Did you hear?" Matthew's voice crackled through the phone as Claire shuffled the last few documents into a folder.

"Hear what?" she asked, pinching the bridge of her nose.noveldrama

"Lisa went to the police station to file a complaint against you."

Claire's eyebrows shot up. "She did what?"

"Yeah, she tried to make a case, but without any proof, the cops didn't even take her seriously. They pretty much laughed her out of the station."

Claire couldn't help but chuckle. "Serves her right. She's got nothing but lies."

"Exactly," Matthew agreed, a grin evident in his voice.

"Please keep an eye on her, Matt. I just don't trust her next move."

"Roger that, boss."

They were on a tight deadline, with only a week left to finish the robot. Between Abigail's absence and the chaos with Lisa, progress had slowed to a crawl. Now they were all working overtime, trying to make up for lost time.

Claire pushed open the door and

found the team bustling around. Cables snaked across the floor, and the humof machinery filled the air The robot, sleek and metallic, stood in the center of the room, lights blinking in rhythm as if it were alive.

"Hey, guys!" Claire greeted, striding in. "How's it going?"

Mark, one of the engineers, looked up from his workstation. "Ms. Peterson! Good timing. We're testing if it can follow requests and handle basic hospitality functions."

"Oh, that's great! How's it doing so far?" she asked, leaning in to get a closer look.

"Pretty good," said Sarah, another team member, typing furiously on her laptop. "We're still fine-tuning its voice recognition, but it's getting there."

Claire said, feeling a swell of pride for her team. "You guys have really outdone yourselves. Let's make sure our hard work won't go to waste."