New beginning: Billionaire love story

The chaos at the venue reached its peak when the firefighters burst through the door, a whirlwind of urgency and flashing lights. They immediately went to work, guiding Alex, Claire, and Lisa out of the smoky, debris-strewn space. Claire's face remained a stoic mask, but her mind was racing.

Lisa, unconscious and cradled in the arms of a firefighter, was quickly loaded into an ambulance. Claire's eyes followed her, but she remained impassive, her usual composure not slipping even in the midst of the commotion.

As the paramedics worked on Lisa, one of the firefighters noticed Claire standing off to the side, her attention seemingly elsewhere. He approached her, tapping her gently on the shoulder.

"Hey, Miss!" he said, his voice cutting through the chaos. "Are you okay?"

Claire turned, her gaze meeting his. "I'm fine," she replied with a cool, detached tone.

The firefighter's eyes narrowed slightly as he took in her appearance. "You're bleeding," he said, pointing at her arm.

Claire looked down and saw a long scratch running along her forearm, red and angry. Her legs were dusty, with a few scratches peeking through the grime. She winced slightly, realizing that the scratch was probably from when Lisa had pushed her out of the way of the falling debris.

"It's nothing," Claire said, trying to brush it off.

The firefighter didn't seem convinced. "You need to go to the hospital. That could get infected."

Claire's sharp eyes met his. "I'm fine," she insisted.

The firefighter was persistent, though. "You need to get checked out, just to be safe."

Claire sighed, her frustration evident. "Alright, alright. I'll go. But I'm not happy about it."

With that, she climbed into the ambulance, her movements a bit more brisk than usual. As the doors shut behind her, she glanced out to see Alex being attended to by another firefighter.

The firefighter turned to Alex. "Are you okay?"

Alex nodded, though his face was pale, and he coughed slightly. "Yeah, just a bit shaken."

The firefighters handed him an oxygen mask, which he took gratefully and began to breathe in deeply. The oxygen helped, and Alex's color improved a little.

"Which hospital did you take the unconscious woman to?" Alex asked, his voice hoarse.

"We took her to the City Hospital. The other woman's going there too."

Alex nodded, relief mingling with worry. "Thanks. I'll head there now."

As the firefighters continued to manage the scene, Alex made his way to his car, his steps quick and purposeful. The street was now filled with police and firefighters, the air thick with the remnants of smoke. The fire had died down significantly, but the upper floors of the building were still ablaze. The firefighters were working hard to control it.

Alex climbed into his car and drove to the City Hospital. His mind was a jumble of thoughts that he couldn't even form a word.

Alex stepped into the hospital, his suit stained with soot and his face smudged with dust from the fire earlier. The moment he walked in, people turned to look at him, their eyes filled with curiosity and concern. But Alex couldn't care less. His mind was preoccupied, and the stares were just background noise.

Standing at the entrance, Alex hesitated. Should he go see Lisa or not? The thought gnawed at him, the memories of their complicated past swirling in his mind. Recently, when Lisa was in jail, he'd been harsh-maybe too harsh. But at the time, he hadn't regretted it. Lisa had deserved it.

Yet, earlier today, she had saved Claire from the falling debris. That had thrown him off completely. Maybe, just maybe, Lisa had realized her mistakes.

Claire was being treated by a nurse. The scratches on her arm and leg weren't as severe as the firefighters had feared, but the doctor told Claire it was the right thing to do to come beforehand in case something bad happened. The nurse finished bandaging Claire's wounds and told her, "There you go, all done."

Claire mumbled a quick "thanks," as

the nurse left the room. She sighed and leaned back in bed, her thoughts drifting back to the chaos of earlier The fire, the debris, and Lisa's unexpected act of

heroism-everything felt tangled together in her mind. She was still trying to piece it all together, feeling a strange connection to Lisa but with no solid proof to back it up.

Just as Claire was lost in thought, a voice she knew all too well broke through her reverie. "Claire?"

She looked up, frowning as she saw Alex standing in front of her. "What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice carrying a hint of irritation.

"I came to check on you," Alex said, his eyes scanning her from head to toe. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Claire said plainly, trying to keep her annoyance in check.

Alex's eyes drifted to the bandages on her arm. "You're far from fine," he said, his concern evident despite the dust and grime.

Claire rolled her eyes. "It's nothing. How did you I was here?"

Alex cleared his throat as he shoved his hands inside his pocket.

"I found out from the firefighters and the nurse that you were here. I wanted to check on you."

A tense silence filled the room, and Alex broke it by adding, "Lisa helped you."

Claire's face went cold. "So?"

Alex was taken aback. "So, shouldn't you thank her? She saved you."

Claire's expression remained unmoved. "I'm not going to see her or thank her."

Alex frowned, clearly frustrated. "Why not? She saved you, Claire. The least you could do is acknowledge it."

Claire pushed herself up from the bed, clearly agitated. "If you want to thank her, go ahead. Just don't drag me into it."

As she started to walk away, Alex reached out and stopped her. "The fire. You don't think this is all Lisa's doing right?"

Claire glanced at him, a smirk

playing on her lips. But she didn't

give him a straight answer. Instead, she pulled her arm free and

continged walking, leaving Alex standing there, more confused than ever.

Alex stood there, puzzled and a bit irritated. He knew Claire had been hurt because of Lisa, but the whole situation seemed off. Why would Lisa save Claire if she had intended to hurt her? It didn't add up, and it was driving him nuts.

As Claire walked out of the room, she was being greeted by a worried-looking Matthew.

"Claire! Are you okay? I saw the news and I remembered you were there. Oh my God! I am so worried. Why didn't you call me?"All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

"Matthew," Claire called him, and, in an instant, Matthew was silent. "I'm fine."

"Then can you explain that?" he pointed to the bandage on Claire's arm and leg.

Claire rolled her eyes. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it. How about Talia? Have you heard from her?"

"She called me earlier. She was also worried about you, Claire and Talia are fine however, her project didn't go the way she planned."

A frown appears on Claire's forehead, an uneasy feeling settling in her stomach. "You okay, Claire? You don't look fine."

Claire cleared her throat and turned her gaze to Matthew with a hint of seriousness. "I need to tell you something."