New beginning: Billionaire love story novel Chapter 294

Matthew parked his car in the hotel’s lot and let out a sigh, glancing at his phone. Claire had texted him to stay in the car, but now it had been thirty minutes, and there was still no sign of her. His phone buzzed again, but it wasn’t from Claire. Just some spam messages.

He furrowed his brows, sent her a text asking if everything was alright, and waited for a reply. The seconds ticked by. Nothing. He checked his phone again, figuring maybe her battery had died, but something didn’t feel right.

Claire wasn’t the type to ghost anyone, let alone him, especially not when they had plans.

“I bet she’s networking or talking to people, being all social,” Matthew muttered to himself, trying to stay positive. But deep down, he couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling brewing in his gut.

Thirty minutes turned into an hour. Still no Claire. Matthew fiddled with his phone, scrolling through social media to pass the time, but he kept glancing at the hotel’s entrance. Why hadn’t she come out yet? He tried calling her, but it went straight to voicemail. Again.

“Come on, Claire,” he whispered, rubbing his temple. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. The more time that passed, the weirder it felt. Claire was never the kind of person to leave someone hanging without a heads-up. If she was going to be late, she’d say something. Waiting another thirty minutes was beginning to feel ridiculous.

Meanwhile, inside the hotel, Adrian had just finished a long chat with his grandfather. He was about to make his way back to Claire, but after scanning the ballroom, she was nowhere to be seen.

“That’s weird,” Adrian muttered, checking his watch. She’d been there just a little while ago. Maybe she went to the ladies' room or something, he thought.

After 90 minutes of sitting in the car, Matthew couldn’t take it anymore. His gut was screaming at him now. Something was definitely wrong. Claire wouldn’t do this without a reason. He had to go in and check.

Climbing out of the car, Matthew stretched, trying to shake off the stiffness in his legs, and marched toward the hotel entrance. The ballroom where the event was being held was on the first floor, so he headed straight there, his footsteps quick and purposeful. He had to confirm his suspicion.

However, just as he reached the ballroom, a couple of beefy security guys blocked his way, crossing their arms like they were professional door-huggers.

“Excuse me, sir. Invitation, please,” one of them grunted, standing so tall Matthew had to crane his neck just to see his face.

Matthew blinked. “Oh, I don’t have one, but I’m just here to—”

“No invitation, no entry,” the other guard cut him off, his expression as flat as a pancake.

Matthew sighed, trying to stay calm. “Look, I’m not trying to crash the party or anything. I’m just looking for someone, my friend Claire. She’s in there, and—”

“Rules are rules,” the first guard said, shifting his stance as if Matthew was about to launch into some ninja moves. “We can’t let anyone in without proper credentials.”

“Please, just for a minute.”

The guards shook their heads. “No is a no, sir. You are not allowed to enter if you don’t have an invitation.”

Matthew knew it was useless to argue. These guys weren’t going to bend the rules just because he was looking for a friend. And the last thing he wanted was to come off like a desperate party-crasher or worse, a weirdo scammer.

As Matthew was about to turn away in frustration, the door to the ballroom swung open. Thanks to the soft classical music playing instead of some loud DJ beats, Matthew’s voice could be heard clearly.

“Alexander!” Matthew called, spotting a familiar face just inside. He recognized him instantly, even from far away.