New beginning: Billionaire love story

breath and quickly scooped her up in his arms. "Hold on, Claire," he muttered, his jaw clenched as he carried her to his car.

As the four men struck Claire at the back of her head, they bolted, leaving Alexander in a split second of panic. His heart raced, torn between chasing them down or helping Claire. But when he saw her lying there, unconscious, the decision was clear. He swore under his He pressed the gas pedal hard, flying down the nearly empty streets. The hospital wasn't far, but every second felt like an eternity. His mind raced with all the possibilities - what if the blow was worse than it looked? What if something serious happened to her? When they finally reached the hospital, Alexander didn't waste a moment. He carried Claire inside, bridal style, his arms wrapped tightly around her limp body. A nurse at the entrance noticed the urgency in his eyes and quickly called for help. Within seconds, a stretcher was wheeled over.

"Place her on the bed," the nurse instructed, her tone calm but commanding.

Alexander gently laid Claire on the stretcher, watching as they whisked her away toward the ER. One of the nurses stayed back, turning to Alexander with a serious expression. "Who are you? What happened to her? Did you...?" she trailed off, her eyes narrowing slightly, clearly suspicious. "No! I didn't do anything!" Alexander said quickly, his hands raised defensively. "Someone attacked her. They hit her in the back of the head, and then they ran. I couldn't catch them."

The nurse nodded, her suspicion fading a bit. "You should inform the police," she advised. "They might still be able to catch whoever did this."

Alexander nodded, reaching for his phone. But just as he was about to call the police, he remembered - he had to inform someone about Claire. She didn't have family, but there was one person who would want to know: Matthew. He hesitated for a moment, then dialed Matthew's number, feeling an uncomfortable knot in his stomach. He never thought he'd actually use Matthew's contact information.

The phone rang twice before Matthew answered, his voice sharp. "Who is this?"

"It's Alexander," he replied, his voice tense. "Claire's in the hospital."

There was a pause on the other end, and when Matthew spoke again, his tone was cold. "What did you do to her?"

Alexander gritted his teeth, already annoyed. "I didn't do anything," he snapped, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Look, it's a long story. You need to get here, and I'll explain everything."

Matthew's voice hardened even more. "Text me the address. I'm on my way."

Alexander ended the call, sighing heavily in frustration. He couldn't shake the fear gnawing at him. What if the blow was worse than it seemed? He rubbed his face, trying to clear his head. After texting Matthew the hospital's address, he sat for a moment, debating whether he should call the police now or wait. Eventually, he decided to dial them. Better safe than sorry.

Meanwhile, Matthew was speeding down the road, his knuckles white from gripping the steering wheel so tightly. It was 2:30 in the morning, and the streets were blissfully empty, allowing him to push his car to its limit. He didn't care about getting a speeding ticket; he just needed to get to Claire.

His mind raced with questions. Who the hell would hurt Claire? And why was she with Alexander in the middle of the night? None of this made sense, and the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He pressed the gas harder, trying to block out the terrible possibilities flooding his brain.

Ten minutes later, Matthew screeched into the hospital parking lot. He jumped out of the car, barely remembering to lock it, and sprinted inside. His eyes darted around the hallway, scanning for any sign of Alexander or the nurses. Finally, he spotted Alexander standing with a police officer near the ER entrance.

Without missing a beat, Matthew stormed over. "What the hell happened?" he demanded, his voice tight with anger.

Alexander turned around, his eyes meeting Matthew's angry glare as he stormed over. Alexander straightened up, his hands still stuffed in his pockets as he nodded toward the police officers, who had just finished taking his statement. "Thanks for your help. Please keep me updated," he said to them before they walked out of the hospital lobby.

The officers nodded and left, while Matthew, without wasting any time, demanded, "What happened to Claire?"

Alexander took a deep breath, preparing for what was about to be a long explanation. "Earlier, there were four guys who stopped their car in front of mine while I was taking Claire home."

Matthew's frown deepened. "Why were you taking Claire home?"

Alexander glanced away for a moment. "I went to Metacortex to ask about the robot development-"

"Why not tomorrow?" Matthew interrupted, his tone sharp, almost mimicking Claire's exact words from earlier.

Alexander sighed again, feeling the frustration of the situation. "I'm busy tomorrow, so I decided to head over to her office tonight, at 1:30 AM."

Matthew crossed his arms over his chest, his expression demanding answers. "And then?"

"Those four guys-" Alexander continued, "they were looking for Claire. I got out to confront them, but Claire jumped out of the car too. Things escalated fast. We both fought them, but one of them hit Claire on the back of her head. She went down immediately.

Matthew's eyes widened, and he gritted his teeth. "Did you see their license plate?"

"No," Alexander admitted, shaking his head. "But I told the officers. They'll let me know if they find anything."

Matthew looked like he didn't entirely trust the police, but he nodded reluctantly. "Alright. For now, we'll rely on that."

Just then, the ER doors swung open, and a doctor stepped out. Both men rushed over, anxious for news. "How is she?" Alexander asked, his voice tight with worry.

"Is she going to be okay?" Matthew added, his tone a little gruffer but no less concerned.

The doctor glanced between them and said, "She's stable. The hit on the back of her head required a few stitches, but it's nothing too serious. She just needs rest." Both men let out sighs of relief.

"Thank God," Matthew muttered under his breath. "Can she be moved to a room?" Matthew asked.

The doctor nodded. "We're moving her to a room now. She'll wake up soon, but make sure she doesn't strain herself. Rest is the priority."

Ten minutes later, Claire was moved

to the VIP room, and Alexander and Matthew settled into the stiff hospital chairs by her bedside, waiting for her to wake up. The night stretched on, and despite the exhaustion pulling at them, neither of them slept. They kept glancing at Claire, her face peaceful, as if she was simply sleeping, not lying there after a traumatic attack.

The first rays of morning sunlight began to filter through the curtains when Claire's hand twitched. Matthew noticed it first and

immediately stood up, leaning closer to her bed. "Claire? Are you okay?" he asked, his voice softer now, filled with concern.

Claire's eyes fluttered open. She looked at him, confused, her voice barely a whisper. "Who... are you?"noveldrama