New beginning: Billionaire love story

Alexander's jaw practically hit the floor, eyes wide as he tried to process what Claudia just said. "What?" he blurted, his voice a mix of shock and disbelief. Claudia just smirked, leaned back in her seat like she had all the time in the world, and repeated herself. "Negotiate with me... or marry me."

The pounding beat of the club's music made it hard to think, let alone hear, but somehow, her words cut through the noise crystal clear. Alexander blinked rapidly like that would help him make sense of the nonsense she was spouting. "Are you drunk?" he asked, leaning closer to her, eyes scanning her face for any signs of tipsiness. Claudia chuckled, a low, amused sound. She leaned forward, grabbed her glass, and took a slow, deliberate sip of her drink. "Not drunk, Alexander," she said, shaking her head with a smirk still playing on her lips.

Alexander's face twisted into a frown. He couldn't believe this. "You're crazy," he muttered, shaking his head. "I would never marry a woman like you."

Claudia raised an eyebrow, looking genuinely curious, which threw him off for a second. "Oh?" she said, a little too casually. "And why is that?"

Alexander snorted. "Because your options are insane!" He leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "Who even says stuff like that? Negotiate or marry? Seriously?"

Claudia crossed her arms and leaned forward again, her voice lowering just enough that he could hear her clearly over the music. "Well, if you don't want to negotiate, I could always go to the press. I'm sure the public would love to know all about Harris Company's dirty little secrets."

Alexander groaned internally. He already hated her, but this? This was pushing him to the edge. "Harris company doesn't have dirty secrets." Alexander sneers at her. However, Claudia throws him a smirk that makes Alexander annoyed.

He glanced around, hoping for a moment of clarity, but no-here he was, stuck in this club, having the weirdest conversation of his life.

He sighed, rubbing his temples. "Fine," he muttered. "I'll negotiate. Anything's better than marrying you."

Claudia's eyes flickered with amusement as she leaned back, satisfied. "Good choice," she said smoothly, but Alexander could tell she was enjoying this way too much.

As he tried to regain his composure, he thought of Claire, the woman who held his heart. No way was he going to let someone like Claudia get under his skin. He wasn't marrying anyone unless it was Claire. Sure, Claire wasn't his, not yet, but he had hope. He wasn't giving up on her not until she was officially off the market.

Claudia placed her drink on the table with a soft clink and tilted her head at him. "So, if we're negotiating, let's talk numbers," she said, getting straight to business. "I want 60% of the revenue." Alexander let out a sharp, disbelieving laugh. "Are you serious right now? Did you just learn how business works?" he asked mockingly, throwing his hands up. "That's not how this goes." Claudia's smirk never faltered. "I know exactly how business works, Alexander. I'm just asking for what's fair."

"Fair?" Alexander scoffed, crossing his arms. "Lady, your father was lucky to get 30% from Harris. Without us, Solstice Vineyard would've crashed and burned a long time ago."

Claudia's smile faded, her eyes narrowing as her posture stiffened. "Watch your mouth," she said, her voice colder now. "Solstice Vineyard was known long before Harris came into the picture."

"In France," Alexander shot back, cutting her off. He added a smug smirk just to twist the knife a little more.

Claudia's fingers curled into a fist, but she kept her cool-barely. He could tell his comment stung, even if she wouldn't admit it. She knew he was right. Solstice Vineyard had a solid reputation in France, sure, but internationally? Not a chance. Harris Company had opened doors her father never could.

Still, Claudia wasn't about to give in that easily. "Our product speaks for itself," she snapped. "You and your company may have helped, but don't pretend like you did all the work."

Alexander shrugged, clearly enjoying himself now. "Hey, I'm just saying the truth. Without Harris backing you up, you'd be sitting in some French vineyard with no one outside Europe knowing your name."

Claudia rolled her eyes, looking fed up. "This isn't about the past, Alexander. It's about the future."

"Yeah, a future where you want 60% of the profits for doing what, exactly? Standing around looking pretty?"

Claudia bristled, her eyes flashing with anger. "I'm the one who's been running the business since my father stepped down. I've expanded our operations, negotiated with distributors, and secured new markets. You think that's just 'standing around looking pretty?"" Alexander leaned in, clearly enjoying getting under her skin. "Oh, so now you're the business genius, huh?"

Claudia gave him a withering look. "I didn't come here to be insulted, Alexander. I came to make a deal."

"Well, maybe you should come with a better offer," he shot back, folding his arms across his chest. "Because 60%? That's laughable."

Claudia took a deep breath, clearly trying to rein in her temper. "Fine. What do you think is fair, then?"

Alexander leaned back, pleased that she was finally ready to talk sense. "We stick to the original deal. 30% for you, 70% for us."

Claudia's lips pressed into a thin line. "That's not happening."

"Then what's the point of this

negotiation?" Alexander said, throwi

his hands up. "If you're not willing to budge, we're wasting each other's time."

Claudia leaned forward, her eyes sharp. "I'll come down to 40%." Alexander raised an eyebrow. "40%? Still too high."

Claudia's jaw clenched, but she didn't back down. "It's a fair offer and you know it. Solstice Vineyard is more valuable now than it was when our fathers made that original deal."

Alexander pretended to consider it but really, he knew he had the upper hand. He sighed dramatically like he

was making a huge concession he

"35%. Final offer." noveldrama

Claudia let out a sarcastic laugh. "35%? Are you joking? My company only gets another 5% after years? That doesn't seem fair." Alexander leaned back in his chair and stared into her eyes. "Well, life is never fair."

She huffed in annoyance as she crossed her arms over her chest. "40% end of discussion."

Alexander and Claudia stared at each other eyes intensely. The loud music was the only thing that circled them.

"37%."

"40%."

"38%. That's my last offer."

She shook her head. "Really? Are you that selfish for only a 2% profit?" said Claudia in disbelief.

"2%, it's still money. So are you going to take it or not?"

"No way in hell I take a 38% profit. I flew from France to London to have justice for my father's business and I won't back down until I get what I want." "You are one tough rock, you know that. Fine, then 40%, end of discussion." He said with a firm tone, and Claudia's lips curled into a smirk.

"That's what I want to hear." Claudia nodded, satisfied. "Good. Then we have a deal."

Alexander shook his head. "You're something else, you know that?"

Claudia smiled, a slow, calculating smile that made him feel like he'd just fallen into some kind of trap. "Oh, Alexander, you have no idea."