Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary - Chapter 101: Chapter 101

Adrian, who had just been enjoying the show, suddenly showed a cold face because he realized he had just walked right into their trap.
He thought he was there to watch Justin embarrass himself, but in reality, Justin and Elara set him up instead.
Paige was taken aback. "What?"
Justin took a sip of his juice and said, "Adrian is into my girlfriend, so I decided to let him have a chance with her."
Adrian and Elara were both stunned.
Paige suspected Justin was up to his usual tricks. She said, "How dare you joke about Adrian? He's your boss now."
"I'm not joking. If you don't believe me, you can ask Adrian," Justin replied.
Elara's fingers curled up. She worried about what would happen next.
Paige turned to Adrian and asked, "Do you like her?"
Adrian pressed his tongue against his cheek and glanced over Justin, who was smirking. Adrian let out a cold snort and said, "Yes, I'm chasing her."
Elara was speechless.
Paige's smile grew brighter when she realized Adrian liked Elara. She asked, "Really? You're not lying to me, are you?"
"Why would I lie to you? I'm not your son, the one who always causes trouble," Adrian replied.
Paige burst out laughing even more delightedly. Anyone uninvolved watching might have thought Adrian was her son.
"Justin, you finally did something decent once. You really should give that chance to Adrian," Paige said.
Elara thought, 'What? Am I some kind of toy they can just hand over?'
Adrian found it funny. He asked, "Do you think I need him to give me that chance?"
Justin shot back, "Don't you need that? Then why would you arrange this blind date for me today? You even started rumors about me and a male colleague. Weren't you getting jealous?"
Adrian just smirked in silence. He finished his cigarette and lit up another.
Paige finally realized that this was one of Adrian's moves to chase after a girl. She thought, 'No big deal. It shows Adrian really cares about Elara.'
Paige quickly said, "Elara, it's our first meeting. I should give you a gift."
Elara hurriedly waved her hands. "Thanks, but you don't have to. Mr. Hartley and I are not dating."
Paige knew perfectly well they weren't dating, but since Adrian liked Elara, she was more than happy to play matchmaker for them.
"Elara, take this pendant," Paige said and removed the pendant from around her neck. "May it keep you safe."
Elara was even more flustered. She said, "Thanks, but I really can't accept this, Mrs. Johnson. It's your keepsake."
"You can take it. This pendant is worth even more than the emerald Monica gave you yesterday," Adrian said.
Elara took the pendant with trembling hands because she thought she could give it back to Adrian later anyway. She said, "Thank you, Mrs. Johnson."
"You're welcome. We'll be family soon," Paige replied.
Elara handed the pendant to Adrian and said, "Can you hold onto it for me? I don't have my bag with me, so I don't have anywhere to put it."
Adrian took it and put it into his suit pocket.
Elara glanced over at Justin, who was still chatting with the girl from the blind date, and something suddenly hit her.
She thought, 'Did Justin use the excuse of needing help with his blind date to throw me and Adrian into the middle of his whole family? What the hell is Justin up to?'
Paige started introducing everyone at the table to Elara. She said, "Elara, this is Adrian's uncle. Adrian's mom is our eldest sister. I'm the second eldest, and his uncle is the third."
Elara nodded and greeted Adrian's uncle.
"Over there are Adrian's younger cousins," Paige added.
Elara smiled and greeted them.
Adrian noticed how stiff and uncomfortable Elara looked. Thus, he asked, "Are you off this afternoon?"
Elara seized the chance to escape and quickly stood up. She said, "I'm sorry. It's almost work time. I have to head out now. Have a good time."
Paige, delighted to finally meet a girl Adrian liked, hurried to persuade Elara. "Aren't you Adrian's senior secretary? It's not a big deal to skip work just this once, is it, Adrian?"
To everyone's surprise, Adrian stood up as well. He said, "I've still got work to handle, and she'll come with me. Justin, you should get back to work, too."
"But you guys didn't even touch the food," Paige said.
Adrian took Elara by her arm and walked her straight out of the room.
Justin had just exchanged WhatsApp accounts with the girl from the blind date, so he stood up as well.
As he was leaving, he said, "Anyway, Elara is Adrian's senior secretary. If you want to see her, you can drop by the office anytime. This kind of family gathering is a bit much."
This was actually an invitation for Paige to go to the office and help Adrian chase Elara.
Paige immediately caught on. She thought, 'Justin got his head straight. If Adrian's marriage is settled, I can finally check off the task my sister gave me.'
As soon as Elara stepped out of the private room, she picked up her pace, not even glancing back at Adrian.
Luckily, with his long legs, Adrian caught up to her in just a few strides. He pulled her into his arms and asked, "Why are you running?"
Elara noticed people passing by in the hallway and gave him a push. "It's almost two o'clock. I need to get back to work."
"I'm right here, and your work is right here with me. Where else do you think you're supposed to be?" Adrian replied.
Elara kept her eyes down, refusing to even look at him. She thought, 'This is all Adrian and Justin's doing. I had nothing to do with it, but now I'm the one left to take the heat.'
Elara said, "You and Justin are the ones who stirred up all this trouble. Why are you taking it out on me?" She shot Adrian a glare and added, "Neither of you is any good."
Justin, who had just walked out, overheard that and grinned mischievously. He said, "Hey, what did I do? I just want Adrian to have a girlfriend."
"Justin," Elara shouted. She made a move to hit him, but Adrian held her back in his arms, so she couldn't do anything.
Justin stood just a step away. He said, "With Adrian's effort alone, when am I ever going to attend your wedding? I was just going with the flow. Elara, no need to thank me. Just save me a seat at your wedding party."
Seeing Elara looking all aggrieved, Adrian shot Justin a cold glare. "Aren't you supposed to work?"
Justin dropped his playful act and waved his hand. "Alright. I'm leaving. You two go on."
Adrian lowered his head to look at Elara in his arms. His voice turned much gentler. "Did you bring your ID?"
Elara frowned. "What for?"
"It's almost two o'clock. The Housing Authority should be open now. I'm taking you to transfer the house into your name," Adrian said.
Elara shot him a wide-eyed glare. "Are you crazy?"
"Which part of me looks crazy to you?" Adrian asked back.
"We are neither kith nor kin. Why are you giving me a house?" Elara protested.
"Who says we are not? I'm chasing you. Can't you tell that?" Adrian replied.
It was supposed to be a flirty line, but Elara didn't feel anything. She asked, "Do all you rich people keep a fiancée that everyone knows about but act affectionately and confess to someone else on the side?"
Adrian let out a helpless sigh. "I can't cut off that engagement yet. I have to wait until I turn thirty."
"Well, Mr. Hartley, when you hit thirty and finally break off that engagement, and if I'm still single by then, you can try chasing me again," Elara replied.
Elara coldly brushed him off and headed straight for the stairs.
"Can we head back to the office together? Traffic is a nightmare around here right now. You'll be late if you take a taxi," Adrian called after her.
Elara wasn't about to let her pride get in the way of work, so she followed Adrian down to the garage.
By the time they returned to the office, it was already past two. Elara brewed a cup of coffee for Adrian. Lunch from No. 9 Restaurant had also been delivered. After all, neither of them had eaten a single bite earlier.
When Elara set everything out on the table and was ready to slip out of the office, Adrian said, "Hey, let's eat together."
Elara gave in because she knew there was no way to say no. She grabbed a chair, sat down, and started on her food with a fork.
"Are you coming to the gathering tonight?" Adrian asked. He was referring to the welcome dinner Victor had arranged for tonight.
Elara shook her head. "I have a plan to watch a movie with Ruby."
If Adrian had a private dinner planned for the evening, as his senior secretary, Elara could leave work early. But if he was stuck in the office working late or attending business events, she would have to stick around until he got home.
Therefore, Elara could get to clock out early today.
"Don't you think Victor will do the same as me and try to get Ruby to come to dinner tonight?" Adrian asked.
"No, so we both refused," Elara replied.
Ruby turned Victor down, and Elara turned Adrian down.
"What movie is so important that you have to see it tonight?" Adrian asked.
"Fast & Furious 12. It's the premiere," Elara replied.
Adrian had spaced on that. He used to make time to catch the latest season of Fast & Furious every year, though he was never the type to rush out for the premiere.
"You're such a racing fan. Don't tell me you don't like Fast & Furious?" Elara said.
"Which cinema will you go to?" Adrian asked.
"Century Cinema owned by Mr. Montgomery, of course," Elara replied.
She could get into any entertainment spot owned by Montgomery Group for free. With Victor pulling some strings, she had even scored the best 4D seats for the premiere.
Just then, Adrian's phone screen lit up. He received a message from Victor in their three-person group chat.
Victor: [How about we hit up my cinema tonight for Fast & Furious 12? I've booked out the whole place. Worst case, we can grab some drinks after that.]