Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary - Chapter 112: Chapter 112

After work, Adrian took Elara to a popular restaurant near the office that was all over social media. They had dinner there before heading to the Aurora Club.
Adrian said she should check out the place's menu for inspiration. It had some fun ideas that could make for a great marketing hook.
Elara took his advice to heart. Her coffee shop on Glory Street really needed some new ways to attract customers, but lately she'd been hanging around Adrian so much that she hadn't had time to create any promo content.
On the way, Elara started brainstorming a catchy promo headline for her coffee shop. She hadn't figured anything out yet when they pulled up to the entrance of the Aurora Club.
The elevator took them straight up to the third floor. Elara could already hear the raucous noise coming from Victor's private suite at the end of the hallway. When the door swung open, the sound practically exploded in her ears.
To make up for ditching Logan, Victor had pulled out all the stops. He'd reserved the club's most extravagant private room, and the long table was piled high with all kinds of expensive booze.
There were plenty of sweet drinks for the girls, basically everything she could imagine.
Victor had even made it a rule: any guy coming who had a sister had to bring her along, and the sisters could bring their own besties too. Everyone got to eat, drink, and party for free.
When Adrian pushed open the door, the whole place went wild. Whistles and screams echoed everywhere, and champagne corks shot up to the ceiling like fireworks. Elara was a bit stunned by the lively chaos.
"Adrian, we've been waiting for you!" someone called out. Hearing that, all the girls who'd been chatting in little groups snapped their gazes toward the door. Adrian's handsome face hit them right in the heart.
His suit jacket hung open, tie gone, and a few buttons on his shirt undone, revealing his sharp, attractive collarbone.
He strode in on those long legs, looking laid-back with a touch of roguish charm. His deep, alluring eyes swept carelessly around the room before landing on Victor and Logan sitting at the center.
In just a few seconds, the girls' hearts were already fluttering. "Is that really Adrian?" one of the girls whispered.
"The sharpest tongue in the legal world?" another chimed in.
"He's seriously too handsome. I can't believe Josie scored someone like him," a third girl said, her tone full of envy.
"Who's that girl with him?" someone else asked.
"Dressed like that, she's probably his secretary," another girl guessed.
Elara had thought it would just be the same small group as yesterday, but she never expected the make-up celebration to be this over-the-top. It was so noisy that she wanted to escape.
Adrian headed straight in and took the empty seat next to Logan. Elara hung back, already trying to come up with some excuse to leave early. She didn't want anyone to think they were close.
When Ruby spotted Elara, she got up from her seat next to Victor. "Elara, what took you so long?"
It was only 7:30, and Elara actually thought the timing was just right. The thing was, Victor had picked Ruby up at five, so she'd already been hanging out in the suite for over two hours.
Even though there were plenty of girls here, Ruby still felt a bit out of place.
The two of them found a quieter corner to sit in. Elara opened a bottle that looked super pretty and took a sip, tuning out the chaos in the center of the room as she started chatting with Ruby.
Adrian noticed Elara hadn't come over to him. Instead, she'd slipped off to a quiet corner. He was just about to head over and join her when someone grabbed his arm and pulled him back down to drink.
"Adrian, it's been almost a year since we last saw you. If Logan hadn't come back, were you planning to just ditch us old classmates forever?" someone joked.
Adrian knew there was no getting away, so he just shrugged and knocked back two drinks without protest.
Victor, already a little tipsy, called out to Adrian, "If you hadn't shown up, I'd be flat on the floor by now from all this drinking."
"You love drinking so much? Knock yourself out," Adrian shot back. In just a few exchanges, he'd downed two more whiskeys, but his mind was clearly elsewhere.
His eyes kept wandering over to Elara, who was deep in conversation with Ruby, not caring at all that he was getting forced to drink over here.
After another four or five drinks, he lit a cigarette and slouched back on the sofa, looking completely bored with the whole scene.
Noticing that Adrian was quiet and seemed a bit down, the girls nearby started thinking about going over to talk to him. But none of them dared to do it themselves, so they tried to nudge someone else to make the first move.
"Nina, haven't you always liked Adrian? He's actually here tonight, and he doesn't have a girl with him. This is your chance!" one of them whispered.
Nina looked a little shy. "But the guys are all drinking. Wouldn't it be weird if I just walked over?"
"Come on, isn't that why we're here? Besides, when else are you going to see him in a setting like this? If you don't let him remember your face now, when will you ever get another shot?" another girl urged.
Adrian was only half-listening to the group chatting about old school days when suddenly the sofa beside him sank. A girl slid in close, holding out a drink for him. "Adrian, let me toast you," she said, her voice soft and a little coquettish.
Everyone knew she wasn't really here for the booze.
The people around them started teasing. "Nina, so you've got a thing for Adrian? No wonder Beeman's been chasing you for years and never got anywhere. But Adrian's already got a fiancée. He only has eyes for Josie, nobody else."
"Come on, he's just engaged, not a monk. It's not like he can't change his mind, right?" someone else chimed in.
"Adrian, why not do Ms. Jennings a favor and have a drink with her?" another person called out.
"Drink. Drink," the crowd started chanting, clapping their hands.
Elara heard the commotion and glanced over. Peering through the crowd, she spotted a girl in a pink dress squeezed in next to Adrian, cheeks flushed bright red, still holding up her glass for a toast.
Her curious eyes met Adrian's for a second, but Elara's face stayed perfectly calm. She just turned back to Ruby and picked up their conversation about Noah like nothing had happened.
Meanwhile, Nina shot Adrian a probing look. "Adrian, isn't Josie already seeing someone else? It's not like you actually like her, right?" For them, being engaged didn't really mean they were in love. It was all just about mutual interests, nothing more.
Adrian looked away, a hint of impatience on his face. "What's it to you?"
Nina's smile stiffened a little. "I was just curious, that's all."
"Why do you care so much about my business?" Adrian replied.
Nina lowered her head, her voice growing even softer. "I just wanted to get to know you, that's all. Nothing else, really."
Adrian's cold, striking looks could draw anyone in, but the irritation on his face was even more intense. He looked downright fed up. "I don't need any new friends."
Nina couldn't keep up her smile. She was a pampered heiress. Never in her life had she been rejected like this.
Seeing this, Beeman came over and tugged her arm. "Nina, if Adrian doesn't like you, I do. Come sing with me."
Nina trudged off to sing, her face still sulky.
Adrian glanced over at Elara again, a wry smirk tugging at his lips. He sat up a little straighter, poured himself a fresh drink, and knocked it back in one go.
Logan, who rarely smiled, actually let out a rare grin. "You know, from the looks of it, Ms. Langton doesn't seem into you at all."
Adrian, visibly irritated, undid another button on his shirt, his neck flushed from all the drinking. "She's just more reserved, that's all."
Victor burst out laughing. "With that mouth of yours? Good luck getting Elara to fall for you."
Adrian shot back, "And what about you? Have you managed to get your girl yet?"
Victor went silent.
Logan, genuinely surprised, glanced at Victor. "Wait, even you, the ultimate player, got exposed?"
Victor took a sip of his drink. "Slow and steady wins the race. You wouldn't understand."
Logan let out a cold laugh. "So neither of you has actually gotten the girl?" Yesterday, he thought he was being a third wheel, but it turned out he wasn't.
"Elara," Adrian called out. Even though his voice wasn't loud, the whole noisy room went quiet. Everyone's eyes followed his gaze, all turning to look at the two women laughing and chatting in the corner.
Elara noticed the sudden hush, her own laughter suddenly standing out. Feeling a little self-conscious, she turned to see what was up. She found Adrian's dark eyes fixed right on her. "What?"
"Come here," Adrian said.
Elara really didn't want to go, but she had no choice, so she stood up anyway. As soon as she got close, Adrian caught her wrist and gave a gentle tug. Off balance, Elara ended up sitting right up against him.
The people nearby gaped in disbelief. "Adrian. Who's that girl with you?"
Everyone knew Adrian had been pining after Josie for years, but could never have her. Josie always had guys buzzing around her, while Adrian stayed single all this time, waiting for Josie to marry him.
So seeing him with a woman by his side now was a real shocker.
Adrian flashed a devilish grin, leaned in closer, locking eyes with Elara. "Babe, tell them who you are."