Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary - Chapter 118: Chapter 118

Elara's heartbeat skipped a beat, thumping wildly in her chest. Her lips parted in shock, and the strength in her hands as she tried to push Adrian away suddenly weakened for some reason.
When a handsome man whispered sweet nothings, it was dangerously hard to resist; even Elara was starting to lose her composure.
For a few seconds, her conscience faltered. But reason slowly crept back in. Elara lowered her gaze, avoiding Adrian's burning stare. "Got it. Go back and get some rest."
Adrian, who had been waiting for a passionate response, felt upset. He watched as she avoided his gaze, his eyes growing even darker with frustration. "Elara, seriously? That's it?"
Elara's tone was icy. "Mr. Hartley, what kind of reaction do you want from me?"
Seeing Elara practically trying to turn her face away as far as possible, Adrian lost his patience. He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. His tone was full of impatience. "At the very least, it shouldn't be this."
Elara lifted her eyes, meeting his dark gaze head-on. "Mr. Hartley, we've already crossed the line physically. When it comes to feelings, we should both keep our boundaries. That's best for both of us."
Adrian felt like he was being toyed with. He pressed his tongue against his cheek and let out a cold, mocking laugh. "What's that supposed to mean? You're not going to own up to it?"
Elara looked exasperated. "Mr. Hartley, you're making this way too serious. What exactly do you expect me to be responsible for?"
"After everything we've done, is there really any difference from actually sleeping together?" he shot back.
Elara pressed her lips together. "Yeah, there's no difference. But weren't you the one who got all the benefits? What exactly do you want me to be responsible for?"
"So, you think I was the only one who enjoyed it just now?" Adrian shot back.
Elara fell silent.
Adrian, clearly frustrated, decided to jog her memory. "Who was the one grabbing my hair and bossing me around just now? You say you don't want it, but your actions told a different story," he mocked, imitating her breathless moans.
Elara's hand shot up to cover his mouth in a panic, wishing she could just make him disappear right then and there. "Shut up!"
Adrian pulled her hand away, a low, husky chuckle rumbling from his throat. "What, we can do it, but I can't talk about it now?"
Elara was getting annoyed. "Hey, you started it, not me."
"You didn't say no, so that means we were both into it," Adrian retorted.
Elara just wanted to drop the subject already. She pushed him away. "Adrian, I'm tired. I have work tomorrow."
"I'll give you the day off. But tonight, we're talking this out," he insisted.
Elara really didn't see the point in arguing anymore. She tried harder to wriggle free. "I'm tired. I want to sleep."
For the first time ever, Adrian felt powerless. He yanked her right back into his arms. "After everything we've said and done, don't tell me you don't feel a thing?" Just a moment ago, he could feel how much she wanted him.
But now, Elara was completely shutting him out, lashing out and fighting him off with everything she had. She even went so far as to bite him.
Adrian flinched at the pain, but let her do as she pleased. "Elara, you owe me an explanation."
Elara kept struggling. "Let go of me!"
"Is it because of Alex? Are you really that into him?" he asked, frustration clear in his voice. "Did you know Nancy's pregnant? You just got back, and she's already knocked up. What do you think happened?
"How long are you going to keep hanging on to a guy like that? So what if he helped you before? If it were me, I could do way more for you."
Elara, worn out from struggling, finally stopped and took a deep breath. But all she could think about was: "Nancy's pregnant." She didn't feel sad or desperate. She just hadn't expected it to happen this fast.
"Don't you want to marry me just to get under his skin? Picture us sitting at the same table with them during Christmas, making them greet you. Wouldn't that be the perfect way to get back at them?
"Elara, I'm giving you this chance. Use me to get your revenge on Alex. What do you think?"
Elara looked up at Adrian in shock. He still looked every bit the proud, untouchable man, but what he said made something twist inside her. "Adrian, do you even know what you're saying?"
Adrian gave a wry, mocking smile. "If I remember right, you were the one who said that first. I'm just giving you the chance."
"I was drunk that night. I never intended to take advantage of you like that," she said softly.
Adrian acted like he didn't get it. "I told you, use me if you want."
Elara wasn't oblivious. She could see that Adrian would rather lower himself than lose her. This was a man at the very top of the social pyramid, actually willing to demean himself just to please her.
This was classic people-pleaser behavior, straight out of a psychology textbook. But the thing was, Adrian only ever tried to please Elara, and no one else.
Elara couldn't help but wonder if it was because she was the only woman he could actually touch without freaking out, so maybe that's why he caught these weird feelings for her.
It was probably just his brain playing tricks on him, making him obsessed with her, not because he actually loved her as a woman.
Elara felt like she needed to clear this up with Adrian. "Adrian, you know, your touch issues can actually be worked through with the right therapy," she said gently.
Hearing this, Adrian could pretty much guess what she was about to say. He reached out and tapped Elara on the forehead. "What are you trying to say? If you can't say it properly, then just keep your mouth shut."
"If I really did shut up, you wouldn't be happy about it, would you?" she shot back.
"Then say it properly. Pick something I actually want to hear," he replied, his tone teasing.
Elara continued, "What I mean is, your condition can be treated. It's not like I'm the only one you can be with, so..." She didn't finish her sentence, but what she meant was he didn't have to cling to her.
"So what?" Adrian pressed, his tone sharp.
Elara let out a sigh. "So, you should see a therapist and work through your issues." That way, he wouldn't keep hanging around her all the time.
"Heh." Adrian gave a cold laugh. "So you really think I'm only chasing after you because of that?"
Elara asked, "What else could it be?"
"Can't it just be that I really like you?" Adrian shot back.
Elara said, "Mr. Hartley, I think you might be misunderstanding your feelings for me."
"What if I told you that I could've taken Jenna to bed that day, but I didn't?" Adrian said.
Elara froze, completely caught off guard.
"If I didn't act a bit in front of Sadie, she'd just find more ways to mess with me," he continued.
Elara's eyes widened in shock.
"Elara, I want you just because I want you. It has nothing to do with my condition," he said, his voice low and firm.
Elara fell silent.
"So, Elara, got anything else to say?" Adrian teased, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Elara pouted. "If it's not because of your condition, then you just want to mess around with me."
"If I were just messing around, I wouldn't have gone out of my way to make you feel that good," Adrian shot back.
Elara was left speechless. She had to admit, he was right about that. If he ever wanted to just fool around, he'd be the one getting pampered, not the other way around.
"Elara, I'm serious about chasing after you," Adrian said, enunciating every word.
"You say that, but I haven't seen you actually do anything different," Elara replied. As she spoke, her attitude softened a little.
Adrian arched a brow, slipped his arms around her waist, and gently pulled her onto his lap. Elara ended up sitting sideways across his thighs. He lounged back lazily on the couch, and Elara, a little off balance, tumbled right into his arms.
Adrian took the chance to hold her tight, his voice murmuring right in her ear. "Come on, tell me, how have you not seen any changes? Let's tackle your concerns one by one. Once we've sorted them all out, I'll make you mine for real."
His words were so domineering that Elara's heart was doing somersaults.
"Elara, I don't like awkwardness. If there's a problem, let's deal with it. No more dragging things out," Adrian said, his tone firm. His intense gaze fixed on the side of her face, all seriousness.
Elara laid out the issues matter-of-factly.
"First, you're from Veritasiton's wealthiest family. We're not equals. Second, you already have a fiancée. Third, Sadie will never stop fighting you. If I get pulled into your world, it could destroy me at any moment."
"Is that it?" Adrian asked.
She could have listed more, but she left it at that. "Those three are the biggest problems. Just the difference in our status alone, there's just no way around it," she said.
"How do you know there's no way around?" Adrian shot back.
Elara lowered her gaze, brushing him off with a vague answer. "Then you go fix those problems first. Once you do, we'll talk."
"Oh, so once I fix everything, you'll just become my girlfriend, huh?" Adrian teased, a playful glint in his eyes.
"As if it's that easy. I'm not someone you can win over that quickly," Elara shot back, her tone both soft and stubborn.