Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary - Chapter 130: Chapter 130

September was drawing to a close. On Thanksgiving Day, Tiffany Café would be featured in Yvette's Twitter campaign. As planned, Elara would kick off the buzz on her own Twitter weeks early.
Elara arrived at the café that afternoon. After exchanging greetings with the staff, she settled into her usual spot. With her unexpected time off work, she needed to brainstorm some eye-catching marketing hooks for her Twitter.
The autumn sun cast gentle warmth. Perfect afternoon light streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, scattering dappled patterns across the white tabletops.
Elara slumped over the table, racking her brain. Draft after draft ended up discarded—none felt right. She sighed at the scribbled notes littering the table. 'What do I even connect with?'
Just then, a soft "ding" announced a WhatsApp notification.
Elara made a wry face as she unlocked her phone. It was Adrian.
Adrian: [Has Alex contacted you?]
Elara: [Nope.]
Adrian: [OK.]
Elara set her phone aside. Her gaze drifted to a young mother feeding cake to her child. "Just half for you, sweetie," the mother murmured.
The little girl nodded, her voice honey-sweet. "Half for you too, Mommy."
Elara watched, transfixed. This—unscripted warmth, stolen pockets of calm in the city's frenzy—was what resonated.
Her eyes swept beyond the glass: Glory Street's towering ginkgo trees, their gold leaves shimmering like a rippling sea. In the courtyard, more ginkgos scattered leaves like gold coins.
A gust would lift them, spinning them airborne before letting them drift down. Their nearly bare trunks stood tall, sunlight embracing them. The scene showed not a hint of loneliness.
Inside the café, couples and friends were sitting together, coffee in hand, chatting quietly and completely at ease.
Be yourself and let it slow. The need for a gimmick evaporated. Capturing this—the café's authentic soul—was the only hook she needed.
Elara ordered flowers online, then crafted a cappuccino, etching a graceful swan into the foam with painstaking care.
When the blooms arrived, she arranged them artfully with the coffee, snapping photos. The next hour vanished into editing, filtering, and crafting the perfect caption. By the time she posted it on Twitter, evening had settled in.
[My perfect slice of life: running this café with my best friend, carving out moments of calm in the city's whirlwind.] She tagged Ruby and deliberately omitted the location. This was a soft launch to gauge interest.
Her phone buzzed instantly after posting.
Adrian: [Want me to get this trending?]
Elara: [?]
Adrian: [The tweet.]
Elara: [I just posted it a second ago.]
Adrian: [I set you as my favorite, so I get notified when you post.]
Elara: [Alright. Hold off for now. No location tag yet—just testing the waters.]
Adrian: [Got it.]
Elara set her phone down, mapping out her next marketing moves.
Her phone buzzed with another message. It was Adrian again.
Adrian: [Has Alex contacted you?]
Elara: [No.]
Silence from his end. Elara exited WhatsApp and tapped into Twitter. Scrolling through Twitter, Elara found the engagement encouraging—address requests were already trickling in.
Good spirits turned to hunger pangs. She headed to the kitchen, cooked up a steak, and tossed together a salad. She carried her meal over to the window, taking her time as she ate.
Her phone erupted in a rapid ding-ding-ding-ding. Elara lowered her fork. Adrian. Again.
Adrian: [Eaten yet?]
Adrian: [What did you eat?]
Adrian: [The food here is brutal. Craving your steak.]
Then, he sent over a photo of Justin flirting with a girl. [See? Avoid this type.]
Adrian: [Miss me?]
Adrian: [?]
Adrian: [Where'd you go?]
Adrian: [Ignoring me? Did Alex come looking for you?]
Adrian: [Are you two back on?]
Elara was speechless. 'He just asked about Alex,' she thought. 'It's only been half an hour.' Elara rolled her eyes.
She snapped a pic of her dinner and replied: [Eating now—made myself steak and salad. I'll cook yours when you're back. Agreed on avoiding that type. Too busy cooking to miss you. Just saw your novel. No Alex. No rekindling.]
Adrian: [OK.]
The "typing..." bubble finally died. Peace.
She savored another bite of the perfectly seared sirloin, tender and juicy. 'Too bad Adrian couldn't have any. His loss,' she thought.
After eating, Elara packed a light meal and coffee to-go. Ruby'd likely skipped meals. So she decided to bring something to fill her stomach.
At Ruby's building entrance, Elara spotted Victor pacing. Her guard went up. "Victor? What are you doing here?"
"I need to see Ruby, but she won't see me. You're here for her?" Victor asked, voice tight.
Elara's voice was cool. "Victor, sort out your mess before coming to see her. If you can't handle it, then don't bother her anymore."
Victor nodded. "I will. But she's blocked me everywhere, and when I tried ringing her doorbell just now, she wouldn't answer. Can you give her a message for me?"
"What do you want me to tell her?"
"Tell her I'm leaving the Montgomery family, starting my own thing, like Adrian. If she won't see me now... I'll come back when I've made it."
Before Elara could respond, Victor turned and walked away.
Elara went up and rang Ruby's bell. After a long wait, the door cracked open. Ruby peered out, hair wild. "Just you?"
"Yeah. Were you hoping for someone else?" Elara teased.
Ruby's gaze dropped. "No."
Elara handed over the food and slipped on her house slippers. "I just ran into Victor downstairs." She settled on the couch, noting Ruby's poorly disguised anticipation. Elara paused, letting the silence stretch.
"And then?" Ruby asked, feigning casualness.
"That's it. Just said hi and he left."
Ruby's head dropped. She ate quietly, wordlessly.
Watching Ruby's defeated slump, Elara relented. "He said he's leaving the Montgomerys. Starting fresh, like Adrian. If you're willing, you could give him another chance."
Elara chewed her beef and said, "No way am I getting back together with him."
"Suit yourself," Ruby replied.
Elara glanced at her phone—no new messages—then slipped it back into her pocket. She grabbed a soda, took a sip. "Adrian mentioned something else. Dylan got hurt inside. Critical condition. He might not make it."
Ruby's heart gave a jolt. "That bad?" Despite cutting ties with Alex, a thread of gratitude for Dylan remained. The news settled heavily between them.
"So, what are you thinking?" Ruby asked.
"Honestly? A little worried. But we should stay out of it. It's way over our heads, and not our place."
"Alright," Ruby murmured. Then, shifting gears. "Has Alex tried contacting you?"
Elara shook her head. "Nancy's pregnant."
"Really? That fast?" Ruby said.
Elara nodded in reply.
Ruby shot her a searching look. "You're not feeling sad about it, are you?"
Elara absentmindedly scrolled through her phone. "What's there to be sad about?"
"If Alex's having a kid with Nancy, then you two are really over," Ruby said.
"It was over long before any baby," Elara replied, her voice flat.
Ruby let out a sigh of relief. "Good. You've got Adrian now anyway."
Elara's faint smile was answer enough.
"What if Alex asks you to help out with Dylan?" Ruby asked.
"I've thought about it. If he asks, he'll really be asking for Adrian's help through me. If it happens, it's up to Adrian—if he wants to help, that's his call. If he doesn't, I'm not going to force him," Elara replied.
Ruby nodded. "Yeah. You can't ask Adrian to screw himself over for it."
Elara's phone chimed. She tapped WhatsApp instantly. It was Justin. Her fingers slowed.
Justin: [Elara! There was a woman at dinner tonight. She kept toasting Adrian.] Then he sent over a photo.
Justin: [She's pretty, but not your league. He should be immune.]
Justin: [Right?]
Elara tapped the photo. Zoomed in. Out. In again. Fiery red lips. Cascading hair. And... a body that screamed trouble.