Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary - Chapter 132: Chapter 132

"Elara, were you complaining about me?" Adrian's voice came through, teasing.
Elara spun in place, but Adrian was nowhere to be seen. "Did you plant a bug on me?" she asked.
Adrian's deep, magnetic laughter came through the phone. "So, you really were complaining about me, Elara."
"You tricked me."
"If you weren't complaining about me, I wouldn't have been able to trick you."
Elara let out a couple of playful hums. "Mr. Hartley, aren't you always swamped? How come you suddenly have time to call me?"
"Just missed you."
She shot back with a mocking lilt, "Oh, so after spending the whole night reconnecting with some female classmate, you finally thought of me?"
Adrian sounded genuinely baffled. "What female classmate? What reconnecting?"
"You know, the one with red lips, tiny waist, and those wild, wavy curls and big boobs."
Adrian glanced at Justin, who was grinning like a cat that got the cream, and immediately put two and two together. "Did Justin tell you that?"
"Doesn't matter who told me. Just answer me—is she your classmate?"
"Yeah, I came here to help Jade sort out some trouble."
Hearing him call her so affectionately, Elara instantly bristled with jealousy. "Oh, Jade, is it? What a sweet little darling she must be. Mr. Hartley, you flew all the way from Veritasiton to Namukitts just to help your classmate out.
"She ought to thank you properly. Did she raise a glass to you, reminisce about old times, or maybe even chat the whole night away without a wink of sleep?"
Adrian just laughed, his tone playful. "You're jealous, Elara."
Elara retorted, "Not at all. I'm just happy for you. No matter where you go, there's always some girl who gets you."
Adrian fell silent for a few seconds.
Elara continued, "So, Mr. Hartley, I bet you slept well last night."
"It was alright."
Elara's melodious laughter drifted through the phone, laced with a chilly sarcasm. "Alright, huh? Then I won't interrupt you catching up with your old friend. Bye-bye."
"Ela..."
Before he could finish, she hung up on him without a second thought. Adrian called back, but she declined it right away.
At a restaurant in Namukitts, Justin burst out laughing. "Adrian, you're so lame!"
Adrian was still gripping his phone, his face as black as thunder. "What kind of nonsense did you send her?"
Justin tried to rein in his grin. "Nothing. Just reporting the latest gossip."
"Reporting gossip? Did you actually tell her everything?"
"Well, I didn't give her the full story, but I didn't make anything up either. It's Elara who wants to overthink things. That's not on me."
Adrian set his phone down and dug into his food. "If you hadn't steered her that way, she wouldn't have gotten the wrong idea."
"Hey, how was I supposed to know? She's a psychologist. I think she should be immune to this kind of trick."
Adrian just ignored him.
"But honestly, it just proves Elara cares about you. Even experts turn into fools when it comes to love," Justin said.
"I don't need your hilarious analysis," Adrian scoffed.
"Hilarious? Please. You just don't get it. Girls aren't like legal codes, you know. It's not always black and white with them. You have to accept that they don't always play by the book. Remember last time you took my advice?
"Worked like a charm, didn't it? I say you signed up for a few more lessons from me. This time, I'm not asking for much—just let me have a spin in that Lamborghini Veneno in your garage. Deal?"
Adrian tapped away at his phone screen, his voice cold. "Keep dreaming."
"Come on, just let me borrow it for a few days. It's not like I'm asking to keep it."
"Still not happening."
"So stingy. No wonder you're still single."
Adrian ignored him and kept scrolling through his phone, his brow furrowing deeper with each passing second.
"What are you looking at?" Justin leaned over to peek. "Oh, checking flight tickets? Forget it. There aren't any available during the holiday. Plus, you've got a court case tomorrow. How are you even planning to get back?"
Adrian flipped his phone over on the table. "Just eat your food. You talk too much."
In the Tiffany Café, Elara was cursing under her breath, "You bastard! Scumbag!" She wasn't sure where all this anger was coming from, but her chest felt tight and heavy.
Adrian's call came through again, but she hit decline and slammed her phone down on the table, hands on her hips as she huffed and puffed.
'Jade, huh?' Elara scoffed, the name tasting bitter on her tongue. She was so worked up that she blanked on what she was supposed to do next.
She waited a bit, but Adrian still didn't call back. She flipped her phone over and tapped the screen—still nothing, not even a text.
'So, you give up after just one declined call, huh? Fine. Whatever. Have it your way,' Elara huffed inwardly, her chest tight with frustration.
She took a deep breath, grabbed her empty coffee cup, and headed over to the coffee machine. Just as she reached it, her phone rang.
She abandoned the coffee and rushed back to the table to grab her phone. It wasn't Adrian this time—it was an unknown number. Elara answered.
"Hello, is this Ms. Elara Langton?" a woman's voice asked.
"Yes, I am," Elara replied.
"Oh, I'm calling from HomeLove Company. Are you available today?"
Elara was confused. "Available today? What do you mean?"
"Didn't your husband mention it? We're in charge of renovating your marital home, and we need to pick out the design style today. He said I should contact you to confirm everything. So, where should we meet up?"
Elara thought it was a scam call and was about to hang up.
"Mr. Keating said you like warm tones, so we've picked out more than ten different styles for you to check out. If you decide today, you could probably move in by early summer next year."
Hearing this, Elara frowned. "Alex contacted you?"
"Yes, Mr. Keating told us you have high standards for quality, so we're only using the very best materials. Ms. Langton, you're so lucky. Mr. Keating is not just good-looking, he's also super sweet, thoughtful, and makes a great living."
"Did he just reach out to you in the last couple of days?"
"No, Ms. Langton. We signed the contract back when you first bought the house. We coordinated with Mr. Keating for all the plumbing and electrical work, and now, for the furnishings, he told us to contact you and follow your preferences."
"So, he's had you working in that place this whole time?"
"That's right, Ms. Langton. We've been working on it for almost a month now."
Elara couldn't believe that the house had been under renovation this whole time. "I think you've got the wrong person. Mr. Keating and I have been over for a long time."
"Seriously? That can't be right," the woman on the other end blurted out in shock.
"Why not? His new girlfriend's already pregnant."
The woman, worried she'd called the wrong lady, hurriedly apologized and hung up.
Elara shook her head, thinking, 'What kind of nonsense is this.' She opened WhatsApp again, but still no messages from Adrian, and he hadn't called back either.
Elara let out a cold laugh. "Adrian, so you want to play this push-and-pull game with me? Alright, I'll play with you to the end." She slipped her phone into her pocket and drove over to Yvette's place.
Yvette was an heiress from a prestigious family, living in one of the most exclusive villa neighborhoods in Namukitts. When Elara reached the edge of the villa district, Yvette's assistant got into her car, specifically there to show Elara the way.
The villa area was massive, and without a guide, it was easy to get lost. They drove into an underground parking garage that seemed to stretch on forever, and after winding around for more than ten minutes, they finally reached Yvette's private garage.
The elevator was right in front, and as soon as they went up, they stepped straight into Yvette's three-story, 2,000-square-meter mansion. Elara looked around, completely blown away by sheer opulence.
"Yvette's in the process of splitting from her old team, so she can't use her previous office space anymore. Luckily, her place is massive, so she's carved out a section as a temporary office.
"It's just up ahead," the assistant said as she led the way.
Elara nodded. "Alright."
Yvette was doing her makeup, but her frosty look instantly melted into warmth when she spotted Elara. "Elara, you're here!"
Elara smiled and greeted her in return. Since Elara and Yvette were planning a Twitter collab for the holiday, Elara needed to snap a few photos with Yvette.
"Elara, just find somewhere to sit. I'll be ready in a bit," Yvette said.
Elara glanced around and realized Yvette was not saying that out of courtesy. 'Find somewhere to sit, huh?' Elara thought. 'I do have to find a spot.'
The place was packed with stuff. Props for the shoot, clothes, makeup brushes, high heels, bags, and so on, were scattered everywhere.
Yvette caught sight of Elara's predicament in the mirror and gave an awkward smile. "Sorry about the mess. I only have two assistants right now, and I just haven't had the time to clean up.
"I've been trying to find an organizing service or a cleaning lady, but it's been tough to find someone reliable on short notice."
Elara nodded in understanding. "With your status, it's smart to be careful. I know two ladies who've been cleaning Adrian's place for years. They're quick, efficient, and super discreet.
"How about I give you their contact info? They can help out until you find someone more permanent." After all, leaving everything in such disarray wasn't an option.
"Really? That would be amazing!"
"No problem. It's the least I can do," Elara replied with a smile.
Elara found a chair, moved the clothes off it onto the sofa that was already buried in clothes, and sat down. She pulled out her phone, opened WhatsApp, and took advantage of the downtime to post on Instagram.
[Hey guys, my ex bought me a house a while back. If I want to give it back to him, do we both have to go to the Housing Authority together to transfer ownership?
[Does anyone know? Do we have to meet up in person for this?]