Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary - Chapter 139: Chapter 139
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Justin showed Elara a hilarious video he'd just found. She leaned in and then burst into laughter.
"Adrian, this is some red wine I brought back from abroad. You should try it," Jade said as she picked up the bottle.
Adrian heard the two of them giggling across the table and then shot them a frosty look. He said, "Elara, come pour me some wine."
Elara glanced up and noticed his wine glass was already full. "Mr. Hartley, Ms. Shaw already poured it for you. I'll just leave you two alone to catch up."
Under the table, Justin gave her a big thumbs-up. He murmured, "Only you can keep Adrian in line."
The table was filled with dishes, and when Elara spotted the eggplant, she instinctively picked up a piece. But as soon as she took a bite, she paused for a moment.
She thought, 'It tastes just like Alex's cooking.'
After that, Elara didn't touch the eggplant again. She tried every dish on the table and found that everything else was amazing, but the eggplant she always thought she liked was quite ordinary.
Jade said, "You guys are heading to the beach? Great! I just bought a few new swimsuits."
Actually, Adrian had only asked Jade if he could borrow her convertible for a drive to the beach. He never intended to invite her along.
Elara's mood instantly soured when she heard Jade was coming as well. She didn't even bother to look up, pretending not to care.
"Elara, do you want some shrimp?" Justin suddenly asked.
Elara turned to look at him and saw his slender fingers peeling a shrimp.
It felt a little too flirty to eat shrimp that Justin had peeled for her, so she was about to reject, but then she caught him winking at her. So she followed his gaze across the table.
Then she saw Jade placing a peeled shrimp on Adrian's plate. There were about four peeled shrimps sitting on his plate.
Adrian hadn't even picked up his fork, so the shrimp just lay there untouched. But to Elara, once they were peeled, it was basically the same as if he'd eaten them.
"Sure," Elara said, her voice rising a notch.
Justin placed a peeled shrimp onto Elara's plate, and she smiled as she picked up her fork, ready to pop the plump shrimp into her mouth.
"Elara," Adrian called her seriously from across the table.
With the shrimp on the fork, Elara froze mid-motion and looked up at him.
Adrian's expression was stormy, and his voice was cold. "Put it down."
"I want to eat shrimp," Elara insisted.
"Can't you peel some on your own?" Adrian said coldly.
Elara thought, 'You should take your own advice.'
She showed her manicured nails and said, "Just got my nails done. No way I can peel shrimp like this."
Adrian said sullenly, "Then don't eat it."
"But I want some," Elara insisted.
"You want shrimp? Then come over here. I'll peel some for you," Adrian said.
For a second, Elara, Jade, Lucas, and Justin were all stunned.
Justin's chin quivered. He said, "Hold up, Adrian, you've never even peeled shrimp for yourself, and now you're gonna do it for Elara?"
Adrian glared at the one who was responsible and said, "Is it that hard?"
Justin grinned. "Not hard, but with those precious hands of yours, I'm just worried the shrimp shells might hurt you."
Adrian just huffed.
Elara never expected that her little bit of acting would actually make Adrian insist on peeling shrimp for her. She thought, 'Wow, that's too much for me to take.'
She said, "No need to trouble you, Mr. Hartley. I've already got one that's peeled."
But just as Elara was about to eat that shrimp, Adrian got up, walked over, and kicked away the shrimp-peeling troublemaker. "Justin, go get the waiter to bring me a new set of utensils," he ordered.
Errand boy Justin was speechless.
Adrian sat down beside Elara who froze and turned to stare at her. "So, you really like shrimp, huh?"
Startled, Elara dropped the shrimp onto the table. The shrimp was really innocent.
Adrian's eyes followed the turntable as it spun, waiting until the plate of shrimp landed in front of him. He calmly picked up a shrimp and put it on his plate.
He rolled up his sleeves and wiped his hands with a wet wipe. He was really making a whole ceremony out of it.
Elara asked in a low voice, "You're not actually going to do it, are you?"
Adrian glanced at her. "Didn't you want some?"
Elara panicked. "Mr. Hartley, I was just joking. Please, you really don't have to do this."
But Adrian already had the shrimp in his hand. His brows furrowed slightly, and with a serious look, he slowly and carefully peeled the shell from the shrimp's belly and tail. His movements were a little awkward, but still graceful in his own way.
Even just peeling shrimp, he was a sight to behold. But the troublemaker herself, Elara, was in no mood to appreciate his good looks. Her anxious eyes were glued to the shrimp. She was so nervous that she barely dared to breathe.
She thought, 'This is the heir to the richest family in Veritasiton. On his plate, the shrimp are always shelled, the fish is always boneless, the fruit is always peeled, and the ribs are always deboned.
'Asking him to peel shrimp is like asking a kid to drink hard liquor—totally out of his league.'
Elara wasn't the only one on edge. Justin was nervous as well. He even pulled out his phone to record the whole thing, planning to send it to Paige.
Finally, when Adrian got to the shrimp's head, he had no idea what he was doing. He grabbed it by the antennae, where the shell was sharp, and instantly, a bright red bead of blood appeared on his pale fingertip.
It was just a tiny bead of blood, but it still made everyone wince. After all, this was Adrian's hand.
Elara quickly grabbed a tissue and handed it to him. "You're bleeding. Stop it."
But Adrian didn't stop. He frowned, gritted his teeth, stubbornly ignored the pain, and carefully avoided the blood as he peeled the shrimp, making sure the tender meat stayed perfect. Then he placed it on Elara's plate.
Only then did he take the tissue from Elara and wipe his hands. After that, he picked up another shrimp.
Elara reached out and caught his arm. She asked, "What are you doing?"
"Just one? Is that enough?" Adrian teased.
Elara couldn't bear it anymore. "That's enough, really, just one is fine."
Adrian just kept peeling. "It's fine. I could use the practice."
"Stop, seriously. I don't want any. I don't even like shrimp. I'm allergic to it," Elara blurted out.
Adrian finally put the shrimp down.
In the end, Elara was the one peeling several shrimps for Adrian, and he quite enjoyed it. "I want some shrimp, too, but my hand's injured," Adrian said, playing the victim.
Elara glanced at the almost-healed cut on his hand, pondering, 'He's totally doing this on purpose.'
Jade, who had been watching the whole scene, finally turned her attention away. The two were both playing their own little game—awkward, but neither really complaining.
Jade lowered her eyes to her plate and stared at the shrimp she'd peeled for Adrian that he hadn't even touched, feeling a bit upset. Then she started drinking wine alone.
After dinner, Jade lent Adrian a fiery red Lamborghini convertible. Adrian thought the color was perfect for Elara, so he casually tossed her the keys.
The afternoon sun was blazing, and with the heat in Namukitts, Elara pulled out her sunglasses and slipped them on. Then she shrugged off her cardigan and stuffed it into Adrian's hands.
She was wearing a purple spaghetti strap dress, and her skin was so fair that it practically glowed. The curve of her neckline was full and alluring, and her long hair was streaming in the wind. She was beautiful in the boldest, most carefree way.
Justin, stuck riding in Lucas's G-Wagon, could only watch her from behind the window.
He said, "Tsk. Elara's really gorgeous. Too bad Adrian made his move first. Lucas, what do you think of her? Isn't she a total knockout?"
Lucas just looked up coolly. "Not bad. Just a bit of a handful, though."
When they got to the beach, the four of them split up and headed into the brand stores to pick out some outfits for the beach.
Elara went swimsuit shopping. After a lot of back and forth, she finally settled on one that wasn't too revealing. Then she grabbed a sheer cover-up—like that was actually going to hide anything.
Half an hour later, they all met up again by the beach. Adrian chose a black patterned shirt with white shorts. Justin was rocking a loud, colorful getup, while Lucas wore a dark yellow shirt with black shorts.
Lucas's shirt was buttoned up all properly, but the cousins' were not the same. They only had one button fastened, and the sea breeze kept teasing the thin fabric, putting their abs and chest muscles on full display.
Adrian stepped in front of Elara, blocking her view of Justin. "Isn't looking at me enough for you?"
Elara thought, 'Come on, I was just making a little comparison. It's not like I'm the only one looking. Everyone at the beach is checking out the three of them.'
Adrian looked over Elara's swimsuit. It was a black strapless number—a bit revealing, but still on the modest side for swimwear. He decided it was fine.
"Hey! What took you guys so long? I've been waiting forever," Jade called out from a little way off. She strutted over in a blue string bikini, and her killer curves and slender legs made everyone stop and stare.
Elara saw her marching over with that fierce energy and quickly covered Adrian's eyes. "Eyes off, this is R-rated!"
Adrian smiled and gently pulled her hand away. "I'm not a kid, okay?"
"Adrian, this is some red wine I brought back from abroad. You should try it," Jade said as she picked up the bottle.
Adrian heard the two of them giggling across the table and then shot them a frosty look. He said, "Elara, come pour me some wine."
Elara glanced up and noticed his wine glass was already full. "Mr. Hartley, Ms. Shaw already poured it for you. I'll just leave you two alone to catch up."
Under the table, Justin gave her a big thumbs-up. He murmured, "Only you can keep Adrian in line."
The table was filled with dishes, and when Elara spotted the eggplant, she instinctively picked up a piece. But as soon as she took a bite, she paused for a moment.
She thought, 'It tastes just like Alex's cooking.'
After that, Elara didn't touch the eggplant again. She tried every dish on the table and found that everything else was amazing, but the eggplant she always thought she liked was quite ordinary.
Jade said, "You guys are heading to the beach? Great! I just bought a few new swimsuits."
Actually, Adrian had only asked Jade if he could borrow her convertible for a drive to the beach. He never intended to invite her along.
Elara's mood instantly soured when she heard Jade was coming as well. She didn't even bother to look up, pretending not to care.
"Elara, do you want some shrimp?" Justin suddenly asked.
Elara turned to look at him and saw his slender fingers peeling a shrimp.
It felt a little too flirty to eat shrimp that Justin had peeled for her, so she was about to reject, but then she caught him winking at her. So she followed his gaze across the table.
Then she saw Jade placing a peeled shrimp on Adrian's plate. There were about four peeled shrimps sitting on his plate.
Adrian hadn't even picked up his fork, so the shrimp just lay there untouched. But to Elara, once they were peeled, it was basically the same as if he'd eaten them.
"Sure," Elara said, her voice rising a notch.
Justin placed a peeled shrimp onto Elara's plate, and she smiled as she picked up her fork, ready to pop the plump shrimp into her mouth.
"Elara," Adrian called her seriously from across the table.
With the shrimp on the fork, Elara froze mid-motion and looked up at him.
Adrian's expression was stormy, and his voice was cold. "Put it down."
"I want to eat shrimp," Elara insisted.
"Can't you peel some on your own?" Adrian said coldly.
Elara thought, 'You should take your own advice.'
She showed her manicured nails and said, "Just got my nails done. No way I can peel shrimp like this."
Adrian said sullenly, "Then don't eat it."
"But I want some," Elara insisted.
"You want shrimp? Then come over here. I'll peel some for you," Adrian said.
For a second, Elara, Jade, Lucas, and Justin were all stunned.
Justin's chin quivered. He said, "Hold up, Adrian, you've never even peeled shrimp for yourself, and now you're gonna do it for Elara?"
Adrian glared at the one who was responsible and said, "Is it that hard?"
Justin grinned. "Not hard, but with those precious hands of yours, I'm just worried the shrimp shells might hurt you."
Adrian just huffed.
Elara never expected that her little bit of acting would actually make Adrian insist on peeling shrimp for her. She thought, 'Wow, that's too much for me to take.'
She said, "No need to trouble you, Mr. Hartley. I've already got one that's peeled."
But just as Elara was about to eat that shrimp, Adrian got up, walked over, and kicked away the shrimp-peeling troublemaker. "Justin, go get the waiter to bring me a new set of utensils," he ordered.
Errand boy Justin was speechless.
Adrian sat down beside Elara who froze and turned to stare at her. "So, you really like shrimp, huh?"
Startled, Elara dropped the shrimp onto the table. The shrimp was really innocent.
Adrian's eyes followed the turntable as it spun, waiting until the plate of shrimp landed in front of him. He calmly picked up a shrimp and put it on his plate.
He rolled up his sleeves and wiped his hands with a wet wipe. He was really making a whole ceremony out of it.
Elara asked in a low voice, "You're not actually going to do it, are you?"
Adrian glanced at her. "Didn't you want some?"
Elara panicked. "Mr. Hartley, I was just joking. Please, you really don't have to do this."
But Adrian already had the shrimp in his hand. His brows furrowed slightly, and with a serious look, he slowly and carefully peeled the shell from the shrimp's belly and tail. His movements were a little awkward, but still graceful in his own way.
Even just peeling shrimp, he was a sight to behold. But the troublemaker herself, Elara, was in no mood to appreciate his good looks. Her anxious eyes were glued to the shrimp. She was so nervous that she barely dared to breathe.
She thought, 'This is the heir to the richest family in Veritasiton. On his plate, the shrimp are always shelled, the fish is always boneless, the fruit is always peeled, and the ribs are always deboned.
'Asking him to peel shrimp is like asking a kid to drink hard liquor—totally out of his league.'
Elara wasn't the only one on edge. Justin was nervous as well. He even pulled out his phone to record the whole thing, planning to send it to Paige.
Finally, when Adrian got to the shrimp's head, he had no idea what he was doing. He grabbed it by the antennae, where the shell was sharp, and instantly, a bright red bead of blood appeared on his pale fingertip.
It was just a tiny bead of blood, but it still made everyone wince. After all, this was Adrian's hand.
Elara quickly grabbed a tissue and handed it to him. "You're bleeding. Stop it."
But Adrian didn't stop. He frowned, gritted his teeth, stubbornly ignored the pain, and carefully avoided the blood as he peeled the shrimp, making sure the tender meat stayed perfect. Then he placed it on Elara's plate.
Only then did he take the tissue from Elara and wipe his hands. After that, he picked up another shrimp.
Elara reached out and caught his arm. She asked, "What are you doing?"
"Just one? Is that enough?" Adrian teased.
Elara couldn't bear it anymore. "That's enough, really, just one is fine."
Adrian just kept peeling. "It's fine. I could use the practice."
"Stop, seriously. I don't want any. I don't even like shrimp. I'm allergic to it," Elara blurted out.
Adrian finally put the shrimp down.
In the end, Elara was the one peeling several shrimps for Adrian, and he quite enjoyed it. "I want some shrimp, too, but my hand's injured," Adrian said, playing the victim.
Elara glanced at the almost-healed cut on his hand, pondering, 'He's totally doing this on purpose.'
Jade, who had been watching the whole scene, finally turned her attention away. The two were both playing their own little game—awkward, but neither really complaining.
Jade lowered her eyes to her plate and stared at the shrimp she'd peeled for Adrian that he hadn't even touched, feeling a bit upset. Then she started drinking wine alone.
After dinner, Jade lent Adrian a fiery red Lamborghini convertible. Adrian thought the color was perfect for Elara, so he casually tossed her the keys.
The afternoon sun was blazing, and with the heat in Namukitts, Elara pulled out her sunglasses and slipped them on. Then she shrugged off her cardigan and stuffed it into Adrian's hands.
She was wearing a purple spaghetti strap dress, and her skin was so fair that it practically glowed. The curve of her neckline was full and alluring, and her long hair was streaming in the wind. She was beautiful in the boldest, most carefree way.
Justin, stuck riding in Lucas's G-Wagon, could only watch her from behind the window.
He said, "Tsk. Elara's really gorgeous. Too bad Adrian made his move first. Lucas, what do you think of her? Isn't she a total knockout?"
Lucas just looked up coolly. "Not bad. Just a bit of a handful, though."
When they got to the beach, the four of them split up and headed into the brand stores to pick out some outfits for the beach.
Elara went swimsuit shopping. After a lot of back and forth, she finally settled on one that wasn't too revealing. Then she grabbed a sheer cover-up—like that was actually going to hide anything.
Half an hour later, they all met up again by the beach. Adrian chose a black patterned shirt with white shorts. Justin was rocking a loud, colorful getup, while Lucas wore a dark yellow shirt with black shorts.
Lucas's shirt was buttoned up all properly, but the cousins' were not the same. They only had one button fastened, and the sea breeze kept teasing the thin fabric, putting their abs and chest muscles on full display.
Adrian stepped in front of Elara, blocking her view of Justin. "Isn't looking at me enough for you?"
Elara thought, 'Come on, I was just making a little comparison. It's not like I'm the only one looking. Everyone at the beach is checking out the three of them.'
Adrian looked over Elara's swimsuit. It was a black strapless number—a bit revealing, but still on the modest side for swimwear. He decided it was fine.
"Hey! What took you guys so long? I've been waiting forever," Jade called out from a little way off. She strutted over in a blue string bikini, and her killer curves and slender legs made everyone stop and stare.
Elara saw her marching over with that fierce energy and quickly covered Adrian's eyes. "Eyes off, this is R-rated!"
Adrian smiled and gently pulled her hand away. "I'm not a kid, okay?"
End of Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary Chapter 139. Continue reading Chapter 140 or return to Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary book page.