Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary - Chapter 144: Chapter 144

Elara sat in the passenger seat of the red Lamborghini, staring blankly out the window, her mood at rock bottom.
Adrian had just spent twenty minutes on the phone with the local police station. After he hung up, she learned from him that both coffee shops had been ordered to close down, and Ruby had been detained two hours ago.
Although the police said they just wanted her to come in for questioning, since she was also a co-owner of the coffee shops, Elara knew that once she went, she'd definitely end up being detained too.
She let out a long, involuntary sigh. Just thinking about all the trouble that would follow after being detained made her headache even worse.
After being detained, her family would be notified within 24 hours. First, there was her mom. If she found out Elara had been detained, she'd totally lose it and might even catch the next flight home from overseas.
Then there was her dad. He was a scientist, and Elara couldn't help but feel like she was letting him down by getting herself detained.
The promotional materials were ready for Yvette's Twitter post on October 6th. Now, with the café closed, Elara had to ask her to postpone it, which felt awkward and inconvenient.
And then there were the employees. She had no idea when the coffee shops would be able to reopen, but she knew she had to make sure they got paid on time.
But what really got to Elara was that Ruby had been taken into custody. Victor had just told her on the phone that it was all a setup by his mom.
Victor wanted to leave the Montgomery family and start his own business, but his mom was against it. They had a huge fight, and she pinned everything on Ruby and set her up to be detained. Elara herself just got caught up in the mess.
She couldn't help but worry about Ruby. She knew Ruby had feelings for Victor, and after all this, there was probably no chance for them now. Ruby must be feeling so wronged, and now she was locked up in the detention center.
She sighed again. Adrian turned to look at her as he drove. "Do you really not trust me as your lawyer?" He teased.
Elara thought, 'Seriously? That's what he thinks I'm worried about?'
"I'm just a little bothered, that's all." She muttered.
"Is being upset going to fix anything?" he asked.
Elara shook her head, a bit annoyed. "No, but you can't tell me how to feel. Sometimes you just have to let it out for your own sanity."
The car stopped at a red light. He reached over and took her hand. "I'm not trying to take that away from you. I just want to comfort you."
Elara knew he was just trying to make her feel better, but she couldn't help feeling like she was dumping all her bad vibes on him. "Will I be detained?" Elara asked.
"Yes, but you can be released on bail," Adrian replied.
"Can't I just get out on bail right away?" She pressed.
Adrian pulled his hand back and kept driving. "No, it takes about a week from when you apply for bail to actually getting out."
Elara fell silent. "Mr. Hartley, your client really doesn't want to end up in detention," Elara said.
Adrian smiled, "Alright, Ms. Langton, I'll do my best."
"And what about your lawyer's fee?" she asked.
"Well, the best payment would be if you repaid me with yourself," he replied with a grin.
Elara was speechless. She thought, 'Adrian is always joking around and never acts serious.'
"Can you help with Ruby's bail too?" she asked.
"Don't worry, Victor called me about that," he replied.
Hearing Victor's name, Adrian annoyed. He couldn't even sort out his own family mess and had to drag women into it. Worst of all, he got Elara mixed up in it.
Elara nodded. "Oh, okay. Sorry to trouble you, Mr. Hartley."
Adrian mimicked her polite tone. "You're too polite, Ms. Langton."
Back at the hotel, Elara called Yvette's assistant first to discuss whether they could postpone the Twitter promotion. Adrian must have already given Yvette a heads-up, because her assistant was super easygoing about it.
"No problem, Yvette already told me. We can just reschedule whenever you're ready," the assistant said.
"Alright, sorry for all the trouble this time," Elara replied.
"No worries, just give me a call when the coffee shops are back up and running," the assistant said.
Elara hung up the phone and saw Adrian lounging on the couch, smoking. Their eyes met. "Thanks, Adrian," she said.
He looked tired. He stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. "Get some sleep. We're leaving for Veritasiton at five in the morning." The flight request for tomorrow had been approved, so they could take Lucas' plane back.
After Elara went back to her room, she tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. She thought, 'Seriously, what innocent person could actually sleep knowing they're getting detained tomorrow?'
The bail application alone would take a whole week, and there was no guarantee it would even get approved. If Victor's mom had really pulled some strings, she'd probably make sure both Elara and Ruby stayed locked up for the full 15 days.
They'd never had any illegal substances or anything like that, and with Adrian handling things, they really shouldn't end up getting convicted.
Elara sighed again. This year had been full of ups and downs; she really should find some time to visit a church and pray for better luck.
Her phone chimed with a new message. She fumbled for her phone by the bed and tapped open Adrian's message. [Open up.]
Elara got up and opened the door, only to find Adrian standing there, shirtless, wearing just a pair of gray sweatpants.
She thought, 'Does he know this is exactly my weakness?'. She closed her eyes. "Cut it out, I'm really not in the mood right now."
Adrian couldn't help but laugh at her. "What kind of mood?" Before Elara could say anything, he picked her up right where she stood. He kicked the door shut with his foot, and then they both slipped under the covers together.
"Adrian." Elara was shocked.
The covers came up, and she was pulled into his warm, strong embrace. He gently patted her head, pulling her closer. "Get some rest."
When Elara woke up the next morning, the spot next to her was empty. She glanced at the time. It was already past eleven. 'Weren't we supposed to leave at five?' she thought, suddenly wide awake. 'Why didn't Adrian wake me up?'
She got up and opened the door. "Adrian, it's already past ten. Where are you—" Her eyes landed on Justin, who was lounging on the couch in the living room, playing on his phone.
"Huh? What are you doing here? Where's Adrian?" she asked.
"He's already back in Veritasiton," Justin replied.
"What?" she asked. 'But I haven't even gotten on the plane yet,' she thought.
"Did Lucas take him back?" she asked.
"Yeah," Justin replied.
Elara suddenly felt totally left behind, like she'd missed the boat. "What about us?"
"We're waiting for the evening flight," Justin said.
Elara thought, 'The evening flight? Why are we taking the evening flight? Wouldn't it make more sense to just go back together?'
"What about you? Why didn't you go back with him?" she asked.
"Adrian told me to stay here and keep you company, so you wouldn't get too bored," Justin replied.
Elara blinked in confusion. "Did Adrian tell you why he left ahead of us?"
"Nope, he didn't say. Maybe he just didn't want to wake you up since you were sleeping so soundly?" Justin said with a shrug.
'To let me sleep a bit more, arrange another private jet to pick me up? That's ridiculous. Besides, can Lucas handle all this back-and-forth flying?
'Whatever, not worth stressing about. The later we go back, the later I'll have to deal with getting detained anyway. Not a bad deal. Actually, that works for me,' she wondered.
"So, what are we having for lunch? I'm starving," she said.
Justin paused his game, glanced out the window at the rainy day, and smiled. "Let's just order takeout."
Elara was speechless.