Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary - Chapter 147: Chapter 147

Adrian walked in from outside, and every little thing about Justin just rubbed him the wrong way. Especially since Jade had just sent over the footage from inside the plane cabin. He was the one who'd asked Jade for it.
Ultra HD, 8K resolution, 60 frames per second, with sound—nothing left out. After watching the video outside, Adrian's face was as dark as thunder.
In the footage—
"Baby Elara, why are you dancing?"
"Baby Elara, let's cuddle."
"Baby Elara, give me a kiss."
Thank God for the seatbelt holding Justin back, or else this guy really would've made a move on Elara.
Elara had unbuckled hers, but she wasn't letting Justin get away with anything. She either went for his neck or yanked his hair, all while calling out, "Puppy Hartley."
"Puppy Hartley is flying!"
"Puppy Hartley, I caught you!"
"Puppy Hartley, you're so handsome!"
In the end, the two of them were tied up, but their hands were still free, so they just sat there swatting at the air like little kids.
Justin saw Adrian walk right past his bed and head straight for Elara's, not even sparing him a glance. He scratched his head and complained, "Adrian, I'm sick too."
Adrian ignored him and just looked at Elara, who looked totally confused. "Am I in Veritasiton? Wasn't I supposed to be taken into custody? And Ruby, why are you here too?"
Ruby told her, "We've been released on bail."
Elara looked totally shocked. She turned to Adrian and asked, "Wait, wasn't it supposed to take seven days?"
Just then, Victor walked in. "Adrian's been running around all day since he got back, gathering evidence and pulling strings. That's how he managed to get you out on bail in just one day."
When Ruby saw Victor come in, her expression turned cold, and she lowered her gaze to avoid his eyes.
Elara nodded, still a bit confused, but then it clicked. "Oh. So you came back early just to help me get out on bail in one day?"
Adrian pinched her nose. "Looks like your brain's not completely fried after all."
"So when I get to Veritasiton tonight, I won't have to be detained?" she asked.
Adrian replied casually, "Yeah, my client didn't want to be detained, so I had to do my best."
Elara blinked at him, thinking he was almost magical. Yesterday, she'd been so anxious and conflicted. The idea of being detained was just way too much for her.
When she got on the plane that afternoon, her head felt heavy. Just thinking about being taken away by the police as soon as she landed made her feel really uneasy.
But now, she didn't have to be detained after all. With that weight finally off her mind, she finally noticed the IV needle in the back of her hand and realized she was in the hospital.
"Wait, what happened to me and Justin? Why are we both hooked up to IVs and in the hospital?"
Ruby explained, "The doctor said you both had mushroom poisoning and were having hallucinations."
"What?" No wonder she'd felt the plane shaking, and then everything went white before she passed out.
Elara suddenly remembered that guy Justin and turned to shout, "Justin. You—" But then she spotted Paige behind the curtain and quickly stopped herself, switching to a smile. "Mrs. Johnson, you're here."
Paige smiled back, "I got here a while ago. I'm just glad you two are okay." Elara gave an awkward smile.
"Ruby, can we have a word in private?" Victor suddenly spoke up.
Ruby replied icily, "We have nothing to talk about."
Elara reached out and squeezed Ruby's hand. "Ruby, whether it's breaking up or just needing some space, you two should really talk things through. That's the only way to really move on."
Then she turned to Victor. "Victor, this whole thing is on you and the Montgomery family. Ruby did nothing wrong. If you can't protect her, then step back. If you want to talk, fine, but you must respect Ruby's choices and not harass her."
"Okay, I promise," Victor replied.
Ruby followed Victor out of the hospital room and into a quiet corner of the hallway. Her voice was flat. "So, what do you want to talk about?"
Victor pulled her into a loose hug, burying his face in her shoulder, his voice low and muffled. "Ruby, I'm sorry. This is all my fault."
Ruby didn't push him away right away, but her tone stayed cold. "I get it, but I don't accept your apology. Anything else?"
"I wanted to break away from the Montgomery family and start my own business, but my mom thought you put me up to it, so..."
"Yeah, I get it. So you know what you should do now, right?"
"Ruby, just give me a little more time, okay? I really do care about you, I—"
"Not only did you fail to protect me, you even dragged my friends into this too. Victor, aren't you ashamed of yourself as a man?"
Victor fell silent.
"Your mom even sent someone to warn me. She said if I don't stay away from you, next time it won't be as simple as just being detained.
"I'm nobody—no power, no connections. If I go up against your family, all I can do is put my life on the line. Victor, if you really are a man, then stop clinging to me. We're done. It's over."
The stairwell door swung shut behind her, leaving Victor standing alone in the darkness. With a sharp metallic click, his lighter flared, a tiny red flame flickering in the gloom.
He stood there for a long, long time—so long that Elara and the others had already finished their IVs and gone back.
Adrian found him in the stairwell. "Did you break up?"
In the darkness, the lighter flicked on again, briefly lighting up Victor's tired face. He took a sharp drag of his cigarette. "Yeah."
"Good. At least she'll be safe now."
"I know."
"What's next for you?"
"I'm planning to check out Marisiton. My mom will only leave her alone if I keep my distance."
"Glad you've thought it through. Are you still staying with Montgomery Group?"
Victor shook his head. "I'm going to open a restaurant over there."
"Oh, so without Montgomery Group, do you have the money to get started?"
"Nope, so, Adrian, mind spotting me a little cash?"
Elara sat in the pink BMW, glancing at Ruby again and again. She was really worried about how Ruby was holding up. But Ruby just smiled. "Done staring? If you've got something to ask, just say it."
"Did you break up?"
"Yeah, it's over."
"Does it hurt?"
"Even if it does, I have to suck it up. We both ended up in lockup because of him—who'd be crazy enough to stick around after that?" Elara nodded and didn't say anything else.
"Elara, I'm really sorry about all this. I dragged you and the café into it."
Elara tried to keep it light. "But we're all okay now, right? And with Adrian on the case, I'm sure the café will be back up and running in no time."
"Yeah, I guess so. What about you? How's it going with Adrian after you went to Namukitts?"
Elara smiled, "I told him I'd give us a shot once he breaks off his engagement."
"Wow, sounds like things are moving fast. But when's he gonna call it off?"
Elara shook her head. "No idea. But I'm pretty sure Adrian's more anxious about it than I am."
"I don't know about that. I think you're the one who's more into it."
Elara protested, "Come on, I'm not!"
"You know what they say. People in it are always the last to realize."
Elara felt oddly confident. "Anyway, he and Josie have nothing between them, and he doesn't even want to go back to the Hartley family. That engagement's bound to end sooner or later."
"Yeah, fingers crossed everything goes smoothly."
When they got to Flowery Apartments, they took the elevator upstairs. As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, both their phones buzzed at the same time.
Elara was busy punching in the code at the door and didn't bother checking, but Ruby pulled out her phone to see the message. It was a group chat with Elara, Ruby, and Julian.
Julian had sent a screenshot. It was from his Instagram. [Holy shit! Elara, your Adrian's about to run off with someone else.]
Elara took the phone, half-expecting it to be a joke, and looked at the screenshot. It was a photo of Adrian and Josie. Adrian was wearing the same suit he'd had on when they saw him earlier, so the photo must have been taken today.
Mr. Wilson from EnjoyTech, [Today at Mr. Heaton's birthday party, I met Adrian. We had a great chat. He and the Heaton family's daughter are truly a perfect match.]