Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary - Chapter 15: Chapter 15

Elara made coffee and put sandwiches on the table. Ruby was chatting away in the group chat, while Julian was replying every now and then.
Ruby: [We're gonna drink till we drop tonight!]
Ruby: [We didn't drink much last night. Now that Elara's back, the four of us gotta make up for it and drink together.]
Ruby: [@Julian, when'd you get back last night?]
Julian took a selfie and posted it in the group. He sent: [Just woke up.]
In the picture, Julian was lying lazily on the bed. The gray sheets looked all sleek, giving off a manly vibe. He was shirtless, with the blanket casually draped over his waist, showing off his sharp collarbones, that noticeable Adam's apple, and his toned shoulders and arms.
Ruby zoomed in on the photo and scoffed. She knew he'd posted it for Elara to see. He'd had a crush on Elara since high school.
Elara's phone was in the bedroom. No way she'd see this brand-new picture.
Ruby decided to give him a push. "Ugh, Julian's showing off again. Wanna take a look?"
Runny egg yolk from Elara's sandwich dripped onto her lip. She wiped it with a napkin, her tone flat. "You saw it. That's enough."
Ruby frowned, "Me? I've got a long line of guys after me. Why would I bother with him?"
Elara gave Ruby a look. "Any of your guys as devoted as Julian?"
"Fair enough." Ruby sipped her coffee. But then she thought, 'Wait. Why should I care? He isn't into me.' She said in a meaningful way, "Maybe give him a shot. He's waited years for you."
Elara nearly choked on her coffee. "Me? With Julian? What are you babbling about?"
"Why not? He looks just as good as Alex. Plus, he's the heir to the Quinn family. You'd be a great lady of the house."
"Are you really gonna turn down all that money? And he likes you too!"
Hearing that, Ruby quickly put two and two together and angrily smacked Elara's head, yelling, "Elara!" Ruby glared at her.
Elara held her head, in pain. "Why are you freaking out?"
"Wait... you don't think Julian likes me, do you?"
Elara chewed the last bite of her sandwich. "Isn't that the case? Didn't you read his love letter right in front of me back then?"
"Jesus. That was for you!"
"Me?" Elara pointed at herself, looking shocked.
"Seriously, all you can think about is Alex. And you call yourself a top university graduate."
Elara shrugged like it was nothing.
Elara and Ruby took their sweet time and didn't leave till evening. Elara sat in the passenger seat of a pink, diamond-studded BMW 5 Series, while Ruby drove, humming a tune.
Elara leaned against the window, daydreaming. Her phone rang. When she saw "Mom" on the caller ID, her heart skipped a beat. She answered, "Mom."
Janice asked, "Elara, you're back in the country?"
"Yeah, just got back last night."
"Where are you gonna stay? The house key is with your aunt. If you're going back, get it from her."
"I'm staying near Glory Street. Ruby and I opened a coffee shop nearby."
Janice had quit her job as a university professor two years ago. Now she lived abroad and hardly ever came home. "A coffee shop? Instead of getting a job at a big company, why are you opening a coffee shop?"
Elara sighed. She did get an offer from the Hartley Group, in the same department as Alex, but she didn't wanna go now. "I just put in some money. Ruby's mainly running it. I'll start working soon."
"No rush. This is a good chance for you to help Mrs. Stewart."
Elara perked up. "What kind of help?"
"Her daughter Susan, you know her. She's your senior. She works as a secretary at a law firm and is over eight months pregnant. She needs someone to fill in for her maternity leave soon but hasn't found the right person yet.
"Her boss is super strict, especially about education and experience. Didn't you work as a Special Assistant to the President at a big company? Plus, you studied law, so your background is a perfect fit. You should be able to cover for her."
Elara said in frustration, "Mom, Special Assistant to the President is not the same as being a secretary. And the law I studied abroad is pretty much useless here."
"Babe, I get it's different. The special assistant gig is way tougher and needs more skills. But you nailed it, so secretarial work is a piece of cake. It's like downgrading, right?"
That was typical of Janice. If she thought it was cool, she would find any excuse. She now asked Elara, a triple-degree grad from Westbridge University, to be a secretary.
Wanting to know Alex better, Elara picked psychology to study, but Janice said no. Elara thought about finance, just like Alex had, but Janice still nixed it. So Elara caved and went with the law, just like Janice wished.
Angrily, Elara blasted through all three degrees. That was her—did what she wanted, right or wrong, no matter how tough. She had that rebel streak.
Back then, Alex was swamped at work and had no time for her. Elara gave up racing, biking, clubbing, all for him. So in college, she had tons of time for classes and tests. Getting three degrees was a breeze.
Janice tried again. "You're back now with nothing to do. Since Mrs. Stewart's got just one daughter, help her out for three to four months till Susan's back after giving birth and recovering.
"Otherwise, the company might hire new folks and cut her pay. Imagine her stress raising a kid alone. I checked it out. It's a big company. It's a good chance to learn about workplace culture here. Stop being a couch potato all day."
Elara knew she couldn't fight a losing battle. "Fine. Have Susan friend me."
"Good girl. You eaten yet?"
"Nope. Alex wants us three to eat at his place."
"Have fun then. I'll leave you alone."
After hanging up, a friend request popped up fast. Elara accepted it. She spotted an unfamiliar profile picture.
Elara had only pinned Alex and Ruby. At the top were Susan, a group chat, and that troublemaker, Adrian.
That was his real name. The profile picture was a supercar. Elara had raced a bit and knew cars. The Bugatti Chiron is legendary, with a beastly 16-cylinder, 4-turbo engine, over 1500 horsepower, and a top speed over 490 km/h. It was raw power and looks.
She felt annoyed and tapped the picture to delete him. Suddenly, Ruby slammed on the brakes. Elara lurched back, not paying attention.
"Ouch." Elara snapped, "Ruby, when're you gonna get better at driving?"
"Sorry, I got distracted." Ruby looked out the window. A blue convertible had two hot guys looking our way. They laughed and whistled.
Elara sighed quietly. She turned her focus on her phone only to find that she sent a letter to Adrian. She was so mad she could scream. She quickly recalled the message.
At the law firm, Adrian was in a meeting. His phone buzzed. He picked it up and glanced down. Seeing that Elara recalled a message, Adrian raised an eyebrow, turned off the screen, and set it back down.
In the conference room, department heads reported on big cases. Adrian half-listened. He picked up his phone again and sent a message to Elara: [What?] But he found he was blacklisted.