Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary - Chapter 17: Chapter 17

Elara ate some eggplant, took some pasta, and then put down her fork. She popped open another beer.
Alex looked at Elara, leaned in, and whispered, "Your period's coming soon. Drink less, or you'll get cramps."
Elara's face flushed a bit, her eyes shimmering under the white chandelier. She looked stunning as she met Alex's gaze. She smiled faintly and said, "We said we'd drink till we drop tonight."
Alex had seen that look countless times, and it always got to him. He raised his hand, gently placing the back of it on her flushed cheek. "But Elara, you're drunk," he murmured, knowing she couldn't handle much. One drink and she'd be out.
But Elara shook her head. "Alex, I'm not drunk."
"Your tolerance is low. How can you not be? Your face is on fire."
"My face just goes red when I drink. My tolerance's not that bad."
"But before..."
Elara remembered those times. Back then, she'd pretend to be a lightweight. One sip and she'd fall into Alex's arms, using that as an excuse to stay at his place and not leave. She was just playing games. But lately, none of her tricks worked.
Elara grinned at Alex. "Back then, I was faking it." She thought, 'Anyway, you don't care if I can hold my alcohol or not. Why not just be honest?'
Alex's kind eyes got a bit colder. He got her. She was really hurt now. He didn't stop her. He just made sure she did eat food.
Elara played rock-paper-scissors with Ruby. Seeing Elara happy, Alex didn't ruin the mood. He talked finance with Julian. He asked, "Did you handle that project we talked about?"
Julian answered, "Yeah. Insight Investment Bank invested early before the IPO. Once Quinn Group hands over those shares to me, I'll control FIGHT."
"Keep up with them. They've got big potential. What about tourism?"
Julian opened another beer and handed it to Alex. "Montgomery Group took a hit after Elara's Twitter post. Our new hotels saw revenue jump 50% in just days. Who knew online influence could be that powerful?"
"Get ready for a possible drop. Montgomery Group will make big moves soon."
"Got it." Julian nodded.
They clinked glasses. Both were a little tipsy. Julian suggested, "Alex, why not join Quinn Group? We'll team up. In a few years, Insight Investment Bank will be the biggest and best."
"Hartley Group treats me well."
"You messed with the Hartleys' heir yesterday. Think they won't make your life hard?"
Hearing Julian's words, Elara froze mid-bite, her fork stuck over the fish she was deboning.
Ruby looked up from TikTok, eyes wide. "Alex offended the Hartleys?"
Julian shoveled meat into his mouth. "I punched Adrian yesterday."
Ruby just shrugged—she'd seen Julian's scary face when he got the truth. "Yeah, but it was you who pissed off the Hartleys."
Julian shook his head. "Duh! Alex swung too, but Victor blocked it."
"What?" Elara and Ruby gasped together.
Alex was known for being easygoing. Since he was a kid, he never got mad. At worst, he'd argue logically. Ruby and Elara couldn't believe that he hit someone.
"Why'd you hit him?" Elara asked Alex, worried and a little drunk, frowning. Her eyelashes fluttered like she was trying to look mad, but it wasn't scary.
Alex just smiled at her, not saying a word.
Elara was mad and annoyed. He always won her over with that loving smile. He knew she couldn't stay mad at him.
Elara drank more beer. "Dylan's appeal is soon. Isn't it bad to piss him off now?"
Alex comforted her. "Don't worry. A big-shot lawyer like him won't waste time on a tiny civil case."
"By the way," Ruby said, munching on steak. "Dylan's little case. Should've taken days. Why's it taking over a month?"
Julian glanced at Alex sideways and took a guilty sip of his drink.
Alex stayed cool. "Yeah, the talks broke down. Both sides couldn't agree, so it dragged on."
Ruby was clueless. But Elara, who studied law, thought it was weird. Laws were different abroad, but she knew the basics here.
Elara said bluntly, "You're lying, Alex. For civil disputes, detention is max 15 days. How can someone be held for over a month? Unless it's criminal detention."
Julian suddenly choked on his wine.
Alex rubbed his temples. He forgot that Elara studied law. She'd grown up and wasn't easy to trick anymore.
While he was thinking about how to cover his lie, Elara spoke up. "Alex, your lawyer's terrible. He doesn't know the basics. Let's hire a pricey one."
Alex stared at Elara's serious face, feeling both mad and amused. He was mad she was so naive—what if someone tricked her later? But he laughed because she had no idea about his secret.
"Hey? Why'd Alex hit that guy?" Elara changed the topic. "Julian, was it because of you? Did you hit him, and Alex stuck up for you?"
Julian felt wronged.
Alex spoke up for Julian. "No, it's nothing like that. Elara, I know about last night and the day before."
Elara froze. She glared at Julian. "Julian! Didn't I tell you not to tell him?"
Julian started to say something, but Alex cut in with a cold face. "Elara Langton, why didn't you tell me?"
Alex used her full name, so Elara knew she was in trouble.
Alex pressed, "They both know, but not me?"
Elara lowered her head and replied in a low voice, "It's no big deal. Didn't wanna bother you with a small thing like that."
Alex snapped, "Small thing? You cried last night. Is that small? Adrian was spreading rumors about you, and you call that small?"
Elara opened her mouth but couldn't say anything.
Alex urged, "All grown up now? Think I'm just meddling?"
Elara was already upset. Hearing Alex's harsh words made her snap. She looked away, her eyes red, and stayed quiet.
That made Alex stop talking. She cried easily. She knew tears worked and harsh words always set her off.
Ruby tried to lift the mood. "Alex, stop bugging Elara. She saw you were busy with Dylan's case and kept it to herself; she cried all night last night."
"Crybaby," Julian said at the wrong time, making Elara's tears flow like a river.