Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary - Chapter 172: Chapter 172

The phone rang unexpectedly, jolting Elara out of her focus as she was typing out her thoughts. She quickly picked it up and said, "Hi, Mr. Hartley, have you finished yet?"
"Not yet," Adrian replied, "but I saw you kept messaging me. I was worried if I didn't call you back, you'd be all alone and miserable."
Elara smiled, "Not anymore."
"Why?"
"Because after hearing my puppy's voice, I feel so much better."
"You're getting better at cheering me up?"
Elara wiggled her toes happily on the rug in front of the sofa. "So, do you like hearing that?"
There was a pause on the other end. "I do."
Elara asked, "Well? Like what exactly?"
There was another pause. "I like you."
Elara couldn't help but want more. "What exactly do you like about me?"
A low chuckle came from the other end. Adrian said, "I like it when you cheer me up. Happy now?"
"I am. So, when are you coming back?"
"I just got here this morning, baby."
"It just feels like you've been gone for so long."
"Miss me?"
"Yes."
"How much?"
"Quite a bit. My puppy Hartley. I—"
"Mr. Hartley, is the meeting still ongoing?" Elara suddenly heard an unfamiliar man's voice on the other end of the line. Startled, she thought, 'Wait, is there someone else with him?' and immediately fell silent.
Adrian's voice sounded distant. "Just keep talking about the case, my assistant will take notes." And his voice got closer again. "Go ahead, baby, I'm listening."
Elara asked, "Adrian, where are you right now?"
"I'm at a meeting over at Mr. Wilson's company, EnjoyTech."
"Seriously? You're calling me in the middle of a meeting?"
"Yeah, it's on speaker. No big deal."
Elara fell silent. Feeling utterly mortified, she quickly hung up the phone, her face turning bright red.
Elara thought, 'Is Adrian out of his mind? Calling me on speaker in the middle of a meeting?' Good thing I don't know any of them. Otherwise, I'd die of embarrassment.'
A WhatsApp notification popped up on her phone. Justin: [Because after hearing my puppy's voice, I feel so much better. What is it exactly that you like about me? When will you be back? It just feels like you've been gone for so long.]
Elara was speechless. She'd totally forgotten about this guy. Elara: [If you send me one more message, I'm blocking you.]
Justin: [Adrian's birthday is coming up. Wanna send yourself over as a present?]
Elara: [I'm out on bail, how am I supposed to show up?]
Justin: [Leave it to me. Just tell me if you're coming or not.]
Elara: [Not going.]
Justin: [Knew it. You're just not getting lucky?]
Elara: [Get lost.]
She got up, packed some toiletries, and drove back to the hospital. When she got to the hospital room, Elara's mom was peeling an apple—for herself, of course.
Lisa asked, "Elara, have you and Alex talked about the wedding yet? Is he planning to help with the expenses? A decent amount would show he's serious; can't just wing it, right?"
Janice said in a very soft voice, "Don't say so much."
Lisa continued, "Janice, if you're too shy to say it, I will. Alex should contribute at least part of the wedding costs, secure you a place within the city rather than out in the suburbs, and ensure the car is fully paid for."
Elara retorted, "Auntie Lisa, when your son married, didn't you keep things pretty simple? If I remember right, the girl's family even had to cover part of the costs afterward, didn't they?"
Lisa was fuming. "You cheeky girl. I'm trying to get you some benefits, and you throw me under the bus like that? How did my sister end up with such an ungrateful daughter?"
Elara said, "Yes, I'm the ungrateful one. Maybe I'll just get married with nothing, no house, no car, no dowry, so you won't get a single benefit out of it."
Lisa was so mad that half the apple she was holding dropped to the floor. She pointed at Elara, sputtering, "You—"
Elara said, "Alright, enough with that, Auntie Lisa. It's getting late, and you should head home. We need to rest."
Janice also urged her, "You should head home first. I'm tired too." Lisa rolled her eyes at Elara, grabbed her bag, and walked out. Finally, the hospital room was quiet.
The doctor connected Janice to an IV drip, and she only managed to get some rest afterward. Reclining on the sofa in the VIP hospital room, she listened to the occasional beeping from the monitor.
Later, Adrian texted her, saying he'd had a bit too much to drink tonight, so he wouldn't be calling her. She just texted back: [Okay.]
"Elara," Janice suddenly called out to her.
Elara got up from the sofa and sat down by the bed. "What's wrong, Mom? Are you feeling unwell?"
Janice shook her head. She looked much better now. "The other day, Alex told me what was going on with him. He only did it because of his dad."
"Yes," Elara replied.
Janice said, "Elara, it was my fault. I never should've kept you and Alex apart, and now you two ended up like this."
Elara said, "Mom, it's all in the past. I've already moved on."
Janice said, "It was my fault."
Hearing Janice start to cry, Elara's heart clenched. "Mom, the doctor said you can't get worked up. Please don't cry."
That was how bipolar disorder worked—emotions were hard to control. During manic episodes, the person became unusually restless and impulsive, and when depression hit, they sank into deep hopelessness. In severe cases, it even led to suicidal behavior.
After Janice moved abroad, her therapist would keep Elara in the loop about her mental state every week. Over the past few years, Janice's bipolar disorder has pretty much gotten under control.
Elara even suspected Janice might have landed herself a hot young boyfriend overseas. But now that she was back in the country, her symptoms flared up again.
Elara said, "Mom, I don't blame you. I was upset at first, but I know you just wanted the best for me and didn't want me to regret being with Alex. I'm okay now, so please don't cry."
Elara felt powerless when it came to Janice. After every argument, her heart ached for Janice. The moment Janice began to cry, Elara would forgive everything, but as soon as she did, Janice would dismiss her feelings and resume pressuring her all over again.
It kept repeating, over and over. Since childhood, Elara had been caught in this relentless cycle; anger, helplessness, guilt, forgiveness, and then back again to anger, helplessness, and guilt.
"Was the reason you got close to Adrian just to help Alex?" Janice asked.
Elara was momentarily speechless. At first, that really was the case. But now things were different. She said, "Mom, that's not it. He's Susan's boss; wasn't it you who asked me to fill in as her secretary for her?"
"He's Susan's boss? I thought Susan worked at a law firm?"
"Adrian owns that law firm."
"Wait, what? Adrian studied finance with me; why would he open a law firm? Back then, he was a leader at Hartley Group, and all his papers were about Hartley Group's cases."
"I think he left home later and started his own business."
"Elara, people in that circle aren't the kind of folks ordinary people like us should get involved with. Promise me, okay? Just cut things off with him."
Elara was unfazed. "Mom, he's not going back to the Hartley family. Once he calls off his engagement, he'll keep running his law firm, and I'll open my coffee shop. We'll stay out of that circle."
Janice said, "Elara, you're underestimating how complex this is. Breaking the engagement between the Hartley and Heaton family isn't something simple.
"The Heaton family would never give up on Adrian; they depend on him. Do you realize what they're capable of? They left Dylan in a vegetative state, and even I..."
Elara asked, "What happened to you? Mom, do you know someone from the Heaton family?"