Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary - Chapter 19: Chapter 19

Elara and Ruby looked confused by Nancy's words, while Alex and Julian watched carefully.
Alex shook his head. "Nancy, I appreciate your help, but I don't need your brother's assistance with my father's case."
After last night's confrontation with Adrian, Alex knew the truth—Adrian wouldn't lift a finger to help, not even as a favor to Nancy.
Alex had no intention of groveling before the wealthy. His mind was set on finding an alternative.
Nancy stared at him, surprised. "What? But my brother set up a meeting for you with a lawyer named Eric Collins this week. He needs to know the case details first."
"No, thank you anyway," Alex replied gently but firmly.
At first, Elara wondered why Adrian was needed for such routine legal work, the kind that any lawyer could handle. Then she recalled their current lawyer's month-long failure to resolve Dylan's simple case.
"Alex," she said, reconsidering, "if Nancy got her brother to help, you should accept. Don't make Dylan suffer over pride."
"Elara, he—" Alex started, but Elara interrupted with a practiced smile.
"It's handled," she said, forcing lightness into her voice. "Victor compensated me fairly."
In the morning, she'd received a payment of $210,000—three times her original fee—along with an email confirming lifetime access to Montgomery Group's services.
It was an amazing deal for Elara. She wasn't usually the type to chase money, but Adrian had a point—whether she settled or not, people would still talk. With the apology letter already spreading on Twitter, turning this down would've been insane.
"We've settled everything," Elara said, deliberately shifting focus to Dylan's case.
Alex turned his wine glass slowly in his hands. "Forget about it." It was classic Alex—deceptively mild-mannered, yet stubborn as stone once his mind was made up. In that way, he and Elara were two halves of the same coin.
Besides, given the history between Adrian and Elara, asking Adrian for help now would just make him look like a coward.
'Alex is such a man!' Ruby exclaimed in her mind.
But Julian knew Dylan's case was tough. He felt bad for Elara but worried about Alex. "Alex, this'll make Elara blame herself," he said. "Anyway, Nancy got it. Why not take advantage? Anchor Law Firm has some of the best lawyers in the city."
Elara nodded along with Julian's suggestion.
Alex took a slow sip from his glass. "We'll see," he said.
After the meal, Julian joined Alex in the kitchen to clean up while Elara settled on the couch with a glass of juice.
Nancy pranced around the living room in ill-fitting cotton slippers, her heels hanging off the backs. "Alex got the size completely wrong. I've told him my shoe size countless times. He just never listens."
Ruby, deep in conversation with a guy she'd just met, didn't even glance up as she drawled, "Ever consider those might not be yours?"
Nancy's eyes flashed as she whirled toward Ruby. "Jealous much? Who else would Alex buy slippers for if not me?"
"Elara, obviously," Ruby said, finally meeting Nancy's glare with a wicked smile. "She wears a perfect size six. I've heard of witches stealing glass slippers, but fuzzy ones? That's a new low, even for you."
Nancy's face flushed crimson. "Who are you calling a witch?"
"The one trying to squeeze into slippers that don't belong to her," Ruby countered.
"Ruby, you're gonna regret that!" Nancy yelled.
"Ooh, look at you—ugly and angry!" Ruby smirked.
Nancy's humiliation flared into rage. She grabbed the nearest pillow and whipped it at Ruby, who batted it away effortlessly.
The pillow bounced off, knocked into the wine bottle on the coffee table, and sent it crashing to the floor. Glass exploded across the tiles, dark red pooling around the shards.
"You freak! That was the wine for Alex!" Ruby's eyes went wide. "That bottle cost a fortune."
"Please. My family could buy a hundred of those." Nancy's voice oozed disdain. "If you can't afford something decent, don't embarrass yourself bringing it here. I won't let my boyfriend be seen with trash."
"Your boyfriend? God, listen to yourself." Ruby let out a disgusted laugh. "A spoiled brat like you, throwing yourself at him—it's pathetic."
Nancy tried to defend herself. "You—"
"What? Nothing smart to say?" Ruby demanded.
Elara had slipped out to answer her phone. By the time she came back from the balcony, Ruby and Nancy were already in a full-blown fight. The noise even brought Alex and Julian rushing from the kitchen.
Elara jumped in as Ruby forced Nancy onto her back. Grabbing Ruby around the waist, she heaved her backward with a grunt.
Nancy's face was red, her hair tangled, angry red scratches streaking her cheeks.
Alex reached down to pull her up. "What happened?" he asked.
"I—" Nancy began, but Ruby didn't let her finish.
Sweeping her wavy hair aside to expose the red marks on her neck, Ruby turned to Alex. "Alex, look what she did! Nancy grabbed my hair and scratched my neck."
Taking a shaky breath, she continued, "She even smashed the wine I brought you and called it cheap garbage. Said her boyfriend shouldn't be seen with trash like that!" Her voice cracked. "That bottle cost thirty thousand!"
Nancy straightened up in her disheveled state, firing back, "Thirty thousand? Please. You're acting like that's a fortune. Was I wrong? Why freak out over nothing?"
Alex rubbed his temples wearily. He had stayed awake until dawn, worked through the day, then returned home to cook for his friends. The current commotion only deepened his exhaustion.
Alex's voice came out rough with exhaustion. "We're just regular people here. You shouldn't have been so harsh with Ruby."
Nancy refused to back down. "But she called me witch first."
Ruby cut in sharply, "Because it's true." Her eyes dropped to Nancy's feet. "Who allowed you to wear Elara's slippers?"
Elara squeezed Ruby's wrist. "Stop it, Ruby. Those aren't mine." She showed her own slippers. "See? I'm wearing mine right now."
If they were really hers, Alex would have given them to her right away. But he didn't, which meant they couldn't be hers.
Nancy folded her arms in satisfaction. "Well? Elara just said they're not hers. You're just causing drama for no reason." She gave Alex a pointed look. "Alex, she's clearly jealous you bought me slippers."
Alex released a heavy sigh, his tired voice barely above a murmur. "Nancy, those slippers... weren't meant for you."
Nancy stood completely still. She knew without doubt those shoes were not intended for her.
As this was her first visit to Alex's residence, she had needed to obtain the address through HR. But being publicly humiliated in this manner was beyond anything she had anticipated.
Ruby seized the opportunity without hesitation. "Listen to that," she mocked, her face contorted in a smug expression. "Stop flattering yourself."
Heat flooded Nancy's cheeks. She extended a shaking finger toward Ruby. "You will regret this," she declared in a voice quivering with emotion.
Snatching her purse from the couch, she kicked away the offending slippers and marched out, the door shuddering in its frame behind her.
Silence settled over the four remaining occupants. The living room looked like a warzone—wine soaking into the cream-colored rug, potato chip debris everywhere, feather stuffing drifting lazily from a mutilated pillow.
Elara's sudden sneeze shattered the tense silence. Her allergic reaction persisted.