Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary - Chapter 22: Chapter 22
You are reading Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary, Chapter 22: Chapter 22. Read more chapters of Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary.
After chatting with Simon last night, Elara and Ruby took him to Aurora Club for a wild night out. Since Elara could now enjoy free access to Victor's venues, she wasn't going to waste it.
They got Simon a presidential suite at Aurora. Before leaving, Elara figured—hey, it's free anyway, why not try out what a $3,000-a-night suite felt like?
That was how Elara and Ruby ended up waking up early in the morning on a 7-foot-wide waterbed.
Elara felt sore all over, like she'd been hit by a truck. She swore this bed wasn't made for sleeping.
On the other side of the bed, Ruby stirred when she heard Elara getting up. "My back hurts," she groaned. "Maybe poor people just aren't meant to sleep in rich people's beds?"
Elara looked around at the suite's theme and smirked. "Or maybe this bed was never meant for sleeping."
Ruby, still half-asleep, mumbled, "Huh? What else would it be for?"
"You'll see," Elara said.
She got up and went to the bathroom. Sitting on the toilet, rubbing her back, she happened to glance at a little cabinet—and instantly remembered that night.
A vivid image flashed through her mind, and her blood, still half-asleep, suddenly boiled awake. She cursed Adrian under her breath. It was like he'd cast a spell on her.
She splashed cold water on her face and walked out, still holding her lower back.
Last night, they'd gotten completely drunk and crashed in bed without even taking off their makeup. Ruby was only now realizing the full theme of the suite.
They stared at each other for a second, awkward silence hanging in the air.
"Wanna get out of here?" Elara asked.
Ruby jumped out of bed—and almost fell over because the mattress was way too soft. "Let's go."
Since their car was still parked at the café, they called a rideshare. On their way out, they ran into Victor.
"Ruby, did you block me?" Victor asked.
Ruby grabbed Elara's hand and bolted like she'd seen a ghost. They jumped into the car and shut the door behind them.
Elara looked at her, curious. "Weren't you so ready to throw everything away for Victor? Even me? Now you act like you saw the devil."
"I blocked him," Ruby said. "I don't do second chances."
"Oh yeah? Then why were you texting your ex yesterday?" Elara asked.
Ruby had been chatting nonstop on WhatsApp, and Elara had casually glanced over—enough to recognize the guy. It was one of Ruby's many exes—the one she only dated for a month, like, four exes ago.
"You peeked at my phone?" Ruby asked.
"I didn't sneak a peek," Elara said, smiling. "I was looking straight at it."
Ruby shrugged. "I ran into him by accident."
"Uh-huh. So Victor's an ex now too?" Elara asked.
"Nope. Doesn't even qualify," Ruby said.
Elara gave her a thumbs-up. When two flirts fell for each other, the first one to catch feelings would lose.
Just then, Elara heard a WhatsApp notification. She opened it—it was a message from Susan, with info about the law firm and her boss.
When she saw Anchor Law Firm and the name Adrian Hartley, her eyes widened. "Damn! What the hell?"
"What's wrong?" Ruby asked, still deep in her flirty convo with her ex-boyfriend.
"Guess who my college friend works for?" Elara said.
Ruby frowned. "Who?"
"Adrian Hartley," Elara said.
Ruby practically screamed. "Damn!"
The world really was small.
"So... are you still going?" Ruby asked.
Elara typed on her phone. "I'd have to be out of my mind."
She texted Susan back, saying the coffee shop was too busy and she couldn't help out. Susan sounded a little disappointed but didn't push it.
After sending the message, Elara let out a quiet sigh of relief. Adrian was arrogant and full of himself—working as his assistant would've been pure torture.
Just as she was about to put her phone down, another WhatsApp message popped up.
Alex: [Elara, are you there?]
Elara had just solved one problem, and now here came another.
She groaned and turned to Ruby. "Alex wants me to go house-hunting with him. What does that even mean?"
"If even you—Miss Genius Psychology Expert—can't figure it out, what hope do I have?" Ruby rolled her eyes. "You two have been in this weird thing for years. I've got nothing to say."
"If he wants a house, he should call Julian. Quinn Group's invested in so much real estate. Julian surely knows which neighborhoods are hot and where to get a good return," Elara said. "I'm saying no."
After the past couple of days, she'd finally made up her mind. It was time to draw the line with Alex. All those years of vague flirting and emotional back-and-forth—it was exhausting.
For the first time in her life, Elara told him no. [Busy at the café. No time. Ask Julian to go with you.]
Ruby gave her a thumbs-up. "Good. That's exactly what you should've said. Elara, the four of us might be good friends, but when it comes to love? You gotta stand your ground.
"Even if you two never end up together, you're still neighbors. He's still your mom's former student.
"And he's still our friend—yours, mine, and Julian's. No escaping that. Every Christmas he'll still have to get us all presents."
Elara laughed at that. Then a thought hit her. "So if Alex marries Nancy, she's gonna be part of our little circle too? That's kinda wild."
"Huh. In her dreams," Ruby snorted.
Elara and Ruby grabbed a bite at the mall, did some shopping, and then picked up a ton of household supplies at the supermarket.
Elara's mom had bought her a place years ago in a pretty decent part of Veritasiton. She'd never actually lived there—until now. This time, she could just move in with her bags.
By evening, the two of them were standing at the front door of her new home, arms loaded with shopping bags. Elara keyed in her birthday on the smart lock.
It was a 2,150-square-foot, three-bedroom apartment with a huge balcony. That balcony was the reason Elara had agreed to the place in the first place—she pictured BBQs with friends, or setting up a giant tent for a bit of "urban camping."
One entire side of the living room was lined with floor-to-ceiling windows, flooding the space with natural light. Right now, it was golden hour. The warm glow of the sunset spilled in and lit up the light-colored rug.
Back in the day, Elara was the party type, always surrounded by friends. So she'd asked the designer to make the living room extra spacious. The light-gray arched sofa wrapped around most of the room—it could seat twenty people.
The overall style leaned minimalist, very much her mom's aesthetic.
Elara remembered how she'd originally wanted to go for a post-apocalyptic vibe—basically, unfinished concrete walls and pipes. Her mom had flipped out and shut the whole thing down halfway through.
In the end, her mom kept a few of Elara's suggestions but finished the place her own way.
Looking at it now, Elara couldn't say she loved the current style, but she knew for sure she no longer liked the raw, industrial look.
'Sometimes, parents really do know best,' she thought.
The place was cleaned weekly by a housekeeping service. All the furniture and appliances were already in place. So after they finished stuffing the fridge, Elara and Ruby collapsed on the sofa, each sipping on a cup of yogurt.
"Your mom really set you up with the full engagement gift package," Ruby said. "So... are you gonna buy a car next?"
Elara shook her head. "Nah, no need. I actually prefer taking Ubers these days."
"What? You? The ex-racer? Taking Ubers?" Ruby laughed.
"That was the reckless younger me," Elara said. "I used to chase thrills. Now I just like taking walks."
"Oh, so you've decided to slow it down now?" Ruby teased.
"Opening the café was all about slowing down and appreciating life. I used to be way too restless—it wasn't good for me." Elara looked like a full-on philosopher as she spoke.
"Well, I gotta admit, you've definitely changed," Ruby said. "Yesterday, you barely reacted when we saw that McLaren. The old you would've flipped harder than I did."
Elara paused, then laughed. "I was excited. I just didn't show it. I didn't want to get yelled at by the owner."
"Damn, you've gotten soft," Ruby smirked. "Who cares? Yell back!"
Elara shook her head. "I can't. I'm not as tough as I used to be. And that car? Easily worth over 3 million dollars. You don't mess with people who own cars like that.
"Plus, let's be real—you saw who it belonged to. Adrian. And with that sharp tongue of his? No way I could out-snark him."
At that, Ruby turned her head to look at her, a sly expression flashing across her face.
"Speaking of... wanna try seducing Adrian?" she asked.
They got Simon a presidential suite at Aurora. Before leaving, Elara figured—hey, it's free anyway, why not try out what a $3,000-a-night suite felt like?
That was how Elara and Ruby ended up waking up early in the morning on a 7-foot-wide waterbed.
Elara felt sore all over, like she'd been hit by a truck. She swore this bed wasn't made for sleeping.
On the other side of the bed, Ruby stirred when she heard Elara getting up. "My back hurts," she groaned. "Maybe poor people just aren't meant to sleep in rich people's beds?"
Elara looked around at the suite's theme and smirked. "Or maybe this bed was never meant for sleeping."
Ruby, still half-asleep, mumbled, "Huh? What else would it be for?"
"You'll see," Elara said.
She got up and went to the bathroom. Sitting on the toilet, rubbing her back, she happened to glance at a little cabinet—and instantly remembered that night.
A vivid image flashed through her mind, and her blood, still half-asleep, suddenly boiled awake. She cursed Adrian under her breath. It was like he'd cast a spell on her.
She splashed cold water on her face and walked out, still holding her lower back.
Last night, they'd gotten completely drunk and crashed in bed without even taking off their makeup. Ruby was only now realizing the full theme of the suite.
They stared at each other for a second, awkward silence hanging in the air.
"Wanna get out of here?" Elara asked.
Ruby jumped out of bed—and almost fell over because the mattress was way too soft. "Let's go."
Since their car was still parked at the café, they called a rideshare. On their way out, they ran into Victor.
"Ruby, did you block me?" Victor asked.
Ruby grabbed Elara's hand and bolted like she'd seen a ghost. They jumped into the car and shut the door behind them.
Elara looked at her, curious. "Weren't you so ready to throw everything away for Victor? Even me? Now you act like you saw the devil."
"I blocked him," Ruby said. "I don't do second chances."
"Oh yeah? Then why were you texting your ex yesterday?" Elara asked.
Ruby had been chatting nonstop on WhatsApp, and Elara had casually glanced over—enough to recognize the guy. It was one of Ruby's many exes—the one she only dated for a month, like, four exes ago.
"You peeked at my phone?" Ruby asked.
"I didn't sneak a peek," Elara said, smiling. "I was looking straight at it."
Ruby shrugged. "I ran into him by accident."
"Uh-huh. So Victor's an ex now too?" Elara asked.
"Nope. Doesn't even qualify," Ruby said.
Elara gave her a thumbs-up. When two flirts fell for each other, the first one to catch feelings would lose.
Just then, Elara heard a WhatsApp notification. She opened it—it was a message from Susan, with info about the law firm and her boss.
When she saw Anchor Law Firm and the name Adrian Hartley, her eyes widened. "Damn! What the hell?"
"What's wrong?" Ruby asked, still deep in her flirty convo with her ex-boyfriend.
"Guess who my college friend works for?" Elara said.
Ruby frowned. "Who?"
"Adrian Hartley," Elara said.
Ruby practically screamed. "Damn!"
The world really was small.
"So... are you still going?" Ruby asked.
Elara typed on her phone. "I'd have to be out of my mind."
She texted Susan back, saying the coffee shop was too busy and she couldn't help out. Susan sounded a little disappointed but didn't push it.
After sending the message, Elara let out a quiet sigh of relief. Adrian was arrogant and full of himself—working as his assistant would've been pure torture.
Just as she was about to put her phone down, another WhatsApp message popped up.
Alex: [Elara, are you there?]
Elara had just solved one problem, and now here came another.
She groaned and turned to Ruby. "Alex wants me to go house-hunting with him. What does that even mean?"
"If even you—Miss Genius Psychology Expert—can't figure it out, what hope do I have?" Ruby rolled her eyes. "You two have been in this weird thing for years. I've got nothing to say."
"If he wants a house, he should call Julian. Quinn Group's invested in so much real estate. Julian surely knows which neighborhoods are hot and where to get a good return," Elara said. "I'm saying no."
After the past couple of days, she'd finally made up her mind. It was time to draw the line with Alex. All those years of vague flirting and emotional back-and-forth—it was exhausting.
For the first time in her life, Elara told him no. [Busy at the café. No time. Ask Julian to go with you.]
Ruby gave her a thumbs-up. "Good. That's exactly what you should've said. Elara, the four of us might be good friends, but when it comes to love? You gotta stand your ground.
"Even if you two never end up together, you're still neighbors. He's still your mom's former student.
"And he's still our friend—yours, mine, and Julian's. No escaping that. Every Christmas he'll still have to get us all presents."
Elara laughed at that. Then a thought hit her. "So if Alex marries Nancy, she's gonna be part of our little circle too? That's kinda wild."
"Huh. In her dreams," Ruby snorted.
Elara and Ruby grabbed a bite at the mall, did some shopping, and then picked up a ton of household supplies at the supermarket.
Elara's mom had bought her a place years ago in a pretty decent part of Veritasiton. She'd never actually lived there—until now. This time, she could just move in with her bags.
By evening, the two of them were standing at the front door of her new home, arms loaded with shopping bags. Elara keyed in her birthday on the smart lock.
It was a 2,150-square-foot, three-bedroom apartment with a huge balcony. That balcony was the reason Elara had agreed to the place in the first place—she pictured BBQs with friends, or setting up a giant tent for a bit of "urban camping."
One entire side of the living room was lined with floor-to-ceiling windows, flooding the space with natural light. Right now, it was golden hour. The warm glow of the sunset spilled in and lit up the light-colored rug.
Back in the day, Elara was the party type, always surrounded by friends. So she'd asked the designer to make the living room extra spacious. The light-gray arched sofa wrapped around most of the room—it could seat twenty people.
The overall style leaned minimalist, very much her mom's aesthetic.
Elara remembered how she'd originally wanted to go for a post-apocalyptic vibe—basically, unfinished concrete walls and pipes. Her mom had flipped out and shut the whole thing down halfway through.
In the end, her mom kept a few of Elara's suggestions but finished the place her own way.
Looking at it now, Elara couldn't say she loved the current style, but she knew for sure she no longer liked the raw, industrial look.
'Sometimes, parents really do know best,' she thought.
The place was cleaned weekly by a housekeeping service. All the furniture and appliances were already in place. So after they finished stuffing the fridge, Elara and Ruby collapsed on the sofa, each sipping on a cup of yogurt.
"Your mom really set you up with the full engagement gift package," Ruby said. "So... are you gonna buy a car next?"
Elara shook her head. "Nah, no need. I actually prefer taking Ubers these days."
"What? You? The ex-racer? Taking Ubers?" Ruby laughed.
"That was the reckless younger me," Elara said. "I used to chase thrills. Now I just like taking walks."
"Oh, so you've decided to slow it down now?" Ruby teased.
"Opening the café was all about slowing down and appreciating life. I used to be way too restless—it wasn't good for me." Elara looked like a full-on philosopher as she spoke.
"Well, I gotta admit, you've definitely changed," Ruby said. "Yesterday, you barely reacted when we saw that McLaren. The old you would've flipped harder than I did."
Elara paused, then laughed. "I was excited. I just didn't show it. I didn't want to get yelled at by the owner."
"Damn, you've gotten soft," Ruby smirked. "Who cares? Yell back!"
Elara shook her head. "I can't. I'm not as tough as I used to be. And that car? Easily worth over 3 million dollars. You don't mess with people who own cars like that.
"Plus, let's be real—you saw who it belonged to. Adrian. And with that sharp tongue of his? No way I could out-snark him."
At that, Ruby turned her head to look at her, a sly expression flashing across her face.
"Speaking of... wanna try seducing Adrian?" she asked.
End of Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary Chapter 22. Continue reading Chapter 23 or return to Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary book page.