Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary - Chapter 25: Chapter 25

"Tell the barista to take your order." Elara did not look at Adrian. She stood up and walked past him.
"Wow, I didn't know you were so full of yourself," he said. "Even ignoring your customers? No wonder the business here is so slow."
Elara stopped and pressed down her anger. She had no choice. Adrian was a customer now.
She said softly, "No, it's not that. I'm the boss, but I'm not in charge of taking orders. I'll get someone to bring you a menu."
Elara waved at Lily. "Lily, bring a menu and take this gentleman's order."
Lily handed Adrian the menu. He ordered a Mandheling and a small meal.
Once Elara saw that he finished ordering, she said, "Mr. Hartley, enjoy your meal. I'll get going now."
"Your barista makes terrible coffee." Adrian suddenly said. "Ms. Langton, can you make me a cup yourself?"
Elara was a little mad. She didn't get why he came back if the coffee was so bad to him. She forced a smile. "If you have a special taste, you can tell the barista."
"Is that so?" Adrian raised an eyebrow.
"Yes." Elara finished and walked out of the café. She called a car by the road.
Ruby messaged Elara on WhatsApp and asked why she left all of a sudden. Elara replied: [I'm running away.]
This area was a bit remote, and it was hard to get a car. Elara stood in the wind, shivering. She waited 15 minutes for her ride. Once she got in, her phone rang. It was a call from the café.
"Hello, Elara, did you already leave?" Lily asked.
"I just got in the car. Why?" Elara was confused.
Lily said, "That man changed his coffee 5 times already. He kept saying it's not right. Sometimes it's the temperature, sometimes it's the blend.
"I noticed his car is expensive. I'm afraid to offend him. Elara, what should we do now?"
"I get it. I'm coming back." Elara said. She knew it was not about the coffee. Adrian was just making trouble for her.
After she hung up, Elara said to the driver, "Sir, please turn back."
As soon as Elara walked back into the café, she heard a voice say, "Welcome back." Lily rushed up to her.
"Elara, you're finally here," Lily whispered. "We just made him a sixth cup, and he made fun of it again. This time, he said the cup was ugly..."
Elara fell silent. She knew how mean Adrian's words could be, so she didn't ask more. "Mandheling, right?"
"Yes." Lily nodded.
"What does he want, exactly?" Elara asked.
"One moment it's too sour, the next it's too bitter, then it's too hot, then it's too cold," Lily said. "Nobody knows what he wants."
"Got it. I'll do it." Elara said.
Elara took off her coat and revealed a light-gray, slim-fit dress beneath it. She walked toward the counter and put on her apron. The apron's strings tightened her tiny waist and showed off her perfect shape.
Her long hair fell smoothly down her back. She took a hair clip from her bag and clipped up her hair in a soft twist at the back of her head, letting her bare face show without any makeup.
After washing her hands by the sink, she walked over to the coffee machine and started making the coffee herself.
Adrian played with the silver lighter in his hand. He looked at Elara with interest as she carefully made the coffee.
He was about to leave already. He'd even gotten a smoke ready. But when he saw her come back looking annoyed, it amused him, and he stayed.
He was kind of looking forward to tasting her coffee.
Ten minutes later, Elara brought over a cup. The latte art was delicate—not bad at all, just as good as a barista's.
"Ms. Langton, you went through a lot of trouble," Adrian said in a teasing voice.
Elara kept her patience. "Try it. 185°F is the best temperature for Mandheling. That's when its acidity starts to show, and the flavor evolves with each sip.
"Mandheling has a rich taste, so I added a bit of lime to balance the bitterness. The milk was warm and foamed just right, making it smoother."
Adrian listened quietly and put away his lighter. He picked up the cup and took a sip.
For a moment, his finger paused. His eyes briefly changed, a feeling barely noticeable. He tasted it once more and then put it down. He didn't say it was good or bad.
But he couldn't resist adding a sneer. "Ms. Langton, you're not cut out for business."
Elara hadn't expected anything else from him. She was ready for a battle. Anyway, she had plenty of time.
At midnight, Adrian hadn't drunk a third sip. He took out his phone to pay.
"Don't you have a lot of followers?" he asked casually. "How come you're not using them to bring in more customers?"
The café was nice, but the business was slow.
Elara glanced at him. "Mr. Hartley, did you forget I still have your apology letter pinned on my Twitter account?"
Adrian nodded in understanding and stood up. "By the way, our law firm called Alex. He said we shouldn't take his dad's case. So I'm guessing I've paid back that favor I owed you?"
Elara was a little confused. She thought back and remembered what Adrian had said in the private room—that she could come to him if she needed help. But then their conversation fell apart, and she thought it was over.
Still, Elara was unsure. 'Wasn't it Nancy who went to Adrian about this?'
Adrian was already outside the café. Elara followed him.
"Adrian!" Elara called after him.
The car door was already opened. Hearing her, Adrian stood by the car with a cigarette in his hand and his other resting on the door.
Elara hadn't taken off her apron yet. Her hair was clipped up, adding a soft, intellectual touch. Her slim body seemed delicate enough to collapse with a push.
She was a little out of breath. "What do you mean by paying back the favor?"
Adrian raised an eyebrow. "Alex isn't your friend?"
"Yes," Elara said. "But why do you say you did it to return the favor you owe me? Wasn't it Nancy who asked you to do this?"
Adrian seemed to realize Elara might be confused. He took a drag of his cigarette and said, "Her? She doesn't have that much power over me."
Then he tossed away his cigarette, got into his car, and started it up. The wild McLaren roared as Adrian pressed the gas and sped away, leaving Elara standing in the courtyard, unsure what just happened.
Nancy was Adrian's sister, but he acted like her words didn't matter much—almost as if Elara meant more to him than his own family.