Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary - Chapter 30: Chapter 30

Neil couldn't believe his ears. "Adrian, wait. You actually want this woman? I thought you hated women!"
Adrian chuckled. "I'm a 28-year-old straight man. Is it really that strange to want a woman?"
Elara's hand on Adrian's arm trembled. 'No way. This guy must be joking,' she thought.
Neil asked, "What about my sister? I thought you were holding out for her!"
Adrian ignored her, scooped Elara up in his arms, and strode straight out.
Elara instinctively wrapped her arms around Adrian's neck to steady herself, surprised by how warm his skin was. When her cool wrist brushed the nape of his neck, she nearly flinched from the heat.
Elara had so much she wanted to say. She wanted to ask Adrian to put her down, so she could walk on her own. She wanted to thank him for saving her and beg him to help Alex again.
Unluckily, the alcohol hit her hard. Her head spun, and her stomach churned violently. Overwhelmed by nausea, she could only press weakly against his chest, unable to utter a single word.
Without a word, Adrian deposited her into the passenger seat of his McLaren.
The door clicked shut. He slid into the driver's seat without a word and lit a cigarette.
Elara shifted slightly, opening her eyes to Adrian's deep, unreadable gaze. He was taking quick, impatient drags from his cigarette.
"Thank you," Elara murmured, her voice soft and sweet in the quiet car.
Adrian let out a low laugh, turned to look at her, and said, "Elara, you actually think I'm a good guy?"
Elara blinked in confusion, her cheeks flushed from the alcohol. Tear tracks still glistened at the corners of her eyes. She looked utterly vulnerable, as if she'd just been bullied. "What?"
Adrian looked at her, his desire blazing. Unable to hold back, he growled, "Honestly, I want to have sex with you right here."
Elara's exhaustion vanished in an instant, replaced by shock. She stammered, "Wh-what? You..."
Adrian turned and saw a pink BMW pulling up nearby. He said coldly, "Get out."
Elara scrambled out of the car and then suddenly remembered why she had come. Mustering her courage, she turned and asked again, "What about Alex?"
Adrian's eyes darkened with predatory intensity. "Either get out now or come upstairs to the suite with me," he said, his voice a low, husky growl.
The image of that upstairs suite flashed through Elara's mind, sending a jolt of fear through her. Heart pounding, she scrambled out of the car in a panic, only to nearly run straight into Ruby, who was just about to enter the Aurora Club.
"Ruby," Elara croaked.
"Elara," Ruby called out, her voice soft with concern.
Elara ran straight into Ruby's arms and sobbed uncontrollably.
"Elara, what's wrong? Who hurt you? Didn't Victor say he'd have your back? Who on earth would dare lay a finger on you?" Ruby asked.
Elara sobbed as she recounted everything that had happened to Ruby.
"What? Neil was this audacious? And what the hell was Victor doing? Wasn't she supposed to be watching over you? I told him to look after you, and you still ended up getting treated like this on his turf!" Ruby shouted.
Elara choked out, "Let's go quickly! I'm afraid of running into Neil."
Ruby swiftly grabbed Elara's arm and pulled her into the car.
Ruby asked anxiously, "What about Julian's car? Should we just leave it here for now?"
Elara nodded firmly. "I'm never coming back here again. Let Julian pick up his car himself tomorrow."
Lying in bed together that night, Ruby was still trying to cheer Elara up. "So, is Adrian really into you?"
Elara shook her head. "At best, he's just attracted to me physically. That's all there is to it."
"Well, if that's the case, I guess Adrian's a dead end then," Ruby said.
"Ruby," Elara whispered, her voice trembling, "Niel said Dylan was just their scapegoat. He even said they could send anyone they want to prison. I'm really scared."
"What's there to be afraid of?" Ruby scoffed.
"I'm afraid if Alex keeps appealing to lawyers, they'll frame him, too," Elara whispered.
"Since when does Veritasiton lack the rule of law? Besides, we still have Julian. If all else fails, I'll charm Victor, and you go after Adrian. Then we team up with Julian. You think three families combined can't take down the Heaton family?" Ruby asked.
Elara couldn't help but laugh at Ruby's suggestion.
The next morning, Julian skipped work to check on Elara.
"What? That bastard Neil!" Julian shot up from the sofa, about to storm off to confront him.
"Calm down, Julian. When are you ever going to change that hot temper of yours?" Ruby grabbed his arm to stop him.
Elara unpacked the newly arrived coffee machine and got ready to brew a cup of coffee.
"Julian, can you find out more about the Heaton family? There's got to be some weakness we can use against them, right?" she asked.
"I'll have someone look into the Heaton family. What about Adrian? Any updates from his side?" Julian asked.
Elara shook her head. "It's not easy unless I'm willing to risk it all," she said, her voice trailing off.
Ruby said anxiously, "So Dylan just has to take the fall for this? But this is a felony charge. We're not talking about just three or five years in jail."
"Minimum ten years and maximum fifteen," Elara said with a sigh. She'd checked the criminal law last night. When the evidence was solid, overturning a verdict was nearly impossible.
She advised, "Maybe we should just go straight to the Anchor Law Firm tomorrow. It's not like they can just turn us away at the door, can they?"
"But all the case files are with Alex, and we have to keep this from him," Ruby said, thinking quickly. "Julian, go see Alex tonight and try to sneak Dylan's files out."
The next day, Elara and Ruby drove to the Anchor Law Firm.
Elara said, "Hi, I need a lawyer for a case."
"Certainly, may I ask what type of case this is?" the receptionist asked.
"Criminal case," Elara replied.
"Certainly, please come this way. I'll have one of our criminal defense attorneys meet with you shortly," the receptionist said.
Elara and Ruby were ushered into a small conference room.
Ten minutes later, a man in his thirties, dressed smartly in a tailored suit, walked in with a polite smile. He introduced himself, saying, "Hello, I'm Eric Collins, the criminal defense attorney here at Anchor Law Firm."
After exchanging pleasantries and shaking hands, they handed over the case files to the lawyer and gave him a complete account of the situation.
After hearing everything, Eric adjusted his glasses and asked, "You mentioned Stephen. Is he from the Heaton family?"
Elara and Ruby didn't deny it. They'd expected this question.
Eric's polite smile faded into professional detachment as he adopted an official tone. "Very well, we've received your case. It will be submitted for review. If our senior partners approve taking on this matter, we'll contact you."
Without a clear response, Elara pressed anxiously, "Then about how long until we get an answer?"
Eric said in a detached tone, "I can't give you a definite answer right now. If you don't hear from us within three days, it means we won't be taking the case. You'll need to find another lawyer." With that, he walked away.
Elara sighed. 'Looks like this is going nowhere,' she thought.
She stood slumped by the elevator doors, her head hanging low. When the doors slid open, she didn't look up or step inside.
Ruby went to the restroom, so Elara waited for her near the elevator.
Adrian asked coldly, "What are you doing blocking the elevator?"
Elara glanced up and locked eyes with Adrian. He wore a sharp gray suit with subtle patterns, his tie impeccably knotted. He exuded both energy and poise.
"Sorry," she murmured, stepping aside to let Adrian pass.
As Adrian started to walk away, Elara quickly followed after him. "Adrian," she pleaded, "I came to the Anchor Law Firm today about my case. Eric told me to wait for news. Is there any way you could help move things along?"
Adrian stopped in his tracks, glanced at Elara's desperate face, and said in a strictly professional tone, "If you were told to wait for news, then wait."
"But..." Before she could finish, Adrian, the heartless bastard, strode straight into the law firm, leaving her with nothing but the icy silhouette of his retreating figure.