Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary - Chapter 32: Chapter 32
You are reading Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary, Chapter 32: Chapter 32. Read more chapters of Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary.
Elara sent a message to the Three Musketeers' Secret Base, a group chat with Julian, Ruby, and herself. [Julian, can you into Adrian's family background? Was his mom tough on him?]
[On it,] Julian replied. He quickly sent a photo showing a private room packed with trust fund kids, with Neil right in the middle. [Infiltrated enemy territory.]
Elara typed: [Got it. Stay safe.]
She then settled into a chair, soaking up the sunlight as she jotted notes in her notebook. Quickly, she sketched out a personality profile for Adrian, with seduction strategies noted beside each trait. After finishing, she snapped a pic and shared it.
Ruby: [What is this?]
Elara: [Adrian's personality profile.]
Julian fell silent.
Ruby: [Family background: mommy issues; Strategy: shower him with TLC. Elara, are you trying to be Adrian's dad's mistress?]
Elara: [Why can't it just be friendly? Or we can track down his first love—bet she's still a big deal to him.]
Ruby: [We can't even get near him. How are we supposed to be friends? Someone like him would never dump his girlfriend. If he did, it just means she meant nothing to him. Finding her would be totally pointless.]
Julian: [Totally.]
Elara had to admit they had a point. She put a tiny cross to that strategy and typed: [What about another angle? Like, play on his insecurities?]
Ruby paused and replied: [You're not talking kidnap-and-rescue, are you?]
Elara propped her chin in her hands, deep in thought.
Finally, Ruby typed slowly: [I think the surest bet is you seduce him.]
Julian: [Ruby, are you insane? Want me to knock some sense into you?]
Elara closed WhatsApp and studied Adrian's personality profile. 'At least, one thing was for sure—Adrian was a coffee fiend,' she thought.
Good thing she'd been globetrotting lately and managed to score a few jars of Golden Mandheling in Sulimachester. This stuff from two years back was crazy rare.
That year, Sulimachester's highlands got slammed by bad weather. Rain was scarce, and the sun was brutal. Mandheling harvests were almost cut in half. The higher the coffee trees grew, the worse the yield, and the beans weren't as plump.
After picking, the locals had planned to sell low. But quickly, they realized coffee from those beans was next-level: rich, bitter-smooth, with a killer aftertaste.
For Mandheling fans who loved the dark stuff, it was pure gold. But with such a tiny harvest, that batch became a total collector's item in the Golden Mandheling world.
Those jars Elara had scored were basically the last of their kind on the market. Now no amount of money could buy them.
'Why not use these to win Adrian over?' she thought. Without missing a beat, she raced home and tossed the four jars of Golden Mandheling into a bag. Thirty minutes later, she pulled up to Anchor Law Firm.
Elara had called Susan ahead of time. But Susan was out for a prenatal checkup and wasn't at the office. So Elara asked Victor to arrange a meeting with Adrian.
Victor sent Adrian a message about Elara wanting to meet. Adrian flat-out rejected her request. With no other option, Victor forwarded the screenshot to Elara.
Elara shrugged and drove straight into the underground garage. She circled the massive space until she spotted Adrian's McLaren. With no spots nearby, she parked far away, grabbed the coffee jars, and leaned against a pillar behind his car, waiting.
Two hours later—from seven PM to past nine—and Adrian was a no-show. Elara had thrown on a black miniskirt and light jacket, but the temperature plummeted quickly. Her face went pale from the cold, her stomach growled, and her legs ached.
At ten till ten, Adrian finally stepped out of the elevator. He was wearing a dark pinstripe suit, a cigarette in one hand and his phone pressed to his ear.
Ignoring her numb feet, Elara rushed over. Since he was on a call, she stayed silent, following him with a sweet smile.
His legs were incredibly long, and she had to take two steps for every one of his. Somehow, he picked up the pace, and she started jogging just to keep up.
Just as Adrian was about to slide into his car, Elara called out, "Mr. Hartley!"
Adrian had spotted her ages ago, but he just didn't want to deal with her, assuming it was about her "boyfriend." Still on the phone, he slammed the door shut.
Elara tapped lightly on the car window, but Adrian remained ice-cold. After knocking for ages with no response, she rounded the car, yanked open the passenger door, and plopped down.
Adrian had just hung up the phone and was fastening his seatbelt when he saw Elara squirm in beside him. "Ms. Langton," he teased, a faint smirk playing on his lips, "did you quit the influencer thing and the coffee shop just to stalk me?"
His deep eyes raked over her before snapping back. "Why not stick with your boyfriend instead?"
Elara plastered on a sunny smile. "Mr. Hartley, check this out—Golden Mandheling from Sulimachester, picked up last June. I know you're a coffee nut, and this two-year-old batch is crazy rare. Trust me, you'll dig it."
She held out the bag, but Adrian didn't reach for it. He rested one hand—still holding a cigarette—on the car window, while his other hand lazily scrolled through his phone His gaze dragged over her as he drawled, "Not feeling coffee right now."
"Huh?" Elara was stunned. 'No coffee? Didn't he down two or three cups every day? Suddenly he's not into it?'
After a pause, she asked, "So what's your drink now? Energy drinks? I heard about this new brand—"
"Not interested in those either."
This was Elara's hard-won chance to meet him, and she wasn't about to let it slip away. She racked her brain, recalling Adrian's personality profile she had drawn. "How about I treat you to dinner? What's your go-to?" she asked.
Adrian flicked his cigarette ash and took another lazy drag, his voice rough with exhaustion. "Anything?"
"Yeah," Elara replied without hesitation, thinking a dinner couldn't hurt. She whipped out her phone and asked, "Just name the dish and the spot. I'll make a rez right now."
The second her phone unlocked, a shadow loomed. She looked up, heart jumping—Adrian's face was inches away, all sharp cheekbones and dangerous charm.
"How about you offer yourself as the treat," he murmured. A cryptic smile played across his face, leaving Elara feeling like her heart might burst right out of her chest.
"Deal? I book a room now?" Adrian pressed.
[On it,] Julian replied. He quickly sent a photo showing a private room packed with trust fund kids, with Neil right in the middle. [Infiltrated enemy territory.]
Elara typed: [Got it. Stay safe.]
She then settled into a chair, soaking up the sunlight as she jotted notes in her notebook. Quickly, she sketched out a personality profile for Adrian, with seduction strategies noted beside each trait. After finishing, she snapped a pic and shared it.
Ruby: [What is this?]
Elara: [Adrian's personality profile.]
Julian fell silent.
Ruby: [Family background: mommy issues; Strategy: shower him with TLC. Elara, are you trying to be Adrian's dad's mistress?]
Elara: [Why can't it just be friendly? Or we can track down his first love—bet she's still a big deal to him.]
Ruby: [We can't even get near him. How are we supposed to be friends? Someone like him would never dump his girlfriend. If he did, it just means she meant nothing to him. Finding her would be totally pointless.]
Julian: [Totally.]
Elara had to admit they had a point. She put a tiny cross to that strategy and typed: [What about another angle? Like, play on his insecurities?]
Ruby paused and replied: [You're not talking kidnap-and-rescue, are you?]
Elara propped her chin in her hands, deep in thought.
Finally, Ruby typed slowly: [I think the surest bet is you seduce him.]
Julian: [Ruby, are you insane? Want me to knock some sense into you?]
Elara closed WhatsApp and studied Adrian's personality profile. 'At least, one thing was for sure—Adrian was a coffee fiend,' she thought.
Good thing she'd been globetrotting lately and managed to score a few jars of Golden Mandheling in Sulimachester. This stuff from two years back was crazy rare.
That year, Sulimachester's highlands got slammed by bad weather. Rain was scarce, and the sun was brutal. Mandheling harvests were almost cut in half. The higher the coffee trees grew, the worse the yield, and the beans weren't as plump.
After picking, the locals had planned to sell low. But quickly, they realized coffee from those beans was next-level: rich, bitter-smooth, with a killer aftertaste.
For Mandheling fans who loved the dark stuff, it was pure gold. But with such a tiny harvest, that batch became a total collector's item in the Golden Mandheling world.
Those jars Elara had scored were basically the last of their kind on the market. Now no amount of money could buy them.
'Why not use these to win Adrian over?' she thought. Without missing a beat, she raced home and tossed the four jars of Golden Mandheling into a bag. Thirty minutes later, she pulled up to Anchor Law Firm.
Elara had called Susan ahead of time. But Susan was out for a prenatal checkup and wasn't at the office. So Elara asked Victor to arrange a meeting with Adrian.
Victor sent Adrian a message about Elara wanting to meet. Adrian flat-out rejected her request. With no other option, Victor forwarded the screenshot to Elara.
Elara shrugged and drove straight into the underground garage. She circled the massive space until she spotted Adrian's McLaren. With no spots nearby, she parked far away, grabbed the coffee jars, and leaned against a pillar behind his car, waiting.
Two hours later—from seven PM to past nine—and Adrian was a no-show. Elara had thrown on a black miniskirt and light jacket, but the temperature plummeted quickly. Her face went pale from the cold, her stomach growled, and her legs ached.
At ten till ten, Adrian finally stepped out of the elevator. He was wearing a dark pinstripe suit, a cigarette in one hand and his phone pressed to his ear.
Ignoring her numb feet, Elara rushed over. Since he was on a call, she stayed silent, following him with a sweet smile.
His legs were incredibly long, and she had to take two steps for every one of his. Somehow, he picked up the pace, and she started jogging just to keep up.
Just as Adrian was about to slide into his car, Elara called out, "Mr. Hartley!"
Adrian had spotted her ages ago, but he just didn't want to deal with her, assuming it was about her "boyfriend." Still on the phone, he slammed the door shut.
Elara tapped lightly on the car window, but Adrian remained ice-cold. After knocking for ages with no response, she rounded the car, yanked open the passenger door, and plopped down.
Adrian had just hung up the phone and was fastening his seatbelt when he saw Elara squirm in beside him. "Ms. Langton," he teased, a faint smirk playing on his lips, "did you quit the influencer thing and the coffee shop just to stalk me?"
His deep eyes raked over her before snapping back. "Why not stick with your boyfriend instead?"
Elara plastered on a sunny smile. "Mr. Hartley, check this out—Golden Mandheling from Sulimachester, picked up last June. I know you're a coffee nut, and this two-year-old batch is crazy rare. Trust me, you'll dig it."
She held out the bag, but Adrian didn't reach for it. He rested one hand—still holding a cigarette—on the car window, while his other hand lazily scrolled through his phone His gaze dragged over her as he drawled, "Not feeling coffee right now."
"Huh?" Elara was stunned. 'No coffee? Didn't he down two or three cups every day? Suddenly he's not into it?'
After a pause, she asked, "So what's your drink now? Energy drinks? I heard about this new brand—"
"Not interested in those either."
This was Elara's hard-won chance to meet him, and she wasn't about to let it slip away. She racked her brain, recalling Adrian's personality profile she had drawn. "How about I treat you to dinner? What's your go-to?" she asked.
Adrian flicked his cigarette ash and took another lazy drag, his voice rough with exhaustion. "Anything?"
"Yeah," Elara replied without hesitation, thinking a dinner couldn't hurt. She whipped out her phone and asked, "Just name the dish and the spot. I'll make a rez right now."
The second her phone unlocked, a shadow loomed. She looked up, heart jumping—Adrian's face was inches away, all sharp cheekbones and dangerous charm.
"How about you offer yourself as the treat," he murmured. A cryptic smile played across his face, leaving Elara feeling like her heart might burst right out of her chest.
"Deal? I book a room now?" Adrian pressed.
End of Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary Chapter 32. Continue reading Chapter 33 or return to Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary book page.