Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary - Chapter 37: Chapter 37

Nancy stood up from the sofa, looking toward the trio in the doorway.
Ruby stormed in first, still in her heels. She grabbed Nancy's arm and shoved her onto the adjacent sofa. "Keep your hands off. Don't you dare touch Alex."
Alex lay unconscious on the gray sofa, wearing only a white shirt and slacks, his face flushed—clearly wasted. His shirt was unbuttoned enough to reveal part of his chest. A lipstick stain on the collar matched Nancy's shade perfectly.
Ruby's jaw tensed at the sight. "You took advantage of Alex while he was passed out?" she yelled, lunging to slap Nancy.
Nancy grabbed a throw pillow and fought back. "We're both single. What we do is none of your damn business."
Ruby wrenched the pillow away and tossed it. "Did you ask Alex if he wanted this? Did you get the okay from his girlfriend?"
Nancy scoffed, "Girlfriend? Since when did Alex say he had one?"
Ruby fell silent. Alex had said to focus on his dad's case first before confirming his relationship with Elara.
Nancy eyed their bags and drinks. "Looks like you're here for Alex again, huh? Wow, check out all this stuff. You're not planning to drag him into your street food fest, are you?"
"It's none of your business," Ruby shot back.
"Alex works at Hartley Group now. He rubs shoulders with billionaires and eats at five-star restaurants. Why would he slum it with you guys?" Nancy sneered.
"So what? Big deal! Even billionaires shit and fart, don't they?" Ruby said, her words harsh, but true.
"Hey, kids—if you want to party with burgers and beers, do it at your own place. It's fine that you guys chase thrills and never grow up—but now you're dragging Alex into this?" Nancy snapped.
Ruby rolled her eyes. "Us bothering him? Please. You're the one clinging to him."
"Me clinging?" Nancy scoffed. "Alex called me tonight. I don't have a key to his place, but I'm not rude enough to barge in uninvited like you three."
Elara's nails dug into her palms, clutching the barbecue bag so tight her knuckles whitened. A sharp ache stabbed her chest as she stood there, speechless, her face pale.
Ruby spluttered, "Alex called you? Come on!"
Nancy pulled out her phone. "Don't believe me? Fine, check the call log."
Ruby grabbed Nancy's phone, scrolled through it, and went quiet—evidently, what Nancy said was true.
Nancy stood, smoothing her rumpled skirt. "You three claim to care about him. Do you know why he got wasted today?"
The trio stayed mum.
Nancy continued, "I took him to meet Stephen's dad Matthew, the retired head of the Heaton family. My sister Sadie set it up.
"Matthew's over eighty. We had dinner at a private villa. Alex was kissing up to him all night, trying to win favor for Dylan's case. That's why he drank himself sick. I drove him home after."
She eyed the bag in Elara's hand, a sneer curling her lips. "Guess how much Alex dropped on that dinner?"
No one answered.
"Just the meal cost over 150 thousand dollars," Nancy drawled. "Not counting the gift he brought for Matthew."
Elara's stomach knotted. She knew a gift for Matthew wouldn't be cheap—probably more than the dinner itself. That meant Alex might have blown over 300 thousand tonight.
"Now look at what you brought," Nancy scoffed. "Bet it didn't even cost 300 bucks."
She turned to Julian. "You've gone back to run the family business. Why are you still looking broke? Shouldn't you buy Alex sports cars or penthouses, not just two cases of beer?"
The three didn't bother arguing, but one thing gnawed at them: Alex had shut them out again. He'd rather go broke and beg than ask for their help.
'How long is Alex going to keep treating us like kids? We're not children anymore. We can actually help him,' they thought, frustration building.
After a heavy silence, Elara said, "Thanks for today, Nancy." She meant it—Nancy had helped Alex, after all.
But Nancy waved her off. "Elara, since when do you get to thank me? What's your role here, exactly?"
Ruby cut in, "She's Alex's girlfriend. That answers your question?"
"Oh, is that so?" Nancy smiled thinly. "Funny, because tonight Alex promised Sadie he'd look out for me. Said he wants to spend more time with me."
Ruby went quiet, shooting Elara a worried glance.
Elara stood frozen, as if a knife had sliced through her chest. The pain hit so hard that she had to inhale sharply to keep from crumbling.
When she finally spoke, her voice was steady. "You're his college friend and have helped him a lot. Of course he'd want to take care of you."
"Are you really that naive, or just playing dumb?" Nancy pressed. "Do you honestly think Alex would meet Sadie as 'just a college friend'?"
Elara had her doubts, but Nancy laid it all out. "I told Sadie that Alex is my boyfriend. That's why she set up the meeting with Matthew. Alex even said he'd treat Sadie like a future sister-in-law. You know what that means, right?"
Nancy leaned in, her voice dripping with venom. "We held hands all night. He kept putting his arm around my waist and even served me food. He drank from my wine glass and finished the cake I'd touched."
Elara's vision blurred, but she blinked back tears.
Julian snorted. "Please, Nancy. It's all an act. Don't kid yourself."
"Act?" Nancy laughed. "You three never help—you just drag Alex down. Why shouldn't a fake relationship turn real?"
Julian sneered, "Alex has standards. He's not into you."
"Not into me, but into Elara?" Nancy scoffed. "She's just a pretty face. What else has she got? Can she give Alex money and status, or save his dad?"
She turned to Julian. "Why'd you drop by tonight, Mr. Quinn? More company drama you need Alex to solve?"
Then she whirled on Ruby. "What about you? Another breakup meltdown that needs Alex to play therapist?"
At last, her glare snapped to Elara. "You're the worst. Even when Alex was overseas, he couldn't get rid of you—you're like human superglue!"
Ruby lunged forward and slapped Nancy across the face.
"How dare you hit me!" Nancy shrieked.
Ruby gritted her teeth. "Consider that a present, you shameless bitch."
The fight reignited in an instant, with hair-pulling and shouting.
Julian didn't try to break it up. Noticing Elara's ashen face, he asked, "Elara, let's go—leave them to it, okay?"
Just then, Alex's voice cut through the chaos. "What the hell is going on here?"