Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary - Chapter 45: Chapter 45

Hearing Adrian's words, Nancy and Alex both turned to look at Sadie, who took slow, deliberate sips of her wine, looking unfazed.
Sadie chuckled softly. "Adrian, the rules are just between you and me. I was simply having dinner with Alex's friends. Why would you suddenly bring up the rules?"
Adrian narrowed his eyes. "Is that so? Did you do nothing else besides having dinner with them?"
Sadie crossed her arms and leaned back leisurely in the chair, staring at Adrian. "Yeah. Come on, I didn't do anything inappropriate. Wait, you seem concerned about Elara. Is she your girlfriend?"
Adrian shot back. "It's none of your business."
Sadie suppressed her irritation and let out a forced laugh. "I'm just afraid you'll be fooled by her. Did you know that while she's sleeping with you, she's also messing around with Nancy's boyfriend?"
Adrian looked down at Elara and saw that she was crying her heart out, her face streaked with tears.
Leaning on Adrian's backing, Elara said, "Ms. Hartley, I get that you and Nancy don't like me, but accusing me of hooking up with Mr. Hartley is crossing a line. How could you say something so baseless?"
Elara wiped away her tears and looked up at Adrian. "Mr. Hartley, last time we met to talk about Alex's dad's case, I gave you some Mandheling coffee beans and we chatted about the case in your car for a bit.
"Just because I stayed in your car for over forty minutes and got out a little messy, Sadie thinks I was hitting on you and took it out on me earlier."
Tears streamed down Elara's face, and she just kept sobbing. Seeing this, Adrian's face darkened. "Sadie, are you following me?"
"Adrian, she's a liar. She literally just said she slept with you," Nancy blurted out angrily.
Elara pointed at her tear-streaked face, her voice trembling with anger. "Why would I spread rumors about myself? What's in it for me? It was clearly you guys who just spread those rumors about me and Mr. Hartley."
Sadie watched Elara's performance with a condescending smirk. She said, "Elara, do you think you can do whatever you want just because Adrian is backing you?
"Whether you've slept with Adrian or not, he'll never marry you. He has a fiancée. And if you want anything from the Hartley family, you'd better play smart instead of making a scene here."
Elara burst into even louder sobs. "Adrian, see? I haven't said a word, but they keep assuming I'm after something from you, spreading rumors about us.
"Ruby and I finished shopping and wanted to go home, but they wouldn't let us. We gave in and ate with them, but they kept insulting us. I don't get why Ms. Hartley hates me so much. I literally didn't want anything from your family."
Ruby nodded vigorously.
Adrian gently wiped away her tears and turned his fierce gaze toward Sadie. "If you don't want me back in the Hartley family, then mind your own business and stay away from Elara. Otherwise, you know what I'll do."
With that, Adrian grabbed Elara by the wrist and pulled her away.
Elara stood up, her high heel wobbling as she let out a gasp and collapsed weakly into Adrian's arms. She whimpered with a practiced tremble, saying, "Ugh, just my luck today. I twisted my ankle, and it hurts so bad."
Elara's pitiful look caught Adrian off guard. In one swift motion, he scooped her up into his arms, and she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck. Without hesitation, Adrian strode outside, carrying her with him.
Without missing a beat, Ruby grabbed their bags and coats and hurried after them, leaving Alex, Nancy, and Sadie sitting in the restaurant, all feeling upset.
The elevator door slid open. Adrian strode in, carrying Elara in his arms, with Ruby hurrying after them. Adrian hit the close button and, without looking at Ruby, said bluntly, "Take the next one."
"What?" Before Ruby could even react, the door slid shut in her face.
The elevator descended with just Adrian and Elara inside. After pressing the button for B1 level, he set her down—so suddenly that Elara felt as if she had been outright dropped from his arms.
Elara lost her balance and stumbled backward, bumping hard against the wall. She murmured weakly, "Ouch."
Adrian sneered. "Are you done with your act?"
Elara knew she could never fool Adrian. Still, she was glad he had played along with her act just now. It was enough to piss off Nancy and Sadie.
Elara straightened up and moved closer to Adrian, using her sleeve to dab at the dampness on his suit.
However, Adrian ignored her completely. The moment the elevator door slid open, he just strode out without looking at her.
"Hey!" Elara called after him, "Wait for me."
Unaccustomed to high heels, Elara wobbled awkwardly after Adrian. Watching him get into the McLaren, she yanked open the passenger door herself and plopped right down into the seat.
Adrian said with a grim look, "Get out."
"Aren't you even going to give me a ride home?" said Elara.
Adrian said, "Why should I drive you home, Ms. Langton? We're not that close."
Elara thought, 'What a jerk.' She remained cool and said, "Come on, just do me a favor. You're no stranger to this kind of thing."
Adrian said, "I only gave you a ride last time because of Victor. Do you understand?"
Elara pouted. "Really? Then why did you come all the way here just to defend me?"
Adrian lit a cigarette, took a slow drag, and said in a casual tone, "I just wrapped up some business nearby and ran into you by chance. That's all."
Elara pursed her lips, thinking, 'Liar.' Before getting into the car, she deliberately touched the hood, and it was still warm.
Obviously, he rushed over, yet he didn't admit it.
Elara pouted. "If you won't give me a ride, then you should have let Ruby come down with me. She got my phone and my bag. How am I supposed to call her now? I can't even pay for the taxi without my bag.
"Sure, it's only like 3 miles from here, but do you really expect me to walk all the way home in heels?" With a pitiful, trembling voice, she added, "Plus, I'm wearing a shirt. It's freezing out there."
With that dramatic declaration, she swung the car door open and stepped out.
Adrian remained seated in the car, cigarette in hand, utterly still.
The underground garage was huge, and she walked for quite a while before finally getting out of there. As she walked, she thought angrily, "Seriously? Is he really not coming to get me?"
By the time she reached the street, the back of her heels was blistered. She was limping as she kept walking forward. Suddenly, she heard the familiar roar of the McLaren from afar. For a moment, hope flickered in her heart.
To her surprise, the black McLaren didn't even slow down as it passed her. Instead, Adrian floored it and sped right past her, leaving her standing in the dust.
Elara watched the car speed away, stumbled a few steps after it, and called out, "Wait! Are you seriously just leaving me here?"