Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary - Chapter 46: Chapter 46

Furious, Elara flung off her high heels, but the car was already gone. While she was standing by the roadside with hands on her hips, trying to figure out how to get home, a pink BMW pulled up right in front of her.
Ruby rolled down the window and said, "Hey, get in."
Elara slid into the passenger seat with a sigh of relief. She said, "Thank God you're still here. Adrian just ditched me in the underground garage."
Ruby said, "I was not."
Elara took a sip of water. "What do you mean?"
Ruby explained, "Victor called me and said you were by the garage exit. He told me to pick you up."
Elara dug her phone out of her bag and saw a text message from Alex. [It's unwise to mess with Sadie. She's far more cunning than you imagine.]
Elara ignored his message and slipped her phone back into her bag. She asked, "Did Victor see me just now?"
"Nope. It was Adrian who called Victor, and then Victor called me," said Ruby.
Elara was speechless. She thought, 'Did Adrian have to do that? What a weird man.'
Ruby said, "Victor said Adrian's got a flight to Marisiton tonight at 10 p.m., so he couldn't drive you home. That's why he went through all this roundabout trouble."
Elara burst into laughter. "No way. You won't believe what he just said to me."
Ruby leaned in, eyes sparkling with curiosity. "What did he say?"
Elara imitated Adrian's cold tone. "Why should I drive you home, Ms. Langton? We're not that close. Get out. I only gave you a ride last time because of Victor. Do you understand?"
Ruby burst out laughing so hard that she could barely keep control of the wheel.
Elara gasped in alarm. "Jesus, Ruby! Keep your eyes on the road."
Ruby burst out laughing. "Seriously? Is this guy always so stubborn?"
Elara complained, "Yeah. I genuinely thought he had left me there. Honestly, I was mentally preparing to walk all the way home in these ridiculous heels."
Ruby said happily, "Elara, tonight was epic. Did you see Nancy's face in the restaurant earlier? She was fuming."
Elara felt immense satisfaction as if all her pent-up frustration had finally been released. "Well, it's her fault for always making trouble for us. I'm really tired of her."
Ruby exclaimed, "Adrian literally nailed it. Watching him put Sadie in her place seriously made my day."
Ruby mimicked Adrian's tone. "You're an adult, and you should know what you're doing. Are you following me? Mind your own business and stay away from Elara."
Ruby exclaimed, "I mean,
Elara was genuinely surprised. She didn't expect that Adrian would stand up for her in such a dignified, public way.
Julian texted her this morning, saying that Adrian and Sadie share the same father but have different mothers. It was an open secret that they didn't get along and that Sadie had managed to force Adrian out of the Hartley family.
Still, Adrian had always been the one his family pinned their hopes on, so even after he left, everyone in their circle knew Sadie was bound to be pushed aside sooner or later, and Adrian would eventually return to take over the Hartley family.
Therefore, even though Adrian hadn't lived with them for years, Sadie stayed on high alert around him and even had people stalking him.
At the slightest hint of Adrian attempting to return to the Hartley family, Sadie would be the first to know and immediately prepare countermeasures.
However, it had been ten years since Adrian left home as an adult, and his law firm had been thriving, but he showed no sign of wanting to return to the Hartley family.
It puzzled Elara. She thought, 'Why on earth didn't Adrian want to go back home?'
Ruby said, "Elara, I can't believe you actually told Alex to his face that you slept with Adrian. Did you finally move on?"
Elara smiled. "I was serious when I said that. Besides, what other choice do I have? Dylan is still relying on the Hartley family to pull strings for him. That means Alex and Nancy are stuck with each other, whether they like it or not."
Ruby said, "Aren't you worried that what you said might hurt Alex?"
Elara sighed. "I spent years loving him, and he couldn't even spare me a second of kindness. Why should I feel bad for him now? All I care about is getting Dylan out. At least then, I'll finally have peace."
"So, what are you gonna do once Dylan is out?" asked Ruby.
Elara paused, unable to answer because, for the first time, she felt truly lost. She spent almost all her time with Alex before, and she didn't know what to do without him.
After pondering for a while, she said, "I'd love to buy a house in Kardic and settle down."
Ruby said, "Are you copying your mom? Moving abroad to settle on some remote island?"
"Honestly, I kind of envy my mom. She's independent both in mind and financially, and she even has a hot young boyfriend." Suddenly, Elara thought of someone and said, "Ruby, are you free tomorrow?"
Ruby replied, "Yeah, sure. What's up?"
Elara said, "Could you come with me to visit my dad tomorrow?"
Elara's father, Fabian Lewis, was a physicist. He was in his fifties and held a professorship at Veritasiton University. He rarely attended any social events, and aside from sleeping, he was basically buried in the lab.
He picked the name Elara for her.
Elara's parents had known each other since high school and both attended Veritasiton University, though they majored in different fields. Back in college, they hardly ever crossed paths, sometimes going a whole year without talking to each other.
After graduation, Janice Langton became a project manager at a publicly listed company in Marisiton. Young, beautiful, and fiercely driven, she quickly made a name for herself in the financial world.
Fabian chose the academic path, earning his master's and PhD before settling into a lifelong professorship. He had devoted his entire life to research, but he was painfully dull and not exactly the life of the party.
They finally got together at thirty through a blind date. It was interesting that they had known each other for years, yet only found love much later. Years later, they had a baby and that was Elara.
Elara brought along a few special gifts she had bought during her travels around the world. She called Fabian the night before, so instead of being buried in his lab work as usual, Fabian was now preparing lunch in his university apartment.
Elara and Ruby knocked on the door. Soon, the door swung open.
Fabian wore a pair of thick-rimmed glasses and kept his hair cropped short. His face showed many signs of age, but because he spent most of his time working indoors, his skin was pale and untouched by the sun.
Ruby greeted him with a bright smile. "Hi, Fabian. I haven't seen you in a long time. Elara and I brought some gifts for you."
Ruby offered the gifts to Fabian, who smiled and nervously wiped his hands on his apron before finally accepting them from her.
Elara smiled faintly and said, "Hi, Dad."
Fabian paused briefly and then nodded. "Come in."
Elara and Ruby stepped inside. Elara handed him the rest of the gifts she brought. "During my travels abroad, I came across these physics journals at a bookstore near a university. Two of them are already out of print. I thought you might like them."
Fabian's eyes lit up with genuine excitement when he heard that. He eagerly accepted the journals and carefully placed them on his dedicated shelf for academic collections. Then he said, "Have a seat. The meal will be ready soon."
Elara nodded. "Okay."
Elara settled onto the couch, glancing around the modest two-bedroom apartment. Though compact at less than 700 square feet, every inch was spotless, with everything arranged in perfect order.
The living room was lined with books, and two potted cacti sat on the balcony. On the desk stood a framed family photo taken when she was ten.
Elara remembered that the day she finished her SAT, Janice told her that they were already divorced.
Elara had no idea how long they had actually been divorced. It could be a year, or five, or even ten years.
As far as Elara could remember, Janice never appreciated Fabian, but Elara always stood by him and said, "Dad is a brilliant scientist. And you? You've just been working for some big company for a few years, yet you're acting all high and mighty."