Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary - Chapter 48: Chapter 48

Early the next morning, Elara arrived right on time at Veritasiton's biggest law firm, Anchor Law Firm. She walked through the long office area, guided by Susan to the door of Adrian's office.
Susan knocked on the door gently.
"Come in," someone responded from inside in a deep, husky voice.
Susan pushed the door open and entered, with Elara following closely behind. "Mr. Hartley, this is my junior from school I mentioned before. You can call her Ella. She'll be handling your affairs while I'm on maternity leave."
Elara was just about to introduce herself when Adrian at the desk, without even looking up, responded with a nonchalant nod.
Susan was used to it.
Adrian was indifferent to his surroundings whenever he was reviewing case files, but that didn't mean he wasn't paying attention.
"Alright then. Mr. Hartley, I'm starting my maternity leave today, and I've completed all handovers with Elara." Susan turned to Elara, gave her a nod, and made her exit.
"I got a gift for your baby at reception. Go check it out," Adrian said offhandedly, eyes still glued to the case files.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Hartley." Susan beamed with delight. After all, Adrian was known for his generosity, so whatever he gave must be pricey.
Just as she stepped out of the office, she gently rubbed her belly and whispered, "Well, I didn't expect that. I like this surprise."
Elara glanced around the office and was impressed by it. The law firm was located in the heart of Veritasiton, right in the busy commercial district where Maple Street met Serene Street.
The spacious office spanned approximately 1 thousand square feet, occupying the entire 36th floor—the penthouse level of the law firm.
The office had amazing natural light and views. Standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows, one could take in the entire bustling commercial district of Veritasiton. And through the glass, the city's landmark, Aether Tower, came into clear view.
The office interior featured a neutral style, devoid of any flashy elements. With a black leather couch, dark carpet, and deep-toned coffee table, every corner exuded meticulous care.
The entire wall behind the desk featured a built-in bookshelf with glass-paneled compartments, and the shelves were crammed full of legal volumes, packed tightly together.
The entire office felt formal, stiff, and rigid, just like Adrian sitting upright in his chair, who was boring to the core.
Dressed in a well-tailored black suit, he remained engrossed in reading, exuding an air of aloof elegance. His posture was perfectly upright yet maintained an effortless poise, and with long, beautiful fingers, he gently flipped through the dossier.
Elara stood there, observing him for a while, but Adrian remained completely silent, not even bothering to look up from his documents.
Elara wasn't in a hurry to formally introduce herself. She walked over to his desk, picked up the coffee cup, and quietly refilled it for him.
Elara couldn't help but roll her eyes when she saw the Mandheling coffee beans she gave him last time. She thought, 'Seriously? Didn't he say he tossed it?'
Elara popped open the canister, scooped out some coffee beans, and ground them in the coffee machine. Within moments, the rich aroma of freshly ground coffee wafted through the office.
A few minutes later, Elara quietly replaced the original cup on the desk with a fresh Mandheling coffee.
Adrian casually picked it up and took a sip. Elara noticed that he took a sip but kept quietly staring at the documents, his face showing nothing.
She thought, 'Alright, I guess I passed the coffee test. After all, Adrian is a total coffee snob, just like Susan said.'
She still remembered how Adrian made her remake his coffee several times at her café. She was a little worried he would do the same, but to her surprise, he didn't complain at all this time.
Adrian said without raising his head. "Are all the case files for the Lawrence Group's economic dispute ready?"
"All set," Elara replied. She promptly placed the documents she had prepared last night on Adrian's left side.
Elara had practically memorized Adrian's work habits by heart last night. She remembered that unfinished files went on his left while finished ones were on the right.
Adrian set the previous case file aside on his right, then immediately turned to Lawrence Group's case. He kept his head down and stayed silent for the next hour.
Having nothing to do, Elara quietly slipped out and took a seat. Her desk was a compact, self-contained space right outside Adrian's office, serving as the sole passageway for anyone wishing to enter his office.
Elara settled into her chair, placing her cup on the desk, which was the only thing she brought with her to work. Then, she took out her phone and saw a message from Susan.
Susan: [Sure, Mr. Hartley has a bit of a temper, a bit of a mean streak, and maybe isn't the most sociable or fun guy around, but deep down, he's not a bad person. Good luck with your job.]
Elara smiled and shook her head. She could tell that Susan was tired of Adrian, but thinking of the decent salary, she decided to put up with it.
Elara accessed Susan's email account on the computer and began sorting through the documents.
Secretarial work was tedious and demanded tremendous patience and attention to detail, and being a lawyer's secretary just took it to a whole new level. However, it wasn't exactly challenging for someone who graduated from a top university like Elara.
Elara stared at the 398 unread files in her inbox and rubbed her forehead. She sighed and thought, 'Well, guess it will take me some time to get used to it.'
Before downloading the files, she spent half an hour online brushing up on document organization techniques. At least now she had a clear game plan for sorting them.
"Ella, come here." Adrian's voice cut through the silence.
Elara quickly stood up and walked over to Adrian, only to see him pointing at the document with his pen. "Arrange a meeting with this person."
She glanced at the file. It was Elena Jones, secretary to Gordon Lawrence, the CEO of the Lawrence Group.
Elara got it. Luckily, while organizing the files yesterday, she had already done her homework on this woman.
She said, "Okay, Mr. Hartley. Elena has been working at nightclubs since her resignation, so it might be hard to reach her during the day. Shall I arrange the meeting for the evening?"
Adrian was about to say no because he just got back from Marisiton at dawn and only managed to get two hours of sleep this morning. He wasn't planning to work tonight.
He set the documents aside, leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and rubbed his forehead, trying to ease the fatigue. "Which club?" he asked in a hoarse voice.
Elara replied, "Celeste Club, right in your neighborhood."
That was also Victor's turf.
Suddenly, Adrian opened his eyes and looked up, and only then did he notice who his new secretary was. In the hour Elara had been there, Adrian hadn't looked at her once, nor had he even recognized her voice.
Adrian barely reacted, but the stiffness in his posture eased ever so slightly. With a raised brow and a mocking tone, he said, "Are you Susan's friend? You must have pulled some strings to land yourself in my office, huh?"