Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary - Chapter 56: Chapter 56

Elara's hand trembled slightly as she gripped her cutlery. 'Could someone just sew Adrian's mouth shut already?' she thought. Elara offered a polite smile and said, "Mr. Hartley, you really don't need to keep bringing that up."
Adrian smirked and said, "I can tell Elara is quite concerned about my well-being. I was just being considerate and giving you a friendly reminder."
Getting the upper hand in a verbal sparring match with Adrian was next to impossible. With his legal expertise, wealth and influence, shameless confidence, and a silver tongue, these four formidable advantages stacked in his favor, she stood no chance against him.
Unless Elara could gain the upper hand psychologically, this battle of wits would remain anyone's game.
Elara wasn't annoyed, letting him enjoy his verbal dominance. When something piqued her interest, the greater the challenge, the better. She relished the thought of gradually breaking through Adrian's defenses.
"Mr. Hartley, I heard from Susan that you're physically averse to contact, especially with women. So how come you and I?"
Elara thought Susan exaggerated Adrian's disliking physical contact. They hadn't met often, but there had been many physical clashes, always started by Adrian. But today's incident proved otherwise.
In the security footage, Chris showed her earlier, Adrian was clearly asleep. When Jenna barely touched his shirt collar, he jerked violently awake and shoved her away without hesitation, his face twisted in pure disgust.
By then, Adrian's body was already under the influence of the essential oils, desire coursing through him. Yet he managed to remain perfectly composed in the face of Jenna's advances. He stayed so unfazed.
There were only two possible explanations for this. Either Adrian possessed extraordinary self-control over his desires, or he had a mild aversion to physical contact.
Adrian was a powerful figure in both the legal world and Veritasiton's elite circles. He had no need to restrain himself. When he pulled Elara into the lounge, it was clear he wasn't holding back.
Elara wondered, 'If he hates physical contact so much, then why has he initiated it with me again and again?'
Elara recalled Adrian grabbing her wrist in the presidential suite, pinning her against the door in an empty box, carrying her into his car when Neil bullied her, and pulling her close again today in the lounge.
Elara couldn't help but come up with an even bolder guess. 'Adrian truly dislikes physical contact with others, yet he doesn't seem to mind when it comes to me. Then why is it only me?' she thought.
Psychologically, their candid moment in the presidential suite triggered a subconscious change in Adrian, making him develop different feelings for Elara.
"No idea," Adrian replied nonchalantly.
He had no idea why, but when it came to Elara, all his usual defenses just crumbled. He found himself craving physical contact with her. Maybe it was just physical attraction. Whatever the reason, Adrian couldn't care less.
It wasn't that Adrian couldn't touch women, but he felt some discomfort, possibly from his brain or skin allergies. He didn't see it as a psychological issue and wasn't bothered by it.
After all, he'd always had little interest in women and usually focused on law firm affairs. Truth be told, this "condition" of his was more of a convenience than a problem.
As for Elara being special, Adrian didn't dwell on it. With so many women in the world, it was normal he'd eventually meet one he didn't recoil from.
Elara took a sip of lemon water, steadying herself before she spoke. She said, "Sounds like a mental block. Maybe you should see a therapist."
Adrian scoffed. "Really? Got yourself a psychology degree and now you think you're an expert. Now you're playing therapist with me."
Elara thought, 'Alright, guess I can't go there.' She dropped her assertive tone, switching to a gentler approach. "I'm only saying this for you."
"Elara, don't cross the line."
Elara said, "Then what about this afternoon, Mr. Hartley? You crossed the line too. How do you explain that?"
She was talking about the lounge incident. 'I came here to work, and he, my boss, pinned me against the door and kissed me. Isn't he always concerned about boundaries? Adrian has clearly crossed a major line,' she thought.
Adrian shrugged and said, "I was drugged. Special circumstances, alright?"
Elara quipped. "Oh, so I just have to get the short end of the stick again, like that time you saw me naked?"
"Name your terms. If they're reasonable, I'll oblige," Adrian replied.
Elara found this utterly ridiculous. "Mr. Hartley, do you make a habit of this?"
Adrian frowned slightly, "What do you mean?"
"Mr. Hartley, is this your usual move? Cross the line and then throw them a bone?"
"And you, Elara? Make a habit of this too?"
"Oh? And what exactly have I done" Adrian didn't respond, focusing intently on cutting his steak.
Elara finally got it. 'The moment I brought up anything personal, he completely clams up—not a single word to be had,' she thought with a sigh.
But Elara found herself intrigued. 'Just what kind of man is he, really?
'He puts on this cool, restrained front, yet gets me to do such intimate things, clearly into me, though he'd never say it outright.
'If a man like him truly fell in love, would he still keep up this facade? Or is the real him hidden beneath it? ' she wondered.
Although Elara no longer needed to deal with Adrian over Dylan's case, she could just dutifully cover Susan's shift and then call it a day. Right now, she found herself intrigued by him instead.
She was itching to peel back Adrian's facade and see what he was really like underneath. So, Elara flashed a mischievous grin. "So, Mr. Hartley, are you actually going to make it up to me?"
Adrian raised an eyebrow. "I'd rather not, but I suppose I owe you. Go ahead, name it."
Elara's eyes sparkled with playful mischief. "Mr. Hartley, the compensation I want is perfectly reasonable and well within your capabilities to provide."
"Alright," Adrian said.
"Come closer." Elara beckoned with a curl of her fingers, signaling for Adrian to lean in.
Adrian watched as Elara curled her slender, pale finger. Her gesture was almost hypnotic. As if under a spell, he found himself leaning his head in, drawn irresistibly closer.
Elara stood up, leaned across the table, and whispered into Adrian's ear. Hearing this, Adrian's deep-set eyes widened slightly, even his usual icy composure faltered in the face of Elara's audacious remark.
Adrian's usually composed face twitched ever so slightly. He turned to find Elara's mischievous smile just inches from his own, and couldn't help but think, 'Is Elara out of her mind?'
Elara leaned back into her seat, calmly eating her fried egg with a decidedly mischievous grin playing on her lips.
A tempest raged within Adrian, yet his face remained composed. His expression was as cold as ice. Adrian said, "Your demand is unreasonable. I won't accept it."
Elara knew he'd say that. 'So what? He's just a man, after all,' she thought with a smirk. Elara flashed a sly grin. "Mr. Hartley, fair's fair. What's so unreasonable about that?"
Adrian's inscrutable gaze locked onto the audacious Elara in front of him. He glanced at her with a hint of amusement. "Elara, is this your usual way of flirting?"
Elara grinned, clearly enjoying this kind of playful banter. "Absolutely! Besides, Mr. Hartley, you're totally my type, especially those hands of yours."
Elara kept dancing on the edge of his boundaries, pushing her luck further after getting an inch.
Elara smirked. "Mr. Hartley, are you taking my offer or not? If you're not up for it, just forget it. I want anything else anyway."
For a long moment, they ate in silence, neither meeting the other's eyes. The clinking of silverware against porcelain underscored their silent battle—a relentless tug-of-war between them. Finally, Adrian gave in. He finally gave in and asked, "When do you want it?"