Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary - Chapter 58: Chapter 58

Elara set down her fork, signaling she was done. She picked up a napkin and dabbed at her mouth. Elara said, "Honestly, the pace really caught me off guard, but as long as things are moving fast without getting messy, I'm fine with it."
Ruby smirked mischievously and teased. "Damn, you've got some nerve bringing up favors in return with him!"
Elara shrugged and said, "Take it slow. With his smarts, I can't hide anything by being coy. So I'm direct. Let him know I have a purpose. He'll feel in control and lower his guard."
Elara took a sip of water and added with a grin, "Besides, those hands of his are seriously attractive."
Ruby grinned. "So all this time, you've just been using work as an excuse to get close to him."
Elara chuckled at Ruby's teasing. "Come on, it's not that big of a deal."
She grinned and said, "Fine, use work as an excuse then. Honestly, I'm rooting for you two to make it real."
Elara waved her hand dismissively. "No way, that's way out of my league."
"Come on, what's holding you back? He's single, you're single, why the hell not?" Ruby asked.
Elara opened a puzzle game, tapping away. "He's the son of the richest man and has a fiancée. Me? You don't think a girl from an ordinary family like me can marry into his world just by playing mind games, do you?"
Ruby shot back. "Why not? Who says Elara isn't good enough?"
Elara shook her head, keeping her composure. "Dating might be possible, but marriage? No way. He's already engaged. At best, I'd just be his secret lover. As long as Adrian takes Dylan's case, I don't care if our relationship is public or not."
Ruby grinned and teased. "So, are you planning to sleep with Adrian too when the time comes?"
Elara hesitated for a few seconds, clearly caught off guard by the question. "Sure, why not? I've never slept with a guy before, especially not someone that hot."
"Elara." Ruby's cheerful expression faded; her innocent face clouding with worry.
Though Ruby secretly hoped something would blossom between Elara and Adrian, no one understood better than she did just how deeply Elara had loved Alex all these years.
She recalled Alex telling her about his engagement today. No matter how composed Elara appeared, Ruby knew she must be feeling emotional inside.
Elara noticed Ruby's expression and teased with a playful grin. "What's wrong? Weren't you the one dying to see me flirt with Adrian and bring him down a peg? Why the long face now?"
"Okay, but, deep down, you're still really upset about Alex's engagement, aren't you?" Ruby asked.
Elara's fingers froze mid-tap on her phone screen, silent. 'How could I not be heartbroken? How could I possibly be okay after bottling up my feelings all day?
'But thankfully, I was caught up in Adrian's affairs all day—even that absurd break room incident helped keep my mind off things. Working late forced me to hold it together in front of everyone.
'I was exhausted, hungry, and constantly playing mind games with Adrian. I was completely worn out. Honestly, I didn't mind. Being this tired meant I could just crash when I got home, without having to think about Alex at all,' Elara thought.
Now, with no outsiders around, Ruby, who had watched Elara chase Alex for years, saw her inner vulnerability. The tension Elara had held all afternoon was about to break, but she was still holding on.
Ruby could tell Elara was deliberately downplaying her encounter with Adrian, casually mentioning the compensation she'd demanded.
Though Elara knew perfectly well that someone as lofty as Adrian would never truly care for her, she still threw caution to the wind and decided to play his game not just for Dylan's case, but because she was spiraling into self-destruction.
Ruby said softly, "Elara, if you want to cry, just let it all out. I'll be here with you tonight, drinking with you, crying with you, and staying with you till morning."
When Julian returned from a fifteen-minute phone call, he found both women already completely wasted. That made him confused.
Since Elara found beer bloating and fattening, she demanded the strongest liquor the restaurant had. "Bartender! Give me the most expensive, strongest liquor you've got, something that'll knock me out instantly!"
Julian sat down and saw an empty bottle of vodka, rubbing his temples. Two drunk women—what a headache.
With arms draped over each other's shoulders, Elara and Ruby burst into song in the nearly empty late-night restaurant. Elara and Ruby drummed on their plates with forks; laughter and tears mingling on their flushed faces.
"You say you gave your heart to someone you shouldn't have, now your heart is torn apart. I know that heartbreak is bound to happen, but why did you have to fall so hard and deep." Elara and Ruby continued to sing and stumble along.
This place, once the old spot for the four of them, had become a part of Elara's past that she could never return to, yet it would always hold a special place in her heart. This time, it was truly a farewell to her youth.
Julian used every ounce of his strength to haul the two drunken, singing-and-dancing fools back to Elara's apartment on Glory Street. As the two sprawled drunkenly across the bed, Julian stood there drenched in sweat.
Julian, equal parts exasperated and amused, pulled out his phone, snapped a few unflattering shots of them, and sent them straight to the group chat. He sent a few more messages in their trio group chat.
[You two can barely handle one can of beer, yet you dared to drink a whole bottle of vodka, didn't you?]
[If you die from drinking, don't be surprised if your funeral is full of people laughing at you. A 500ml bottle of vodka and you're done for.]
[I got you home safely, but I'm not taking off your makeup. If you wake up with breakouts tomorrow, serves you right. Learn from this.]
During high school breaks, he often helped these two remove their makeup. They treated him like one of the girls. Unfortunately, Julian wasn't a girl, so every time he did their makeup removal, it was rather rough.
"Don't need it! Don't need it at all!" Elara slurred.
Elara, in her blackout state, suddenly said something that actually responded to Julian's messages. He chuckled, both amused and exasperated, walked over, and tucked her in.
Julian reached out and gently pressed his index finger between Elara's furrowed brows, trying to smooth it out. Julian said, "Elara, it's been six years already. Let it go. Someone better will come along for you."
After Julian left, Elara kicked off the blanket, eyes closed and brows furrowed, mumbling something under her breath. Completely wasted, Elara's resentment still burned. She fumbled for her phone, squinting through half-closed eyes as she found her WhatsApp contacts.
"Alex." She slurred, the name tumbling from her lips in a drunken daze. She tapped his contact and made a voice call. She knew the call had connected. The moment a "Hello?" came through, Elara erupted into a torrent of curses.
"Alex, you jerk! How could you get engaged? I'm working at Adrian's law firm to help with Dylan's case. Couldn't you wait? You just saw a chance to marry the richest girl!
"You were always so proud. Now you're showing your true colors. You just want to marry into money. Do you think you can match Adrian? He's the real heir of the Hartley family. You've been stringing me along all these years."
"Just wait. One day, I'll win Adrian over, and then you and Nancy will regret it. I'll come home for every holiday, sit at the same table with you, and make you uncomfortable."
Elara had no idea how all those words just came spilling out of her mouth, but after letting it all out, she actually felt a whole lot better—like a weight had finally been lifted.
On the other end of the line, Adrian took a drag on his cigarette, his cold, unsettling chuckle echoing. "Elara," he said coolly, "I recorded everything."