Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary - Chapter 7: Chapter 7

"You!" Victor wanted to punch Adrian over that annoying smirk. Adrian had caused a big mess and acted like he was the one wronged.
When Elara trashed the hotel on Twitter, Victor's business took a hit both here and abroad. Customer numbers dropped by 10%, and his other ventures suffered too.
Victor swallowed his anger and took over. "No problem. Adrian's law firm handles all my legal work. Just set a time, and you can sign the contract at his office."
Adrian stayed silent. Victor added, "Elara, hire Adrian as your private lawyer. As a major influencer, you need to be careful of contract pitfalls with agencies and brands. Let him review your deals for you."
He turned to Adrian. "Adrian, are you free tomorrow? Ruby and Elara can sign the contract at your office."
Just then, Adrian and Elara looked strangely in sync and spoke together, "Did even I agree?"
Elara put down her glass and said, "I really need a lawyer. I didn't think through the contract I signed with you, Mr. Montgomery, and it led to yesterday's incident where someone saw me in the tub and I was even accused of sexual harassment.
"Thank you for your advice. I'll find a reliable lawyer to check my contracts next time. As for Mr. Hartley, I wouldn't dare hire him. He thinks a bit of legal knowledge means he can do whatever he wants. He has no shame at all."
Adrian laughed bitterly, "Ms. Langton, are you sure I'm the shameless one here?"
Elara was furious at his hint but couldn't argue—he was shameless to keep dragging this up. She just said to Victor, "Mr. Montgomery, you tell me. We signed a clear contract.
"I arrived at the hotel early this morning, used the key card from the front desk, and unlocked my room—taking a bath there is okay, right? He barged into the bathroom, refused to leave, and watched me for quite a while. And he says I'm shameless?"
Hearing Elara's side of the story, Victor glared at Adrian. Adrian just grinned silently.
So Victor could only say, "Elara, it's our fault. Don't be mad. I'll make Adrian apologize to you."
But Adrian snapped, "Ha, me apologize to her? She walked in without checking and stripped naked. Anyone could see men's things all over the room. Don't tell me she didn't notice anything."
Honestly, Elara really didn't notice. She was half-asleep, her eyes barely open as she went into the bathroom. She just wanted a quick shower, but the view from the big window excited her—she ended up having some fun in the tub.
As for when she noticed signs of a man in the room—it was after they finished fighting, once she was dressed. Only then did she see men's dirty clothes on the sink, a suit on the living room sofa, and shoes by the entrance. But it was not her fault.
"I have reason to suspect you did all this on purpose," Adrian said slowly, word by word.
Elara, furious, pointed at herself. "Me? On purpose? Ha, do you have no shame at all?"
Adrian sneered, "Ms. Langton, I told you this yesterday—think about who was doing something shameless in the tub?"
Hearing that, Victor and Ruby turned to look at Elara. Her ears turned red, and she just went silent, not saying a word.
Julian came back from taking a call outside. Seeing Elara all teary and upset, he sat down beside her. "What's wrong?"
The room was quiet, except for Julian's attempts to cheer Elara up.
Adrian watched Julian's enthusiasm toward Elara, shook his head, and thought, 'She has a boyfriend, yet she was touching herself?'
After an awkward silence, Victor sighed and leaned closer to Adrian. "See the guy in the suit next to Elara? Know who he is?"
Adrian glanced over and looked away. "Not interested."
"His dad is Glenn. That's Julian, the VP of Insight Investment Bank. Quinn Group just gained control of Marisiton's FIGHT Racing Club."
Adrian's indifferent expression shifted slightly. He took a casual sip of wine. "So?"
Victor added, "Julian joined the company last year and set up a racing business. Glenn's paving the way for him by investing in FIGHT and buying shares to gain control.
"My banking friends say Quinn Group will merge FIGHT with Julian's own racing company. Overnight, that will make it the top player in the market."
Adrian stayed silent. Victor continued, "It seems Elara and Julian are quite close. You'll definitely need help from the Quinn family at some point."
Adrian paused for a moment. Then he downed the whiskey in one go. "Why would I need their help?" he replied in a cold voice.
Victor finally snapped, "Do I have to spell it out? If Josie's hard work is ruined, won't you care? You won't ask your father for help. You're just a lawyer—you can't handle financial matters!"
Adrian stayed silent. He took out a cigarette, lit it, and smoked.
Meanwhile, Ruby tried her approach, but their conversation was chaotic because Julian kept stirring up trouble.
He handed Elara a glass of light wine, brought over some fruits and tried to feed her, accidentally pulled her hair, and insisted on taking her watch. He just wouldn't let up.
Elara didn't want to listen to Ruby but was fed up with Julian's antics. She glared at him and said, "Hey, what's wrong with you?"
Julian pouted, fell quiet, and drank in frustration.
Ruby thought to herself, 'I knew it. Only Elara can handle him.'
She seized the opportunity. "Hey, honey, talk to me. Give me a straight answer: can you reconcile with Victor?"
"Can't," Elara replied, picking the fruits Julian had handed her and scrolling through her phone. Seeing that the chat she'd checked several times still had no new messages, she snapped it shut in annoyance.
Ruby found her frustration and played her trump card. "Ahem, Alex..."
Elara heard that and knew Ruby was bluffing, so she didn't look panicked. She turned to Ruby and asked flatly, "What's wrong with Alex?"
"He's been looking for a lawyer to handle his dad's case recently," Ruby said.
Elara chimed in, "So? What are you trying to say?"
Ruby gestured toward Adrian, who was standing beside Victor. "Adrian over there, the top lawyer— you don't know?"
Elara glanced at Adrian, who was smoking, and got annoyed. "Yeah, but he's not the only lawyer in Veritasiton."
"But he runs the biggest law firm in Veritasiton and is a top name there. People say he's never lost a case, and all the upper class in Veritasiton go to him," Ruby explained.
"Alex and I are ordinary people; we can't get such a big lawyer," Elara said.
"Yeah, you don't need him for Dylan's case. But with his political influence, if you cross him, he'll easily sabotage the case," Ruby warned.