Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary - Chapter 70: Chapter 70
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Ruby saw the message and couldn't help laughing. She said, "Wait, didn't Susan already pay you? So what's this extra 300 thousand dollars for?"
"Maybe just some extra compensation," Elara said with a meaningful look.
Ruby, ever the relationship expert, grinned. She said, "Come on, is Adrian seriously trying to set you up as his sugar baby or something?"
Elara knew she couldn't hide it from Ruby, nor did she intend to. She admitted honestly, "It's not exactly a sugar baby arrangement. Well, he just wants to keep this kind of relationship going."
Ruby's eyes lit up. She said, "No way! Playing hard to get for two weeks worked wonders! What exactly did he say?"
Elara took a slow sip of Mandheling, then leisurely recounted to Ruby her conversation with Adrian from the night before.
Ruby listened eagerly and quipped, "Adrian always seems so ice-cold and restrained. Who would've thought he had this side to him in private? Or maybe it's just that your charm got this untouchable tycoon all hot and bothered?"
Elara rolled her eyes and said, "Typical Adrian. That bastard's just too good at faking it."
Ruby shot Elara a sly look and probed, "So, tell me, why do you think he insists on keeping things low-key and not making it official?"
Elara didn't even pause to think. "It's definitely because of his fiancée," she shot back.
Ruby knew Elara hadn't caught Adrian's meaning, so she decided to explain it for him. She said, "Really? From what he said, I think he believes your heart still belongs to Alex.
"If he asked you to go public with the relationship, you'd probably turn him down. That's why he suggested keeping things casual and discreet, to take the pressure off you."
Elara shook her head and said, "Adrian? Come on, what kind of man is he? He'd never go this far just for a woman. He's simply afraid his fiancée will find out."
Ruby retorted, "If he cares so much about his fiancée, why doesn't he just go be with her? What's the point of keeping this shady arrangement with you?"
Elara sneered, "That's just typical male nature. He's got a fiancée, but that doesn't stop him from crossing the line with me again and again. Every time, he just finds himself a good excuse, so he can save face afterward."
Ruby said, "Then why would he even agree to help Dylan? Dylan's rivals are the Heaton family, his future in-laws."
Elara paused briefly, then said, "He probably knows Dylan is very likely to make peace with the Heaton family. He figures that the odds of his getting a free ride are pretty high.
"Someone as shrewd as him would never let himself come out on the losing end."
Ruby asked, "Well, are you gonna take him up on his offer?
Elara replied, "Let's see. Right now, my top priority is making sure Susan keeps her job. I don't want her coming back from maternity leave only to find it's gone."
She took another sip of her coffee and continued, "Once Alex gets engaged, we'll know if Dylan gets acquitted. No rush. I can decide then."
Ruby nodded in support.
On a leisurely afternoon, Elara was absorbed in learning massage techniques, while Ruby happily juggled her dating prospects. Both were thoroughly enjoying themselves.
"Hey, how's it going with Victor?" Elara suddenly piped up.
Ruby replied, "He and I? Fun's fine, but don't expect anything serious."
Elara teased, "Oh, so you two are already seeing each other?"
"Kind of," Ruby replied.
Elara asked, "Did you two sleep together?"
Ruby said, "Not yet. I am still keeping him on the hook. Who knows, he might come in handy with Dylan's case later."
Elara teased, "So you do have your serious moments for once."
Elara had just finished her coffee and was about to get up to make herself another cup when she looked up and spotted Zoe and Lauren in the courtyard.
She narrowed her eyes and said, "Ruby, have some water."
Ruby replied, "I'm not thirsty."
Elara said, "You'll be thirsty soon enough."
Just then, Lily greeted, "Hello there, ladies. Please come right in."
Zoe and Lauren sat down at a table far from Elara, completely unaware of her presence. After ordering their drinks, the two began to chat.
With the café so quiet, it was easy for Elara to overhear their conversation.
With her back to Elara, Lauren scanned the café with obvious disdain. She said, "So this is the place where Adrian had you drop 150 thousand dollars on a membership card today?
"This place is so out of the way, with barely any customers. The only thing going for it is the halfway decent decor. Seriously, would Adrian even bother coming here?
Zoe carefully examined every corner of the café, thinking to herself, 'This isn't about coffee. The owner must be some kind of temptress.
'After all, someone like Adrian is exactly the type exclusive clubs are eager to wine and dine. They're practically begging for his presence. Why would he ever need to buy a membership here?
'So this whole membership thing must just be his way of keeping a woman on the side. I have to see for myself just what kind of woman this is.'
Zoe appeared calm, her expression unreadable. She said, "Perhaps it's a friend's shop. He is just helping out with their business."
Lauren didn't buy it. She said, "Which of Adrian's friends isn't loaded? Who'd open a shop in this godforsaken place, and need him to drop 150 thousand on it?"
Zoe smiled and said, "Well, maybe Adrian's seeing someone. It's perfectly normal for him to show support at his girlfriend's shop. I just wonder what she looks like."
Lauren let out a mocking laugh. She said, "Zoe, in all these years, have you ever seen Adrian bring a girlfriend to the office? It's always some gold-digging vixen throwing herself at him, just after his money."
Zoe shook her head and said, "Lauren, let's not judge others so quickly. Let's wait and see. I'm just worried Adrian might get taken advantage of, so I asked you to come with me to put my mind at ease."
Lauren said, "Zoe, you're so good to Adrian, always silently doing things for him without asking for anything in return. Honestly, he should be with someone like you: thoughtful, unassuming, always putting him first. Not like those gold-diggers who only care about his money."
Zoe was secretly pleased, but she put on a playful frown and pretended to scold her, "Lauren, don't talk nonsense."
Lauren said, "Am I wrong? If he doesn't choose someone like you, is he supposed to go for that vixen, Elara, instead?"
At a nearby table, Elara sipped her coffee, leisurely listening to their backhanded talk about her.
"Elara, it seems they mentioned your name. Do you know them?" Ruby asked curiously.
Elara replied, "Those two? They're Adrian's assistants. You've met one of them before, right?"
Ruby said, "Can't remember. Aren't they the master of faking innocence and master of insults?
Elara couldn't stop laughing. She said, "You really know how to sum people up!"
Lily served the coffee to Zoe and Lauren. She said, "Here's your coffee, ladies."
Lauren demanded, "Where's your boss?"
Lily glanced toward Elara, who subtly signaled her to stay quiet. Playing along, Lily replied evasively, "Our boss doesn't usually come to the shop."
Lauren frowned and asked, "Not coming to the shop? So, is your owner a man or a woman?"
Lily replied, "She's a woman."
Lauren pressed, "A woman? Is she even pretty?"
Instead of answering, Lily asked, "Is there something wrong with our coffee, ladies?"
Lauren hadn't even taken a sip yet. She was just looking for trouble. She took a performative sip and blurted out, "This coffee is terrible."
"What exactly seems to be the problem with it?" Lily asked politely.
Lauren said, "One sip and I can tell these beans are stale. Get the owner out here now. I want an explanation!"
Lily blurted out, "These beans were just shipped from abroad this week. Do you even know anything about coffee?"
Lauren snapped, "What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying I'm a coffee amateur? How rude can you be?"
Lily said, "My apologies, miss. I'll pass along your feedback to the owner, but she's genuinely not available today."
Lauren insisted, "Get her here now to fix this! What's this shop even for otherwise?"
Lily thought, 'The nerve of this woman.'
Elara could no longer focus on her book with Lauren's incessant chatter. Finally fed up, she snapped her book shut and strode over.
Seeing Elara approach, Lauren's eyes went wide in shock. She exclaimed, "Elara?! What are you doing here?"
Elara crossed her arms. Her tone dripped with arrogance as she said, "Weren't you looking for me? Come on, tell me, how did that foul mouth of yours manage to figure out my coffee beans are stale?"
"Maybe just some extra compensation," Elara said with a meaningful look.
Ruby, ever the relationship expert, grinned. She said, "Come on, is Adrian seriously trying to set you up as his sugar baby or something?"
Elara knew she couldn't hide it from Ruby, nor did she intend to. She admitted honestly, "It's not exactly a sugar baby arrangement. Well, he just wants to keep this kind of relationship going."
Ruby's eyes lit up. She said, "No way! Playing hard to get for two weeks worked wonders! What exactly did he say?"
Elara took a slow sip of Mandheling, then leisurely recounted to Ruby her conversation with Adrian from the night before.
Ruby listened eagerly and quipped, "Adrian always seems so ice-cold and restrained. Who would've thought he had this side to him in private? Or maybe it's just that your charm got this untouchable tycoon all hot and bothered?"
Elara rolled her eyes and said, "Typical Adrian. That bastard's just too good at faking it."
Ruby shot Elara a sly look and probed, "So, tell me, why do you think he insists on keeping things low-key and not making it official?"
Elara didn't even pause to think. "It's definitely because of his fiancée," she shot back.
Ruby knew Elara hadn't caught Adrian's meaning, so she decided to explain it for him. She said, "Really? From what he said, I think he believes your heart still belongs to Alex.
"If he asked you to go public with the relationship, you'd probably turn him down. That's why he suggested keeping things casual and discreet, to take the pressure off you."
Elara shook her head and said, "Adrian? Come on, what kind of man is he? He'd never go this far just for a woman. He's simply afraid his fiancée will find out."
Ruby retorted, "If he cares so much about his fiancée, why doesn't he just go be with her? What's the point of keeping this shady arrangement with you?"
Elara sneered, "That's just typical male nature. He's got a fiancée, but that doesn't stop him from crossing the line with me again and again. Every time, he just finds himself a good excuse, so he can save face afterward."
Ruby said, "Then why would he even agree to help Dylan? Dylan's rivals are the Heaton family, his future in-laws."
Elara paused briefly, then said, "He probably knows Dylan is very likely to make peace with the Heaton family. He figures that the odds of his getting a free ride are pretty high.
"Someone as shrewd as him would never let himself come out on the losing end."
Ruby asked, "Well, are you gonna take him up on his offer?
Elara replied, "Let's see. Right now, my top priority is making sure Susan keeps her job. I don't want her coming back from maternity leave only to find it's gone."
She took another sip of her coffee and continued, "Once Alex gets engaged, we'll know if Dylan gets acquitted. No rush. I can decide then."
Ruby nodded in support.
On a leisurely afternoon, Elara was absorbed in learning massage techniques, while Ruby happily juggled her dating prospects. Both were thoroughly enjoying themselves.
"Hey, how's it going with Victor?" Elara suddenly piped up.
Ruby replied, "He and I? Fun's fine, but don't expect anything serious."
Elara teased, "Oh, so you two are already seeing each other?"
"Kind of," Ruby replied.
Elara asked, "Did you two sleep together?"
Ruby said, "Not yet. I am still keeping him on the hook. Who knows, he might come in handy with Dylan's case later."
Elara teased, "So you do have your serious moments for once."
Elara had just finished her coffee and was about to get up to make herself another cup when she looked up and spotted Zoe and Lauren in the courtyard.
She narrowed her eyes and said, "Ruby, have some water."
Ruby replied, "I'm not thirsty."
Elara said, "You'll be thirsty soon enough."
Just then, Lily greeted, "Hello there, ladies. Please come right in."
Zoe and Lauren sat down at a table far from Elara, completely unaware of her presence. After ordering their drinks, the two began to chat.
With the café so quiet, it was easy for Elara to overhear their conversation.
With her back to Elara, Lauren scanned the café with obvious disdain. She said, "So this is the place where Adrian had you drop 150 thousand dollars on a membership card today?
"This place is so out of the way, with barely any customers. The only thing going for it is the halfway decent decor. Seriously, would Adrian even bother coming here?
Zoe carefully examined every corner of the café, thinking to herself, 'This isn't about coffee. The owner must be some kind of temptress.
'After all, someone like Adrian is exactly the type exclusive clubs are eager to wine and dine. They're practically begging for his presence. Why would he ever need to buy a membership here?
'So this whole membership thing must just be his way of keeping a woman on the side. I have to see for myself just what kind of woman this is.'
Zoe appeared calm, her expression unreadable. She said, "Perhaps it's a friend's shop. He is just helping out with their business."
Lauren didn't buy it. She said, "Which of Adrian's friends isn't loaded? Who'd open a shop in this godforsaken place, and need him to drop 150 thousand on it?"
Zoe smiled and said, "Well, maybe Adrian's seeing someone. It's perfectly normal for him to show support at his girlfriend's shop. I just wonder what she looks like."
Lauren let out a mocking laugh. She said, "Zoe, in all these years, have you ever seen Adrian bring a girlfriend to the office? It's always some gold-digging vixen throwing herself at him, just after his money."
Zoe shook her head and said, "Lauren, let's not judge others so quickly. Let's wait and see. I'm just worried Adrian might get taken advantage of, so I asked you to come with me to put my mind at ease."
Lauren said, "Zoe, you're so good to Adrian, always silently doing things for him without asking for anything in return. Honestly, he should be with someone like you: thoughtful, unassuming, always putting him first. Not like those gold-diggers who only care about his money."
Zoe was secretly pleased, but she put on a playful frown and pretended to scold her, "Lauren, don't talk nonsense."
Lauren said, "Am I wrong? If he doesn't choose someone like you, is he supposed to go for that vixen, Elara, instead?"
At a nearby table, Elara sipped her coffee, leisurely listening to their backhanded talk about her.
"Elara, it seems they mentioned your name. Do you know them?" Ruby asked curiously.
Elara replied, "Those two? They're Adrian's assistants. You've met one of them before, right?"
Ruby said, "Can't remember. Aren't they the master of faking innocence and master of insults?
Elara couldn't stop laughing. She said, "You really know how to sum people up!"
Lily served the coffee to Zoe and Lauren. She said, "Here's your coffee, ladies."
Lauren demanded, "Where's your boss?"
Lily glanced toward Elara, who subtly signaled her to stay quiet. Playing along, Lily replied evasively, "Our boss doesn't usually come to the shop."
Lauren frowned and asked, "Not coming to the shop? So, is your owner a man or a woman?"
Lily replied, "She's a woman."
Lauren pressed, "A woman? Is she even pretty?"
Instead of answering, Lily asked, "Is there something wrong with our coffee, ladies?"
Lauren hadn't even taken a sip yet. She was just looking for trouble. She took a performative sip and blurted out, "This coffee is terrible."
"What exactly seems to be the problem with it?" Lily asked politely.
Lauren said, "One sip and I can tell these beans are stale. Get the owner out here now. I want an explanation!"
Lily blurted out, "These beans were just shipped from abroad this week. Do you even know anything about coffee?"
Lauren snapped, "What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying I'm a coffee amateur? How rude can you be?"
Lily said, "My apologies, miss. I'll pass along your feedback to the owner, but she's genuinely not available today."
Lauren insisted, "Get her here now to fix this! What's this shop even for otherwise?"
Lily thought, 'The nerve of this woman.'
Elara could no longer focus on her book with Lauren's incessant chatter. Finally fed up, she snapped her book shut and strode over.
Seeing Elara approach, Lauren's eyes went wide in shock. She exclaimed, "Elara?! What are you doing here?"
Elara crossed her arms. Her tone dripped with arrogance as she said, "Weren't you looking for me? Come on, tell me, how did that foul mouth of yours manage to figure out my coffee beans are stale?"
End of Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary Chapter 70. Continue reading Chapter 71 or return to Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary book page.