Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary - Chapter 77: Chapter 77

After a long and grueling night, Elara was too exhausted to even drag herself to the bathroom to wash her hands.
She lay sprawled across the king-sized bed, gazing vacantly at the opulent crystal chandelier overhead, her mind adrift in scattered thoughts.
Adrian nuzzled against Elara's neck, and his breathing gradually steadied. Noticing that Elara, who had been clamoring to leave, was now uncharacteristically quiet, a strange worry crept into his heart.
Adrian lifted his head, gazing down at Elara beneath him with an uncharacteristic gentleness. "Mad at me?"
Elara rolled her eyes. Seeing the light fade from Elara's eyes, he even began to blame himself for his lack of restraint.
Unexpectedly, Elara quipped, "So, does this count as overtime? If I'm pulling an all-nighter, you owe me triple pay, right?"
Adrian let out a low chuckle. "Deal. How about I pay you ten times your usual rate?"
Only then did Elara turn her gaze to Adrian. Up close, his face was flawlessly handsome.
Her cheeks were flushed, and the corners of her eyes were tinged with crimson from staying up all night. In his eyes, she looked like desire-drenched candy—irresistibly tempting.
Adrian raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile playing on his lips. "Want more?"
After two hours of having his way, Adrian couldn't believe Elara wasn't feeling the same desire.
Elara suppressed her desire, pushing the shirtless man away. She washed her hands in the bathroom and smoothed out her slightly disheveled clothes.
When Elara emerged, she found Adrian still lounging comfortably, his long fingers lightly tapping on his phone screen, likely replying to messages.
"Mr. Hartley, I'll head back now," said Elara.
Adrian didn't even look up. "Stay here tonight. The guest room next door is ready."
Elara was taken aback. 'Adrian actually wants me to stay the night? No way,' she wondered.
Elara hastily refused. "No, thanks, Mr. Hartley. We have a business trip to Marisiton tomorrow, so I need to head back and pack up."
"If you're just going back to pack, don't bother. Just bring your passport. Whatever you need, we can get it when we arrive," he said.
Knowing Adrian's wealth, Elara came clean. "I'd rather not spend the night here."
Not wanting to sound too blunt, Elara quickly added, "I'm picky about beds."
Adrian nodded, accepting her refusal. "Wait a sec."
Adrian went to the walk-in closet, changed into a fresh casual outfit, and grabbed his car keys. "Let's go."
Elara asked, "Mr. Hartley, what are you up to?"
Adrian glanced at the clock and said, "It's two in the morning. Let me drive you home."
Elara waved him off. "No, since when does the boss chauffeur an employee home?"
"You're a girl. It's not safe for you to head home alone this late. Besides, I don't want you filing a bogus workplace injury claim against me," he joked.
'The first part sounded surprisingly sweet, but that last remark? He might as well have kept it to himself,' Elara thought.
Elara didn't protest any further and let Adrian drive her home.
As they pulled up outside Flowery Apartments, Elara unbuckled her seatbelt and said, "Thanks for driving me home, Mr. Hartley. See you tomorrow."
Just as she opened the car door, Adrian caught her wrist and abruptly pulled her back inside. Elara said, "What now?"
To her surprise, Adrian said, "Go straight to bed when you get home."
Elara was stunned for a moment, wondering, 'What else would I do when I get home—throw a party?'
Elara rolled her eyes at how ridiculous Adrian was being and ignored him, reaching for the door to get out. But before she could, Adrian suddenly clamped his fingers around her wrist, refusing to let go.
"What the hell do you want?" Elara said.
Adrian shot her a look and said, "Did you hear what I just told you?"
Elara lost her patience, thinking he was being ridiculous. "What else would I do when I get home—go out and pick up guys or something?"
Adrian narrowed his eyes and warned, "Don't you dare."
Elara was speechless for a few seconds. She finally said, "So, Mr. Hartley, what on earth are you trying to say?"
Adrian warned, "Don't even think about using that toy when you get back."
Elara was totally shocked. "Mr. Hartley, could you just forget what happened in the suite that day? That was really awkward."
A deep chuckle rumbled from the man's chest. "Oh? So you do feel embarrassed?"
"It's just a bit awkward," she retorted. "Besides, it's not like I did anything wrong."
Adrian shot her a warning look and said, "Don't you dare use it when you get back—not tonight, not ever. Understood?"
"Who says you get to decide? I'll play with it if I want to," she said.
'She told me this morning she would stop, and now here she is saying the opposite,' Adrian wondered.
He pulled Elara punishingly close until their noses brushed. "You'd rather play with those cold, lifeless toys than have a real man right here?"
Elara shot him a mischievous grin. "Toys don't come with strings attached—no feelings, no drama. Super convenient, right? Goodnight, Mr. Hartley."
With that, she pushed him away and hopped out of the car without a second glance.
Of course, once she got home, she didn't go to bed on time. After all that hard work at his place, she needed to relax.
The next morning, at 8 a.m., Elara was already waiting for Adrian in the VIP lounge at Veritasiton Airport.
Adrian spared no expense. He even splurged on a first-class ticket for his personal assistant. With just an hour's flight to Marisiton ahead, Elara figured she could catch some Z's.
Adrian strode into the lounge in his sharp suit, his striking presence and impressive height making him impossible to miss. Elara spotted him immediately.
After a quick breakfast together, they boarded with priority access. Of course, their seats were side by side.
Elara wasn't in the mood to talk. As soon as she sat down, she reclined her seat flat, pulled the airline blanket over herself, and tried to catch up on some much-needed sleep.
Adrian sat there watching Elara sleep deeply. He couldn't decide whether to be annoyed or amused by her.
Adrian leaned in with a smirk and asked, "So you did use it last night after all?"
Elara shifted away, presenting him with an indifferent back without a word.
They arrived in Marisiton a little after ten in the morning, where Yann had sent his driver to pick them up.
Elara had a rough idea that Adrian was here for some kind of seminar. She thought he might even be giving a speech. The seminar wasn't until 7 p.m., so they had plenty of time.
A sleek black Bentley whisked them straight to the hotel, the venue for the seminar. Attentive staff promptly delivered their luggage to the presidential suite.
At noon, Adrian went to lunch with his fellow seminar speakers, with afternoon engagements keeping him busy, leaving Elara alone in the presidential suite.
This suited Elara perfectly. She didn't have to start her assistant duties until after Adrian's seminar, so she had plenty of time to slack off on the clock.
But right now, all she wanted was some proper sleep.
She didn't get home until well past 3 a.m. After washing up and packing her bags, dawn was already breaking by the time she finally lay down.
After finishing the simple meal delivered to the presidential suite, Elara collapsed onto the soft king bed and was fast asleep in no time.
It wasn't until three in the afternoon that the doorbell rang. She groggily opened the door.
Two casually dressed young women stood outside the door. Elara blinked sleepily, rubbing the last traces of sleep from her eyes.
"Who are you?" Elara mumbled, rubbing her eyes.
"Ms. Langton, we're here at Mr. Hartley's request to do your styling," one of them replied.
Elara blinked, still half-asleep. "Are you sure you've got the right person? I'm not even going to his seminar tonight. Why would I need to get all dressed up?"
Elara thought, 'I remember Adrian's seminar is about legal stuff. I'm just his personal assistant. Why would I need to be there?
'Even if someone has to accompany him, it should be Justin or Zoe. There's no way this would fall to me.'
"No way. You're Mr. Hartley's date for the party tonight?" the lady explained.