Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary - Chapter 86: Chapter 86

Elara hesitated. "But Nancy insists I attend the engagement party. If I don't, she won't let Ruby and Julian off the hook. Mr. Hartley, could you please..."
"If you dare to leave, I'll make sure Dylan never sees the light of day again," Adrian threatened.
"But Alex just told me Dylan's already out," Elara countered.
Adrian scoffed, "So that's why you're leaving now. Decided you have no use for me anymore and can't wait to cut all ties?"
Elara shook her head. "Adrian..."
Adrian sneered, "He's using the Heaton family's dirty laundry just to squeeze both the Heatons and the Hartleys. You really think the Heatons are such pushovers?
"Like they'd just stand by and let someone like Dylan walk all over them? Does he seriously think marrying his kid into the Hartleys is gonna keep him out of trouble?
"Elara, mark my words—you'll come crawling back to beg for my help. So I suggest you don't piss me off today."
"Mr. Hartley, what do you mean by that?" Elara's voice trembled. 'Is Dylan still in danger?' she wondered.
"Exactly what I said," Adrian said, ice-cold. He lit another cigarette. The air around him was so heavy that it felt like it was choking the room.
"But I still have to go back, Mr. Hartley. My friends are still stuck there."
"Is it really about your friends, or are you just still hung up on Alex?" Adrian's voice was sharp with suspicion.
Adrian was still in the same bathrobe, but the icy expression on his face brought Elara right back to when they first met—radical, arrogant, distrustful, and unforgiving.
Every flaw from that mental checklist was now glaringly evident. Elara knew there was no point trying to reason with him now.
Elara put down her luggage and sat beside Adrian. In a gentle, patient voice, she said, "Adrian, how about we go back to Veritasiton together tonight?"
"No."
"If you like Hachester, we can visit more often in the future."
Adrian scoffed. "Future? Do you really think we'll still have one after you attend that engagement party?" His predatory eyes locked onto Elara's confused eyes. "Elara, you can't have your cake and eat it too."
Elara fired back, "What, you want me to bail on Ruby and Julian just to lounge around here with you?
"Get real. Nancy said if I skip the engagement party, she'll have my friends thrown in jail. You actually think I'm just gonna sit on my hands and let that go down?"
Adrian demanded, "Don't you realize what you're walking into by going there?"
"I know. I'll just go there, get humiliated, and let them walk all over me. Then I'll apologize to Nancy so she can feel better."
Adrian let out a bitter chuckle. "And you're still going?"
"But do I have another choice? Unless you, Mr. Hartley, could come with me." But she immediately dismissed the thought. That was impossible.
Adrian scoffed, "You've got some nerve, don't you?"
"I know I don't really matter that much to you, so I said I'd go back alone."
Adrian looked at her. "If your only concern is your friends, I can handle that with a single call. But the catch is, you must stay right here."
Elara sighed. "Alright, I'll leave it to you. But can we at least go back to Veritasiton tonight? I won't attend the engagement party. We'll just stay at Veritasiton Hills, okay?"
She wasn't in the mood for fun right now. If something went down back in Veritasiton, she'd be able to get there fast if they headed back tonight.
Adrian said he could handle everything with just one call, but she couldn't help worrying that Nancy might do something stupid if she got pissed off.
But he refused. "Not a chance."
"I said I'm not going to the engagement party. Why can't I even go back to Veritasiton?"
Adrian was seething, walls up all over again. His voice was icy. "Elara, if you want my help, you play by my rules."
Elara, who'd mostly just gone with the flow until now, suddenly felt a storm of emotions hit her at Adrian's words.
All the goodwill she'd built up for him over the last few days vanished in a heartbeat. Whatever little closeness she'd just started to feel for him was gone.
"Adrian, do you always have to be in control of everything? Does it always have to be your way, no questions asked?
"I get it, you've got a ton of power in Veritasiton, but you've never really trusted me or made me feel safe. Can you really blame me for worrying?
"This is your game, Adrian, but my friends' safety is on the line. You just want me to stick around so you can feel in control. I'm not your girlfriend or some side chick. You don't get to keep me on a leash like this."
Elara stood up. "Sorry, I'm skipping work tonight. Once I get to Veritasiton and make sure they're safe, I'll fly back as soon as I can. I'm leaving now."
She zipped up her suitcase, slung her bag over her shoulder, and headed to the foyer to change her shoes.
Adrian's expression didn't change at all at Elara's long speech. He said coldly, "Elara, if you walk out that door today, don't ever come back. Stay out of my sight for good."
Elara turned to face him. "Come on, does it really have to end up like this? After everything that's happened, I thought we could at least be friends."
"You think I'd need you as a friend?"
Elara forced a bitter smile, swallowing down her sorrow as she nodded. "Understood. I won't ever appear before you again."
The door clicked shut. He sat there alone, cigarette burned down to nothing between his fingers. He was just staring at the neon lights outside the window. Nobody knew what was going on in his head.
Elara had just stepped out of the hotel when she nearly ran into Justin, who was coming in. He immediately noticed her troubled, distracted expression—she was so lost in thought she didn't even see him standing there.
"Elara, are you heading out?" Justin asked.
Hearing his voice, Elara stopped in her tracks, snapping out of her daze. Seeing Justin with his suitcase, she asked, "Justin, what brings you here?"
"Mr. Hartley just took on a major case here and asked me to drop off the contract," he said.
Elara hadn't expected Adrian to have work here. She gave him a nod. "Alright, go take care of Mr. Hartley. I'll get going."
Justin noticed something was off. "Had a fight?"
Elara forced a smile. "Not really. I just got 'fired' again."
Justin let out a sigh. "Don't let it get to you, Elara. The guy's just got a sharp mouth. You just do your thing. Deep down, Adrian's not so bad—he just likes to act all tough and never wants to back down."
"I get it, but the truth is, Adrian and I are worlds apart in social standing. There's just no way we can really communicate on equal footing."
Justin grinned, "Adrian? He just puts on a big front, but he's actually pretty easy to win over. Just pretend to soften up, say a few nice things, and you'll have him wrapped around your finger in no time."
Elara had no desire to continue talking about Adrian. She said, "Justin, thank you. I'm truly glad to have you as a friend. I've got a flight to catch, so I really should get going."
"Alright, safe travels."
Elara'd booked the earliest flight. Hailing a taxi, she raced to the airport and boarded at the last call. Settling into her first-class window seat, she gazed out the window, her mood hitting rock bottom.
'Maybe this really is goodbye, Adrian,' she thought. 'Well, I guess it was bound to happen eventually—I just didn't expect it to come this soon.'
As soon as Elara got to Veritasiton Airport, she hopped in a cab and went straight to the hotel for the engagement party. Alex was already waiting out front, dressed to the nines in a slick suit and a flashy red bow tie.
Elara avoided his gaze. "Where are Ruby and Julian?"
Alex's gaze landed on the hickey on her neck, a subtle, icy glint flickering in his eyes. "Inside," he said curtly.
Elara was about to dash inside when Alex suddenly grabbed her wrist. "Alex, what are you doing?" she demanded.
Alex warned her, "Elara, no matter what happens inside, remember, don't act rashly."
Elara yanked her hand away. "What do you mean by that?"
Alex didn't explain, simply muttering, "I'm sorry, Elara."
Seeing Alex wouldn't explain, Elara pushed past him and rushed inside.
The place was huge—at least 10 thousand square feet—decked out in pure luxury and packed with all the big names in Veritasiton. Elara looked around anxiously, but there was no sign of Nancy.
She slipped through the crowd of rich-looking guests, her simple knit dress totally out of place among all the glitz and glam.
At the far end was a huge marble spiral staircase, wrapped in vibrant roses with a plush carpet rolling down—clearly set up for the bride's big entrance.
Elara tried calling Ruby, but Ruby's phone was still off. Without hesitation, she headed straight for the grand spiral staircase. The moment she set her foot on the first step, a hand suddenly yanked her back. Losing her balance, she tumbled to the floor.