Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary - Chapter 9: Chapter 9

"I've got nothing to say to you," Elara said, walking ahead. Adrian impatiently stubbed out his cigarette and grabbed her arm.
It was the same wrist he'd held last night, still a bit tender. He yanked it hard, jolting Elara awake. "What the hell are you doing?" she snapped, annoyed.
"Delete that post," Adrian growled, his intense gaze locked on Elara's striking eyes. The mole near her eye twitched as she winced in pain.
"Why should I?" Her eyes, all teary, stared right at his stern face, which, just like last night, had that stubborn and proud look on it.
"Because you made up lies and trashed my name."
Elara was already in a foul mood. Then, over the past couple of days, she had the misfortune of dealing with Adrian, the totally unreasonable lawyer, who kept twisting the truth and making a mess of things.
It felt like she'd hit the ultimate streak of bad luck. She groaned inwardly, 'What had gotten into Ruby? Why'd she push for that welcome-back party?'
"Mr. Hartley, that's nuts. Make up lies? Trash your name? You don't own the truth—ah!" Before she could finish, she was dragged into a nearby empty booth.
The door slammed shut, Adrian's firm chest pushing Elara's back against it. It was dark inside, just a faint glow from the glass door. A shadow fell over her. She froze, holding her breath, too scared to make a sound.
Adrian's light, woodsy cologne smelled subtle and steady, but it didn't match his wild vibe.
Before she could fight back, he grabbed her wrists with one hand and pinned them above her head against the door. His big body pressed close, close enough for her to feel the heat from his unusually warm skin.
Adrian only touched her wrists. In the dark, he leaned down, his face close to her scared one.
It was way too close. His warm breath brushed her cheek, carrying a hint of tobacco and mint. It was her first time being this close to a guy, and her skin felt hot all over. She didn't dare move, or she might press against his firm chest.
Her eyes dimmed helplessly as she looked into his deep eyes. "What do you want?" Elara asked, her voice shaky and weak.
Adrian's heart skipped a beat at her voice. He thought, 'She was brave a minute ago. But now she's shaking?' Keeping his proud expression, he demanded, "What's your game?"
Elara paused, stunned. "What do you mean?"
"What are you after, me or Victor? Some rival for the Montgomery family?"
Elara laughed angrily, "Mr. Hartley, do you even hear yourself?"
"If you've got no hidden agenda, then explain this. Why'd Victor invite you to work with him a year ago, you turned him down then, but said yes this time?"
"Ask Victor," Elara said coldly. Victor was close to Elara's best friend Ruby recently, and Ruby bugged her for weeks until she reluctantly agreed.
"Or maybe because Quinn Group started a tourism biz this year and Julian's in charge."
Elara responded, "What? What's Julian got to do with this?"
"Humph, feeling nervous?"
Elara was speechless.
Adrian continued, "October's peak tourist season. You posted that bad review in September and had all your top influencers share and comment on it, trashing Dolphin Bay Hotel's rep. Quinn Group played it smart."
Elara said sincerely, "Mr. Hartley, you know what that mindset's called? Paranoia—it's a disorder. You need a shrink."
"Me? Paranoid?"
"Well, what else? If I wanted to trash you, I'd just post on Tweet. Why'd I strip in your room? What's the point?"
"That's only because you're scared we'd sue you."
Elara was really speechless. She stayed calm and argued back, "Fine, if that's how you see it, I should've recorded the scene for court evidence."
"If you've got it, hand it over, or I won't go easy on you or Quinn Group."
Elara sighed. She gave up. "Then sue me. I wanna see how you build a case without any proof."
With that, Elara stepped forward to leave, but his solid body slammed her back against the door. Their bodies pressed tight, and she was trapped with no way out. She looked up and glared at him.
In the dim light, Adrian's voice sounded deep and gravelly. "I will, but no hurry." He leaned close to her ear, brushing against a few stray hairs, which made him feel itchy all over. "You signed a written contract with Victor. You remember that, right?
"The contract clearly says: You, Elara, stayed at Dolphin Bay Hotel for a review and had to promote it positively on social media. The pay was 70 thousand dollars. You broke the deal, Ms. Langton."
Elara's lips twitched. "That's because your hotel messed with me." Her bright eyes fixed on the shadowy figure.
She defended herself. "The contract clearly says. If there's a bad experience during the trial stay, I can end the agreement. I only give real, positive reviews. Your hotel didn't meet my expectations, so I'm out."
"So, Ms. Langton, tell me how it didn't meet your expectations?"
Elara snapped, "Are you kidding me? Should I email Montgomery Group and say: Mr. Hartley barged in while I was showering and falsely accused me of harassment?"
"You saying I broke into the bathroom? Got proof? Got a video?"
"You..." Elara realized she was trapped. The video would prove she was Quinn Group's spy; no video meant she broke the deal with Montgomery Group. Either way, she was screwed.
Elara bit her lip. "The hotel has cameras. Your front desk gave me the key. If I were with Quinn Group, how'd I arrange that with your staff?"
"Cameras only show you entering my room late. I can say we're lovers: you used my name and got my key. Couples share rooms."
Elara smirked. "Just giving a name's enough? Then your room's easy to get into. You know that's not true. There was a comms problem causing—"
Adrian cut her off. "So Montgomery Group showed sincerity. You delete that post. They triple your fee and give free access to their spots. That's a big sign of good faith.
"If you don't accept, pick your poison. We'll sue you for taking bribes and working with Quinn Group, or charge you, the influencer, for defaming to push up prices? Dealing with one influencer like you is easy.
"I'll give you three minutes to think it over."
Elara looked down and paused briefly. "Okay, I'll delete it."