Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary - Chapter 99: Chapter 99

'I asked him about his birthday plans. He said he didn't make any, but now, he plans to ask me for a gift?' Elara grumbled in her heart.
"What's wrong? You're not happy about it?" Adrian asked.
"Who asks for gifts like that? Gifts are supposed to come from the heart," Elara replied.
Adrian lit a cigarette and leaned back in his chair, looking relaxed. "I'm just asking you to get your boss a birthday present, and you're already being stingy."
"It's not that I'm stingy. I just have no idea what to get you. You already have everything. What would you even want with a little secretary's gift anyway?"
"As long as it's from the heart, it'll always mean something to me."
Elara was speechless. A moment later, she said, "Alright, I'll think about it. But if you end up not liking it, don't take it out on me at work."
Adrian couldn't help but laugh. "Am I really that petty?"
Elara thought, 'Yes, you definitely are. Why else would I be so worried?'
Back at her desk, Elara was sorting through her emails when she saw a message from Justin.
[SOS! Save me!]
Elara: [What's going on?]
Justin: [My mom's forcing me to go on a blind date. I gotta meet her at noon, no matter what.]
Elara: [You don't want to go?]
Justin: [No.]
Elara: [So? How am I supposed to save you?]
Justin: [Didn't you say you'd buy me lunch? Here's the deal: I'll pay, but you come with me to this blind date.]
Elara: [And then?]
Justin: [Then, just tell her you're my girlfriend.]
Elara frowned. [If you don't want to go, why not just be honest with your mom? Sure, you can lie once, but can you keep this up forever?]
Justin: [My mom knows I don't want to go. But guess who talked my mom into playing matchmaker for me this time?]
Elara: [What?]
Justin: [Adrian.]
Elara: [Wait, what?]
Justin sighed. [Just because I was chatting and joking with you for a bit, Adrian went straight to my mom and made it sound like I was getting all flirty with male coworkers at the office. Now my mom's totally freaking out.]
Elara: [I don't know what to say.]
Justin: [So, this is half your fault. You have to help me.]
Elara: [Tsk. Fine. I'll help you, but don't pin this on me.]
Justin: [Since you're so kind-hearted, let me be the first to call you cousin-in-law.]
Elara: [Are you drunk or what? Your cousin-in-law is Josie. Don't call me that.]
Justin: [Huh?]
The morning meeting was packed with information, and Elara ended up typing out four whole pages in Word just for the minutes. Being a lawyer really was a grind. Elara figured Adrian was probably going to lose all his hair before he even turned 35.
Thinking Josie's husband went bald just five years into their marriage, Elara couldn't help but feel a little bad for her.
The meeting dragged on right through lunch, and it looked like there was no end in sight. But then Adrian got a call and sent Justin off early. Elara was still listening intently to the meeting when Justin messaged her again.
Justin: [My cousin is such a jerk. He didn't even let me finish the meeting before shoving me off to this blind date.]
Elara: [I can't leave. What am I supposed to do?]
Justin: [Adrian's totally doing this on purpose.]
Justin was so pissed he didn't even want to call Adrian "cousin" anymore. He figured, 'Screw it. I'm not going on this blind date at all.'
Justin messaged his mom. [Adrian's making me work overtime at the office. I can't leave.] As a result, in the middle of the meeting, Adrian's phone started blowing up with call after call. He kept hanging up, but the calls just wouldn't stop coming.
Adrian frowned, hung up again, and said, "Alright, that's it for today. Make sure all the departments send me their rectification plans by the end of the day."
The conference room cleared out in record time, and Elara grabbed her laptop and made a quick getaway. Before Adrian could catch Elara as she slipped away, his phone started ringing again. He had no choice but to answer. "Aunt Paige."
As soon as Elara stepped outside, Justin dragged her off. Five minutes later, she found herself sitting in Justin's Ferrari LaFerrari worth over 10 million dollars. To her surprise, the guy taking her out for an $8 plate of spaghetti was a rich kid.
Elara buckled her seatbelt. "You think we can make it back before work?"
It was already 12:30, and they had to be back by 2:00 sharp.
"As long as we nail our act, we can totally make it," Justin said.
The restaurant for the blind date wasn't far. Turned out, it was the same spot where Elara had grabbed a late-night bite just yesterday.
Elara had a great impression of No. 9 Restaurant last night. The food was just her taste. Elara followed Justin into the restaurant.
The hallway was beautifully designed. To open such a huge and luxurious restaurant in Veritasiton, where every inch of land cost a fortune, the owner had to be a real big shot.
They headed up to the private room on the second floor. When they walked in and saw the crowd gathered around the table, Elara nearly fainted on the spot.
The room was massive, with a table meant for 20 people. Now, except for three empty seats, every spot was already taken. Elara pinched Justin's arm hard. "Seriously? Who brings their parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and every distant relative imaginable to a blind date?"
She thought a blind date was just supposed to be a one-on-one with the girl. But now it seemed that the whole clan had shown up for this.
Justin leaned in and whispered, "If it was just one girl, you really think I couldn't handle it myself?"
Elara felt totally played. "So, what am I supposed to do now?"
"Just stay cool and act like we're really close," Justin said.
Elara was speechless.
Justin grabbed Elara's hand and, facing the dozen or so elders at the table, said, "Mom, Dad, Aunts, Uncles, let me introduce my girlfriend, Elara."
Elara forced a smile and gave a slight bow. "Hello, everyone."
At those words, everyone's face instantly turned dark. The whole room went dead silent, and Elara wished she could just sink into the floor from embarrassment.
Justin scratched his head, noticing Elara's palm was sweaty. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, trying to give his partner a little encouragement.
Elara braced herself and forced out the words Justin had told her to say. "Justin and I have been together for a long time. When I heard he was coming to this blind date, I came along with him. W-We are planning to get married."
Thinking these words were for some random girl, Elara didn't object. But saying them in front of so many people made her heart almost leap out of her chest. If she tried to improvise, she'd probably make it worse, so she stuck to the lines.
Everyone at the table was shooting them dirty looks. Nobody believed that they were really a couple. To Elara, every second felt like an eternity. She was frozen in place, completely at a loss for words.
Finally, the door to the private room swung open again, and the awkward silence was finally broken. Adrian, dressed in a black suit with subtle patterns, sauntered in, taking his time.
"Oh, looks like everyone's here," he said.