CHAPTER 171: FIRE HER

Adam and Clara leave the restaurant, as there is no longer any need for them to stay.

"Are you sure about this?" Clara asks as she and Adam walk up to her car.

"I am sure, I believe in her," Adam says.

"And what about that friend of hers? Will she continue being her legal counsel?" Clara asks about Helena.

"That’s where you come in. You will be responsible for all restaurant-related matters. I am not going to let some amateur backstabbing woman get her hands into my business," Adam says.

"You are really working me, aren’t you?" Clara says, but she doesn’t seem bothered by it.

"Well, how can I not? You already promised to look after me," Adam says, smiling cheekily.

Clara sighed as she said she would look after her. "Looks like my own words bind me. You are one cunning little kid," Clara says.

"Let me remind you that I am eighteen years old," Adam says.

"So what? You will always be a kid in my eyes," Clara says and gets inside her car.

"About that woman, how do you plan to handle her?" Clara asks.

"Leave it to me, bye, Clara." Adam says and turns to head back to the restaurant.

"Wait, there’s something I need from you," Clara says, stopping him in his tracks.

"What is it?" Adam asks.

"My daughter is going to this local concert, could you accompany her tonight. Keep an eye on her. Lana can be a little... wild and unpredictable," Clara says.

"Sure, what time should I be there?" Adam asks.

"7 PM," Clara says. "I will be there, don’t worry," Adam replies. "Thank you, sweetie, have a nice day~" Clara says and drives off as Adam watches her convertible leave.

As the silhouette of her car disappears, the smile on Adam’s face also fades. He looks back at the restaurant and starts his way towards it.

___________________

Inside the restaurant, Ellie sits next to Helena, trying to comfort her.

"She really is as ruthless as you said she is. I can’t believe someone can be that harsh," Ellie says, holding Helena’s hand.

What Ellie doesn’t know is that Helena is not concerned about what Clara said to her, but what Adam is about to reveal.

Clara is one of the best advocates in the city. She must have clearly seen the loopholes Helena purposely added into the contract to fuck Ellie over, and Clara, being the best, must have noticed them and informed Adam about it.

With so many loopholes to exploit, Adam should have signed it without blinking an eye, but he didn’t; that means he must have an ulterior motive. Why would anyone give up on such a golden chance?

’Wait, does he really like Ellie, and didn’t sign it because of that. What if he tells on me?’ Helena starts getting worried.

Suddenly, the doorbell chimes, grabbing both their attention.

They notice Adam walk in, alone this time. Ellie breathes a sigh of relief because Clara really intimidated her.

"Ellie, let’s talk alone," Adam says, looking at Ellie.

Ellie looks at Helena and then back at Adam. She nods her head. "Wait, here, I will be back," Ellie says and gets up.

Helena looks more nervous hearing Adam ask Ellie for a private talk. ’He’s gonna tell on me... What am I going to do?’ Helena wonders as she nervously watches Adam and Ellie walk into her office and then lock the door behind them.

Adam and Ellie sit down. Ellie looks a little nervous, wondering what this is about.

"Is something wrong? Are you not happy with the clauses? I thought we already talked about it. We agreed to it-" Ellie starts rambling, but Adam puts a stop to it.

"Ellie, calm down. There is nothing wrong with the clauses. Like I said, my lawyer has a weird OCD; she wants everything to be perfect on paper. Helena seems to have missed some very important details that could possibly jeopardize the restaurant, so Clara is going to draft the legal documents herself this time, with some additional clauses," Adam says.

"Oh, what will be added?" Ellie asks.

"Well, it’s nothing that serious. Instead of transferring the money to your bank, we are going to open a new bank account under the restaurant’s name, and the money will be put there.

The only people who will have access to that bank account will be you and me.

You see, Clara is very protective of me, so she doesn’t trust you like I do," Adam says.

"Oh, that’s completely fine with me, after all, I do intend to put the money right into the restaurant, so she has nothing to worry about," Ellie says.

"That’s good... There is also one more thing," Adam says.

Ellie gets nervous again. "I hope it’s good news," Ellie says.

"I don’t know if it classifies as good news, but it isn’t bad either," Adam says. "What is it?" Ellie asks.

"It’s regarding Helena," Adam says.

"What about her?" Ellie asks. She starts getting nervous.

"Well, I was hoping you would fire her," Adam says.

Ellie’s eyes widen with shock. "What?! I can’t do that! She is my friend! How can you even suggest that?" Ellie asks loudly, standing up from her chair. It almost comes off as shouting, but she is too soft-spoken to shout loudly.

"Wait! Hear me out completely before you jump to conclusions. You have a bad habit, Ellie," Adam says.

Ellie blushes as she recalls how she jumped to a conclusion about Adam wanting to confess his attraction to her.

Ellie sits down, embarrassed.

"I am not saying you to completely get rid of Helena. You can still keep her as your legal advisor. But when it comes to any legal matters regarding the restaurant, let Clara handle it," Adam says.

Ellie looks at Adam again as she finally understands what Adam means.

"But, Helena has been with me since the start..." Ellie says.

"I understand, that’s why she can still be your personal legal counsel, but let Clara handle the restaurant’s business. Clara is one of the best, if not the best, attorneys in this city. With her watching over the restaurant, everything will be air-tight.

Though I don’t doubt Helena’s credentials. You heard what Clara said. The legal documents she drafted have loopholes that could have been exploited. She clearly made a mistake, and Clara is not a fan of mistakes," Adam says.

"That, I have heard," Ellie says as she recalls the story Helena said about Clara being ruthless towards people who work under her.

"I am saying this for all of our sake. Let Clara handle the restaurant. You couldn’t ask for a better representative.

This is a business. I know that to you, this business is your passion and a dream, but you need to treat this as a business because you are responsible not only for yourself but also for your employees.

For this business to succeed, you will need a strong foundation, and Clara can build that for you," Adam says.

Ellie has been silent all this time, thinking over what Adam has said. Sure, Helena has been her friend for quite a while, and she is good, but she makes mistakes, and if those mistakes pile up, things are going to be rough for Ellie.

Clara, on the other hand, is exactly what Ellie needs; though she is a little intimidating, she is a much better legal representative.

"Okay," Ellie says. "I will listen to you," She finishes her words and gets up. Adam follows her out of her office and into the front of the house, where Helena is waiting.

Helena, who has been nervously waiting for Ellie and Adam to come out, sees Ellie burst out of her office and walk straight at her with massive strides.

Helena sees the rigid expression on Ellie’s face, which makes her look angry.

’Fuck, he told on me!’ Helena thinks and clutches her fists hard, ready for what is to come, but then suddenly, Ellie stops and grabs her hands and holds them tightly.

"Helena, I am so sorry, but I will have to let you go!" Ellie says.

Helena stares at Ellie, wide-eyed, confused as to what’s going on. If Ellie is firing her out of anger, why is she apologizing, and why does she look so guilty about it.

"You are firing me?" Helena asks, still shocked.

"It’s not what you think. It’s just..." Ellie tries to explain to Helena, but she is having a hard time. "Let me," Adam says, putting his hand on Ellie’s shoulder and pulling her back before stepping in front of Helena.

"Helena, this is about the restaurant. From now on, every legal decision regarding the restaurant will be managed by Clara. As for you, you are still Ellie’s personal legal counsel. I want you to transfer all the legal documents you have of the restaurant to Clara by this evening. Hope that’s okay," Adam says.

He doesn’t beat around the bush; he lays everything out to Helena.

Helena takes her time to process everything. ’Wait, that’s it? Did he not rat me out?’ Helena wonders, once again taken aback by what’s happening.

’What is his intentions? He didn’t screw Ellie over, nor did he rat me out! What the fuck does he want?’ Helena wonders.

"So, what say you?" Adam asks again.

"Okay, if that’s what you both have decided, then sure," Helena agrees.

Since Adam has not ratted her out, she is going to take this as a win. As for no longer being a legal representative of the restaurant, she doesn’t care. That’s one less workload off her shoulders.

She really didn’t have much hope in this restaurant to begin with. In fact, she wanted to see it crumble right before her eyes and enjoy it as it crumbled.