Too Late, Mr. Billionaire: You Can't Afford Me by Thedora Birnir

Chapter 188 He Could Breathe Again

In that instant, Eric’s world narrowed to a single, terrifying thought-Hadley was inside that lounge.

His breath hitched, his pulse thundered, and before anyone could stop him, he flung the golf club aside and

bolted toward the lounge.

“Eric-1"

Marshall barely managed to call out before Eric had already vanished into the chaos.

The scene ahead was utter mayhem.

“What happened?” someone shouted amidst the panic.

“A gas leak-and sidiot lit a cigarette!”

The explosion had torn through the lounge, ripping the doorfrfrom its hinges and reducing the outer glass

wall to razor-sharp shards.

Fire licked hungrily at the wreckage, thick smoke curling into the sky.

Hadley...

Eric's stomach twisted violently.

His heart pounded against his ribs as he pushed through the crowd, sheer desperation driving him forward.

“Eric, stop!”

Marshall finally caught up to him, seizing his arm with all his strength. “You can’t go in there!”

“Let. Go.”

Eric’s voice was low, deadly, his entire body coiled with urgency.

“Hadley’s in there!”

“I know, but you can’t just charge in alone!”

Marshall's grip tightened as he stared at Eric, stunned by his sheer recklessness. “Since when did you become

so irrational? What exactly do you think you'll accomplish? You want to get yourself killed?”

Before Eric could respond, a voice from the crowd suddenly cried out. “Look!”

“What is that?”

“Oh my God! Someone got blown away by the blast!”

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Chapter 188 He Could Breathe Again

“Can you tell who it is?”

A heavy silence fell over Marshall. His throat went dry as dread gripped his chest. Could it be... Hadley?

Eric’s entire body coiled with tension, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. His glare

burned into Marshall. “Are you still going to stop me?”

Marshall hesitated, guilt flickering in his eyes. With a reluctant sigh, he finally loosened his grip.

But then-he froze. His gaze locked onto something just beyond the panicked crowd.

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His expression shifted from fear to shock. Without thinking, he grabbed Eric's arm again.

“Marshall!” Eric roared, his patience snapping. “I swear if you don’t-"

“Look!” Marshall cut him off, frantically pointing ahead. “It's Hadley! It's her!”

Eric’s breath caught. His mind blanked for a second, his vision narrowing to where Marshall was pointing.

And there she was.

About ten meters away, Hadley stood on her toes, peering over the crowd-completely unharmed. She held an

ice cream cone in one hand, brow furrowed as she listened to people murmuring about the explosion. With a mix

of curiosity and mild concern, she turned to someone beside her. “Where are the firefighters?”

“They've been called, but it'll take a little tfor them to get here.”

“Yeah.”

The distant sound of sirens suddenly cut through the chaotic atmosphere, growing louder with each second.

“They're here!”

“The firefighters have arrived!”

The golf course's staff moved quickly, stepping in to control the crowd. “Everyone, please step back! Don’t block

the rescue efforts!”

Hadley followed along with the shifting crowd, stepping back as instructed.

“Hadley!”

A voice, urgent and unmistakable, rose above the commotion.

She turned toward the sound, eyes scanning the mass of people until she saw him. Eric. Dressed in his

sportswear, his hair slightly disheveled, his face unusually tense.

“Hadley!”

He raised his arm high, waving to make sure she saw him. “Wait right there-don’t move!”

Hadley frowned in confusion but nodded. “Okay.”

She barely had tto process what was happening before Eric finally broke through the last of the crowd,

coming to an abrupt stop in front of her.

His chest rose and fell heavily, breath still unsteady. His hand lifted slightly, hovering as if to reach for her-but

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Chapter 188 He Could Breathe Again

then hesitated.

His gaze, however, moved freely-sweeping over her, checking, scanning, as though trying to convince himself

she was real. That she was unharmed.

“Are you...” His voice cout quieter than before, raw and strained. “Are you okay?”

Huh? Hadley looked down at herself-completely intact, standing right here, ice cream cone still in hand. What

kind of question was that?

“Yes. Yes, of course, you're fine.” Eric’s expression was hard to read as he answered his own question.

His usually sharp, controlled demeanor wavered, flickering between overwhelming relief and something else—

something deeper.

Then, the realization hit. Her lips parted slightly in surprise. “Wait... Did you think I-

“Where the hell did you go?”

Eric’s sudden outburst startled Hadley, his voice sharp with raw emotion.

“Tell me!” His fists clenched at his sides as he stared at her. “Didn't | tell you to stay in the lounge and wait for

me?”

Hadley blinked, caught off guard. “I... | went to get ice cream.”

Hadley frowned, realization dawning. “Wait. You-" She narrowed her eyes, incredulous. “You're not actually mad

that | wasn’t blown up, are you?”

Before she could finish, Eric stepped forward and yanked her into his arms.

Hadley stiffened, her mind blanking.

What was happening now?

“Thank God,” Eric murmured, his grip tightening, his hand cradling the back of her head as he pressed her

against him. “Thank God, thank God...”

Hadley’s breath hitched. She could feel the wild beat of his heart through his shirt, the warmth of his body

radiating against hers. “You made the best decision of your life, Hadley,” he whispered against her hair. “I'm glad

you decided to get ice-cream!”

Because of that one simple decision, she had unknowingly escaped disaster.

Eric exhaled deeply, his body finally relaxing, as though his soul had just been returned to him. For those

agonizing minutes, he had felt like a dead man walking. But now, he could finally breathe again!

His voice was softer now, tinged with relief. “You're okay... that’s all that matters. You have no idea how scared

| was.”

Every word, every shaky breath reached Hadley’s ears.

Hadley, still pressed against his chest, stared blankly ahead. Was he slowly going insane?

Before she could process it, she felt him shift against her. His weight was getting heavier, pressing into her.

She grunted. “Eric-hey! Get off! You're crushing me!”

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“I don’t care,” Eric muttered, completely unbothered, resting his head heavily on her shoulder.

“My legs... they feel weak. | can’t stand.”

“You?” Hadley scoffed, unimpressed. “Weak in the knees?”

She then shoved at him, glaring. “Enough of the tics-get up!”

“No.”

Eric tightened his embrace, resting his head against Hadley’s shoulder, his breath warm against her skin.

“Don’t you know why my legs feel weak?”

“I...” The words stuck in her throat. She wasn’t sure how to respond. Then, in a low whisper, Eric murmured

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against her ear, “You scaredto death. Just letstay like this... holda little longer.”

Hadley froze.

For a brief moment, the chaos around them seemed to blur, the sounds of sirens and distant voices fading into

the background.

What... did he mean by that?

No. This wasn’t good.

Lately, Eric had been different-dropping hints, subtle and not-so-subtle, that he cared about her more than he

should.

Was she imagining it?

If she wasn’t... That would be a disaster.

Before she could untangle her thoughts, Eric suddenly lifted his head, his gaze falling on the item in her hand.

“What's that?”

Hadley, still dazed, instinctively raised it. “An ice cream cone.”

“Yeah.”

Eric nodded thoughtfully, and then-without warning-leaned down and took a massive bite.

Hadley blinked. She looked at the cone. Then at Eric. The ice cream she had just bought-the one she had been

looking forward to-was now just a cone.

“Eric,” she said slowly, her voice dangerously calm. “What did you just do?”

Eric barely held back his laughter, his expression one of pure, mischievous delight.

Then, unable to contain himself, he burst into laughter-and ran for his life.

“Eric!” Hadley shrieked, fury igniting. “Get back here! You owean ice cream! If you wanted one, why didn’t

you just buy your own? Huh!”

Eric sprinted ahead, arms wide open like a carefree child. “I'll buy you another one! In fact, I'll buy you the whole

shop!”

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Chapter 188 He Could Breathe Again

That ice-cream shop had just saved her life!

That night, in the dimly lit study, the air was thick with tension.

Quentin stood before the desk, his expression unreadable. “Mr. Flynn, we've nearly completed our search

through the orphanages and welfare homes. Still no sign of the child.”

Ernest's brows furrowed. “Nothing?”

“Nothing.” Quentin confirmed. “We've cross-checked all the children around three years old-factoring in a

margin of six months- but none match the profile.”

“Understood.” Ernest exhaled slowly, the weight of disappointment settling on his shoulders.

He tapped his fingers against the desk, deep in thought. “If they're not in any of the orphanages, then we need

to expand the search. There's a strong possibility they were adopted.”

Quentin nodded. “We'll adjust our approach immediately.”

Ernest nodded in approval, but then, as if remembering something, he shifted his gaze back to Quentin.

“Speaking of which...” His voice took on a sharper edge. “Any updates on the other matter?”