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

Chapter 104 We Are In Love

Hadley looked dead serious.

Denver forced a wry smile. It was obvious that Hadley had already figured him out. She had no plans of giving

him any hope.

Still, he tried to reason with her. “Don’t take it so seriously, | already told you. It's all pretend. Nothing real.”

Since he was so adamant about that charade, Hadley decided not to argue

She simply shook her head and said firmly, “I don’t want to drag you into my mess. My problems with Eric have

nothing to do with you, I can handle them on my own.”

Hadley gave him a small wave. “It’s getting late. You should go. I'm heading back in.”

Without another word, she turned and jogged into the alley.

Denver let out a heavy sigh.

Under his breath, he muttered, “But do you even know you're already the most incredible woman in the world

to me?”

Half an hour later, Hadley stepped out of the bathroom, towel-drying her hair. Her phone buzzed nonstop on

the table.

She rushed over and picked it up. Denver's nflashed on the screen.

Hadley furrowed her brows as she swiped to answer. “Hello? What's going on?*

“Hadley!”

Denver's urgent voice immediately cthrough the phone. “I'm at the entrance to the alley. | have no idea

which building is yours, so get down here now!”

“What's going on?”

“Stop asking questions and just hurry!”

The call ended before she could respond.

Hadley stared at her phone, frowning.

Hadn't Denver already left? Why was he suddenly calling her back? And why did he need her to coutside?

Was there something he couldn't say over the phone?

She yanked the towel from her head, quickly ran it through her damp hair, got dressed and then grabbed her

phone and keys. After locking the door behind her, she rushed downstairs.

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Chapter 104 We Are In Love

As soon as she reached the alley, she scanned the area. But Denver was nowhere to be seen. “Where did he

go?”

“Hadley!” someone called out to her.

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The voice made her freeze. She turned sharply, only to see Eric standing there. Her stomach dropped. He had

followed her here!

Without thinking, she spun on her heel and bolted.

But this time, she had no chance to escape.

Eric's long stride cut her off, blocking her way.

Remembering how startled she had been at the hospital, Eric stood in front of her but kept his hands to

himself.

To ease her nerves, he raised them slightly. “I'm not touching you. Why are you running?”

He was genuinely confused. When they had visited Ernest earlier, she had seemed completely fine.

“Can you at least tellwhy?”

Hadley’s throat felt dry. She ran her tongue over her lips before saying, “No real reason. I'm just exhausted and

wanted to get hto rest.”

“That's it?” Eric frowned. “If that was all, why not just say so earlier?”

He wasn’t exactly bending over backward for her, but he had been making an effort lately.

“That's it...” Hadley nodded, though she looked like she might faint.

“Hadley?”

Eric's expression darkened. He reached toward her. “What's wrong? Are you not feeling well? You look really

pale.”

“Don’t touch me!”

0

Hadley’s voice was sharp as she took two quick steps back.

“Hadley?” Eric's expression darkened, confusion flickering in his eyes. “What exactly...”

“Hadley!”

Denver's voice cut through the tension, filling her with relief.

“Denver!”

Without hesitation, she waved in his direction. “I'm over here!”

“I know.”

With a grin, Denver strode toward her and cto stand by her side.

As if he had only just noticed Eric, he glanced over and said casually, “Oh, Eric, | didn’t realize that was you from

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your back.”

Eric let out a quiet snort.

Internally, he scoffed at Denver's little act, wondering what kind of ghe was trying to play now.

Eric lifted a hand slightly, motioning for Denver to move. “Step aside. | need to talk to Hadley.”

Immediately, Denver felt Hadley stiffen next to him.

“Eric.” His tone was firm as he met Eric's gaze. “I'm afraid | can’t do that. Whatever you need to say to Hadley,

you can say it right here.”

Denver turned to Hadley.

“Hadley is my girlfriend. There's nothing she has to hide from me.”

Her eyes widened, lips parting slightly.

Her first instinct was to correct him.

But before she could speak, Denver gave a subtle shake of his head.

That was all it took for her to understand. If she denied it, Eric wouldn't back down.

Even so, the thought of going along with Denver's words felt wrong. It wasn’t fair to him.

She clenched her fists, torn between choices.

Eric let out a quiet chuckle.

His gaze flickered between Hadley and Denver, a trace of mockery in his eyes.

“You're calling her your girlfriend? Funny. Too bad Hadley doesn’t seem to agree.”

Irritated by how close they stood, he reached for Hadley, determined to pull her away.

“Hadley, chere.”

“I am!” The words flew out of her mouth before she could stop them. She took a step back, lifting her chin

defiantly.

“I'm Denver's girlfriend!”

Silence settled over them.

The air felt heavier, colder.

Eric's lips curved slightly, but his eyes remained icy. “What did you just say?”

His voice was calm, but there was something unsettling about it. “Don’t say things you don’t mean.”

Hadley held his stare without looking away. “I'm not making things up. It's the truth.”

Denver caught her eye and gave her a reassuring look.

There was no going back now.

Hadley took a steady breath and intertwined her fingers tightly with Denver's.

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Chapter 104 We Are In Love

But that didn’t feel like enough.

Lifting their joined hands, she made sure Eric saw them.

Her gaze stayed firm, unwavering. “Do you see now?”

Denver played along without hesitation, tightening his grip. “Eric, Hadley and | are in love. We just want you to

accept that and move on.”

Eric stood frozen.

The sight of their clasped hands sent a sharp pain straight through his chest.

She had pushed him away, yet she held onto Denver like it was the most natural thing in the world.

He shut his eyes for a brief moment. The ache inside him was unbearable.

How was this happening? Why did it hurt so much?

When he looked at her again, his expression was unreadable. His stare carried a strange mix of emotions,

making it impossible to tell whether he was angry or not.

How had she done this?

Eric struggled to believe that while he had been chasing her, she had somehow ended up with Denver.

“Hadley,”

Eric swallowed his rage, but his voice shook with barely restrained fury. “Chere to me, and I'll pretend none

of this ever happened.”

He stretched out a hand, waiting for her to take it.

Hadley’s breath hitched.

“Eric!”

Before she could react, Denver stepped in, cutting off Eric's path. He placed himself between them, standing firm

against the storm brewing in Eric’s eyes.

“Leave Hadley alone.”

“Move!” Eric finally snapped. “Don’t think that being Marshall's cousin means | won't put you in your place!”

His hands shot forward, grabbing Denver by the collar.

But Denver held his ground, meeting Eric's glare without a trace of fear.

“Eric, | respect you, but that doesn’t give you the right to push my girlfriend around.”

They stood face-to-face, the tension between them crackling like the calm before a storm.

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