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

Chapter 141 | Hate You

The shock struck Eric deeply, leaving his eyes shattered and his complexion drained of color.

It dawned on him then. Hadley must have caught snippets of his exchange with Linda!

“Hadley!”

Eric massaged his temples, looking at her with a guilty expression. “You've got it all wrong...”

How could he even begin to explain this? “I have no idea why Linda would say such a thing...”

A soft, mocking laugh escaped Hadley. “You have no idea? Really? You already usedonce because of her.

What, are you hooked on settingup and planning to do it again?”

“Hadley...”

“Make no mistake-it won't happen again!” Rejecting his attempts to explain, she scoffed coldly, “Four years have

passed. Do you think I'm still that naive? Your manipulations won't work onanymore!”

“Hadley, that’s not true.”

A deep helplessness settled over Eric, as if no explanation would ever be enough. “What will it take for you to

trust me?”

*Enough!”

Hadley gestured sharply at his hand on her arm. “Releasenow! Stay away for good! That's when I'll trust

you.”

Eric stood frozen, meeting Hadley’s firm stare. Eventually, he relented.

“Okay.”

With a weary sigh, he gave in and slowly loosened his grip.

Without hesitation, Hadley turned and yanked open the car door.

At that moment, Eric felt an overwhelming sense of despair, the weight of her disdain crushing him. A chilling

realization hit him-Hadley despised him. Could she possibly hate him as well?

“Hadley!” Instinctively, Eric called after her.

Hadley halted yet did not look back.

“Hadley...” Eric whispered, his voice trembling as emotions swirled within him. “Tell me-do you hate me?”

At these words, Hadley’s body tensed visibly.

Tseemed to stall as silence lingered before she finally faced him, her gaze unflinching.

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< Chapter 141 | Hate You

Her words were deliberate, each pronounced with clarity. “Yes, | hate you-despise you, even.”

Gathering her courage, Hadley continued without wavering, “To be honest, had you not asked, | would never

have had the courage to admit it. After all, you're Eric Flynn-the man powerful enough to banishfrom Srixby

with a mere snap of your fingers.”

Four long years had passed since she was forced to leave home.

When she noticed Eric’s pale face, a harsh satisfaction briefly flickered in her eyes.

“Are you shocked? Did you really think | should thank the man who banishedfrom my home, ignoring me

completely for four whole years?”

“I...” Eric found himself at a loss for words, his gaze darting away from hers. “It was because...”

“Humph.” Hadley smiled coldly. “I understand-I was found guilty of hurting Linda. You've made your point clearly

enough already.”

Quietly, she looked down, her lashes fluttering slightly as her voice softened. “But your compensation was

indeed generous.”

Money-more than she'd ever dreamed she’d see in her lifetime.

Considering that payment carefully, she added with resignation, “From now on, let's live as strangers.

Without waiting for Eric’s reply, Hadley spun around decisively, opened the door, and climbed into the car.

With a firm click, she closed the door and instructed, “You can drive now.”

“Right away.”

As the car vanished into the distance, the breeze brushed past Eric, who remained motionless, frozen by sorrow.

A sudden emptiness filled him, a hollow sensation of loss he'd never experienced before.

Years ago, he could never have imagined standing here, feeling this helpless.

A single, painful thought crossed his mind-regret.

“Ha, ha.” Eric let out a harsh, mocking laugh. “Well, Eric, this is all on you!”

Two days afterward, Hadley and the dance troupe arrived in Tidebourne to kick off their tour.

Their schedule began locally and was set to extend internationally, with Tidebourne as their initial destination

Lightning Dance Stuwas seasoned in handling tours, and their planning ensured a smooth execution.

However, the weather turned unexpectedly harsh.

Suddenly, the warmth of the day gave way to a sharp cold by evening.

Upon their arrival in Tidebourne, temperatures hovered around twenty-seven to twenty-eight degrees Celsius,

but by night, it tically fell to near freezing.

Simultaneously, strong winds began to roar, and heavy rain lashed down.

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This abrupt change was dose to a cold front colluding weka syphos, nyang The partestary Hand

impening Themera due to its coastal location. The city fee besieged, the storm setting dont windows

the Local authorities advised everyone to stay indoors, leading to the lovable googement of the conges

scheduled performance

Consequently, the troupe found themselves trapped in their hotal

Even if there hadn’t been an advisory, the weather conditions made performing impossible

They were staying at a newly built resort, secluded yes sewing

Thankfully, the resort was well-equipped with essentials, spring them from any significant inconvenience

That night, the dance troupe dined together

Hadley, sitting next to Elissa, handed her food over

“Here, Elissa, take these ribs.”

“Really? “Thank you!”

“Don’t mention it,” Hadley responded with a smile. “I need to maintain my figure, so | really shouldn't eat anyy

fatty meat. If anything, | owe you thanks.”

In a reciprocal gesture, Elissa placed all her shrimp onto Hadley’s plate. “Have more shrimp then-they’re high in

protein and low in fat.”

“Alright then.”

After spending several days together, their similar personalities drew them increasingly closer.

“Tch.”

Alita, nearby, scoffed disdainfully, “Talk about bad luck. Could it be someone’s negative energy?”

Elissa’s brow knitted as she snapped a look back. “And just who are you suggesting”

“Oh, just wondering aloud.”

Alita, never one to mince words, was visibly annoyed.

“Was 1 referring to you? Why the defensive reaction? You know, Elissa, you've been quite the cheerleader for

her. She’s hardly a star, and you're already fawning over her. Desperate much?”

“Who are you calling desperate? Elissa rose swiftly, her eyes locked on Alita.

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“That would be you!” Alita was seething, ready to vent her frustration. “Didn’t you get that? You're desperate

and pathetic!”

“You...” Elissa’s anger flared. She hadn't anticipated Alita’s irrational behavior. “You owean apgy! Apologize

tonow!”

“Humph.” Alita smirked. “You think I'm going to apologize? Not happening!”

“Fine!”

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Chapter 141 | Hate You

Frustrated to the core, Elissa said, “I'm taking this to Ms. Nicolson!”

“Alita!” Their colleagues intervened, holding Alita back. “Con, just say you're sorry,”

“Ms. Nicolson isn’t fond of discord among the staff.”

Should this matter reach Blanche, she'd likely reprimand everyone involved, regardless of who was at fault.

With a huff, Alita expressed her skepticism. “Ms. Nicolson? Since when does she abide by her own rules?”

“Watch what you're saying, Alita!” a colleague warned.

Elissa chuckled. “If you're so bold, let's go together and you can repeat that to Ms. Nicolson.”

Seizing Alita by the arm, Elissa said, “We're going now!”

Others joined in, saying, “Just say you're sorry, Alita!”

“Remember, Ms. Nicolson’s already wary of you because of your last mishap.”

“Think about you future!”

Faced with collective pressure, Alita grimaced but capitulated. “Fine, sorry.’

Elissa was unsatisfied. “That won't cut it. Apologize to Hadley too, and mean it this time.”

Biting back further protest, Alita fetched a glass of orange juice from the beverage station and set it down before

Hadley, her gesture slightly warm.

“I crossed a line, and | apologize for that, Hadley.”

Hadley, never fond of Alita, still chose to keep the workplace peace. She took the orange juice, saying, “It's

okay.” Yet Alita watched her intently, insisting, “Please drink it. Your forgiveness only counts if you drink the

orange juice.”

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