Too Late, Mr. Billionaire: You can’t afford me now

Chapter 943:

He reached up and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, the smirk never leaving his face. “You always go straight for the bite.” He’d lost count of how many times she’d done it.

“Eric!” Hadley snapped, wiping her lips furiously. “Do you even know what hygiene is? When was the last time you brushed your teeth?”

Eric cocked a brow and laughed louder. “That sounds a lot like permission to kiss you. Are you saying you’re okay with it, as long as I brush next time?”

Hadley blinked, stunned for a second. Was that really what she’d implied?

He always did this—twisting things, charging ahead without thinking, acting like her feelings were his to interpret however he liked. The pressure she’d been holding in finally snapped. All her frustration spilled over.

“Eric! Just because you chased me down here looking like a ghost doesn’t mean I’m going to fall apart. Don’t expect me to change how I feel about you!” She glared at him, her voice cold as ice. “You getting hurt has nothing to do with me. So why do you keep acting like I owe you something? How is that fair? Do I look like someone who just sits and accepts anything thrown at her?”

“I’m sorry.”

Eric stood before Hadley, stripped of all pride, his posture small—like a boy who knew he’d done wrong. His hands hung at his sides, helpless.

“Please… don’t be angry. It’s all my fault…”

“You don’t owe me an apology!” Hadley’s voice trembled with restrained emotion, her eyes glassy with tears she refused to let fall.

He couldn’t possibly understand how tightly wound her nerves had been these past few days, how each moment felt like teetering on the edge of something ready to break.

And now, seeing him like this—so vulnerable, so human—only made it harder to hold herself together.

Her glare sliced through him like ice. “The person you owe is Joy.” She jabbed her finger into his chest, her voice breaking. “You’ve owed her for years, Eric. Years! And if something happened to you, how would you ever make that right, huh? How would you fix that?” Her lashes fluttered, lips trembling as the tears finally welled up, stubborn and silent.

The best reads are at gⱯlnσν𝓮ℓs․cøm

Eric felt the weight of her pain as if it were soaking into his very bones. Guilt gnawed at him, and all he could do was lower his head and lean it against her shoulder, quietly pleading for the comfort he didn’t deserve.

“Eric!” Hadley gasped, stiffening in both shock and frustration. Was he even listening? Had any of her words gotten through to him?

“I know I was wrong. Trust me, I really do.”

Seizing the moment, Eric gently pulled Hadley into an embrace. “I didn’t think it through,” he murmured. “I never meant to put myself in danger. I just… I couldn’t stand the thought of you leaving.”

“Let go,” Hadley snapped, flustered. “Stand up straight and talk like a decent human being!”

“Hadley,” he whispered near her ear, his voice soft and strained. “I’m in pain.”

She froze. Her instincts kicked in like a reflex. Her tone shifted instantly. “Where does it hurt?”

“My head,” he said with a furrowed brow, but then paused. “Actually… it feels like everything hurts.”

Panic flickered in Hadley’s eyes. “This is what happens when you run around like that!” she scolded, tugging at his arm. “Come on—back to bed, now.”noveldrama

.

.

.