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

Chapter 7 How Cheap She Had Been

“Understood.”

Hadley nodded. “I won’t cook here again.”

Noticing his evident revulsion, she assured him. “I’ll ventilate the kitchen later to clear

out the smells and make sure everything is cleaned up.”

“You?” With a scoff, Eric mocked, “You struggle with noodles, and now you want to clean?

Don’t bother. Let the housekeeper handle it tomorrow.”

He then turned and ascended the stairs.

At last, some peace…

Relieved, Hadley exhaled and resumed her seat.

The noodles, now even more unappetizing in their cold and mushy state, stared back at

her.

Expressionless, Hadley picked up her fork and hurriedly finished the noodles.

She then proceeded to open the windows to air out the kitchen, tidied up the space, and collapsed onto the couch in the living room.

Opting against the guest room, she didn’t want to give him any further reasons to complain about odors again.

Her plan was to start looking for an apartment the following day; for the moment, she would cope with the situation as best as she could.

The next morning, Hadley was up early and left the house before Eric could descend the

stairs.

She urgently needed both employment and a place to live.

The previous evening, Hadley had meticulously mapped out her journey. She headed

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Chapter 7 How Cheap She Had Been

directly to the bus stop, and then switched to the subway.

Her target was Galant, a well–known nightclub in the city.

Trained in modern dance, Hadley was there to try out for a position as a dancer

Galant was notorious locally as a hotspot where affluent patrons splurged on extravagant entertainment.

Yet, Hadley was undeterred. Her goal was to earn a living and sustain herself.

Moreover, she was there to showcase her skills, not to partake in anything dubious. There was dignity in her purpose.

When she reached the nightclub, she followed the instructions provided by her friend Colleen Hayes to locate a manager named Lennon Lewis.

As it was during the day and the club was not open, her meeting with Lennon happened swiftly.

“Good day, Mr. Lewis,” Hadley said, standing poised and composed.

Lennon responded with a faint smile. “You come recommended by Ms. Hayes, correct?

“Hadley Pearson.”

yes, now I

With her

smile widened.

She was taken aback by the ease of it all. Even with Colleen’s backing, she hadn’t anticipated such a

much,

“Let’s skip the formalities.”

vouching for you,

“For now, let’s get your measurements for the costume. That’ll take a few days and…

for me,” Hadley responded with enthusiasm. Why would

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7 How Cheap She Had

set

again, Mr.

out of the nightclub after everything was taken care of, Wadley immediately

rang twice before

it rang again–this time it was Colleen returning the

she answered,

her habit of

charges add up, you know.

little,”

get it, Colleen.

“You got the job?”

you. Don’t stress. I’m taking

quickly exchanged a few crucial updates and then said

priority was to secure a new

various listings, yet nothing seemed suitable. The affordable ones were in questionable neighborhoods

she prepared to move on to another viewing, her phone

Nyla was calling.

Hadley responded quickly, “Nyla?”

you right now?”

of traffic, Hadley replied casually, “Oh, just taking a stroll. Srixby

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true.” Nyla’s laughter filled the line. “Take your time to get reacquainted with the

conversation then took a turn as Nyla broached the main

since you left Srixby. I’m thinking we should have a little welcome- back party for

“A party?”

a fuss was unnecessary. “There’s really no need

return, it’s important for everyone to see you.

was indeed available now that they’d signed the

Hadley persisted in her attempt to

“Your grandmother’s biggest concern before you… Have she died was

these past years?

I let

Hadley quickly

the

let’s do it your

felt obligated to honor Nyla’s

sounded pleased. “We’ll make it a

“Thank you.”

had lost its appeal, and with the day drawing to a close, she headed back