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.”

now I

With her connections and striking appearance,

smile widened.

was taken aback by the ease of it all. Even with Colleen’s

so much,

“Let’s skip the formalities.”

vouching for you, how could I refuse? Plus, I have no doubt you’ll

your measurements for the costume. That’ll take a few days and… Let’s see…

for me,” Hadley responded with enthusiasm.

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7 How Cheap She

set then.”

again,

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

twice before

rang again–this time it

chuckled as she answered, “Why

criticizing Colleen for her habit of returning calls immediately

to mean?” Colleen’s laughter came through the phone. “Long- distance charges add up, you know. You’re

little,”

face. “I get it, Colleen. Thanks for that, and for

“You got the job?”

exclaimed joyfully, “I knew they’d hire you.

long–distance calls, they quickly exchanged a few crucial updates and then said their

Hadley’s priority was to

in questionable neighborhoods with poor security, while the nicer ones were way beyond her

on

Nyla was calling.

Hadley responded quickly, “Nyla?”

are you right

Hadley replied casually, “Oh, just taking

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“Take your time to get reacquainted with the city. No

as Nyla broached the main topic of

been four years since you left Srixby. I’m thinking we should have a little

“A party?”

was quick to protest, feeling such a fuss was unnecessary. “There’s really no need

wife. With your return, it’s important for

that Eric was indeed available now that they’d signed the divorce

Nyla, there’s no need…” Hadley persisted in her attempt to

and added, “Your grandmother’s biggest concern before you… Have she

down these past years? Are

I let

at all.” Hadley quickly comforted

the party

let’s do it your way,

felt obligated to

sounded pleased. “We’ll make it

“Thank you.”

Hadley let out a heavy sigh. The search for an apartment had lost its appeal, and with the day drawing to a