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

Chapter 99 Candied Hawthorns

“What else was I supposed to do?” Eric replied, his tone laced with a gentle helplessness, though the warmth simmering beneath it hinted at his quiet devotion. “Dancing is her passion. If she can’t twirl and sway, she is a bird with clipped wings. And if she must dance, doesn’t she deserve the cream of the crop–the finest stage to

shine on?”

It was hard to argue with that logic.

Nyla let out a soft sigh, her eyes sparkling with admiration. “You’ve really thought this through, haven’t you?” She squinted at Eric, a playful suspicion flickering in her gaze. “So, you’re truly head over heels for Hadley this time, huh?”

“Grandma,” Eric said, his brow furrowing in genuine bewilderment, “did you honestly think I was just playing

a game?”

Nyla exhaled a slow, measured breath and gave a small nod. “Fair enough. As long as you don’t break Hadley’s heart, I’ll keep my nose out of it. How you sweep her off her feet is your dance to choreograph.”

“Thank you, Grandma.” A faint smile tugged at Eric’s lips, softening his features. “I’m planning to wait until Hadley’s back, and then whisk her off to meet my brother.” His eyes shadowed with a fleeting gloom before he pressed on. “When Linda isn’t around.”

It was no secret that those two women mixed like oil and water.

“Smart move,” Nyla murmured, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial hush. “No matter how things unfold with Hadley, mind you keep your manners with Linda. She has weathered storms aplenty.”

Nyla sighed again, a wistful note threading through her words. “That child she had lost… It has always been a pebble in Linda’s shoe.”

The rest of them might overlook Hadley’s missteps, but Linda–being the one who had borne the brunt- couldn’t quite let bygones be bygones.

She swore she had moved on, but Eric could see the truth lurking in her eyes; resentment still smoldered beneath the surface.

“I get it, Grandma,” Eric replied, his face shadowing briefly. His voice held steady, firm as an oak. “Rest easy- I’ll handle it with care. Now, please, sip your milk before it turns to ice.”

“Very well.”

Beyond the door, Linda froze, her breath catching in her throat as she tiptoed away.

Her face drained of color, her thoughts swirling like leaves in a tempest.

14:23

<

So that was Eric’s grand scheme–blocking Hadley’s job prospects not out of spite, but to nudge her toward

Blanche’s dance troupe?

And now he was plotting to woo her?

Hadn’t he once vowed to despise her forever? Wasn’t it he who’d vowed, with fire in his veins, that forgiveness would never cross her threshold?

the

had everything gone off

days later, Hadley set

had dragged her along mostly to get her feet wet–learning the ropes,

had Hadley plopped into her seat than

name flashed across the screen.

answered, her voice

knew her better than she

the office.”

The his office?!

crinkled. “Why?

Eric said, dangling the mystery like a carrot. “Don’t fret,

gig Eric had paved the way for. “But no need

displeasure. “Why turn

in his voice. “I’m with my colleagues, and your car–well, it’s a bit too much of a peacock’s

That made sense.

set on flying under the radar,

I get a ‘good boy‘ when I actually benu an ear to you?”

kind of absurd question was

14:23

O

<

99 Canded Heathers

Hadley’s finger hit the end

lithe fellow dancer–tilted her head, curiosity glinting in her

drifted to her cheek,

“Like a

quirked into a faint,

those absurd words from Eric–didn’t it feel eerily close to the same thing?

his head as he stared at the

hung up on me!”

He wasn’t even

he dove back into

to swing by his

he breezed past the secretarial office later, he caught the faint hum of chatter and the sight of

and double back, pausing at one of the cluttered

The young secretary jolted upright, swiping at her mouth in a fluster before shooting to her feet like a soldier caught

his head in a nod, a rare smile tugging

into a gallery of wide–eyed

were surely itching to wag. What was

the elusive Mr. Flynn taken a shine to this unassuming secretary?

herself couldn’t help but indulge a fleeting, fanciful thought. Her

Flynn–young, wealthy, and the unspoken heartthrob

favor her so boldly?