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

Chapter 129 Not Fit

Denver froze, his smile caught mid–bloom like a flower in sudden frost.

So, this was the sting of rejection after all.

With a wry chuckle, he murmured, “Is this your gentle way of giving me the cold shoulder?”

“No…” Hadley paused, her words teetering on the edge of uncertainty. “You’ve always been a gem of a person.”

“But not the one who has stolen your heart.” Denver’s smile turned bitter. “Am I right?”

Unwilling to wave the white flag just yet, he pressed on before Hadley could reply.

“I know you can’t force the heart to sing a tune it doesn’t know. But sometimes love strikes like lightning, and sometimes it blooms slowly, like a seed in spring. We’ve never even tried walking that path together. What if we did, and your feelings for me blossomed over time? Hadley, can’t we at least give it a shot? You don’t find me disagreeable, do you?”

Hadley sat there, momentarily struck speechless.

His confession of love was so raw, so fiery, so unshaken by the odds–it stirred memories of her own fearless

heart at twenty.

She let out a soft sigh, as if exhaling the weight of years.

Looking into his eyes, Hadley asked, “Denver, does your family know about me?”

Caught off guard, Denver blinked, and then after a brief silence, admitted with candor, “Not… yet.”

Precisely as she had foreseen.

Hadley’s gaze lingered on Denver, her fingers delicately tracing the rim of her glass.

“If all you’re after is a fleeting moment to tuck into your memories, then Denver, I wouldn’t say no…”

He had been her lifeline more than once. A warm ray of sunshine in her shadowed days.

For that alone, Hadley wouldn’t mind sharing a chapter of her journey with him, even if they were destined to be mere passersby in each other’s lives.

She wasn’t one to cling to the dusty old moral code, nor did she see shame in the dance of love and longing.

But one truth stood firm–Denver wanted more than she could offer.

He was earnest, playing for keeps.

“Hadley!”

True to form, the instant her words left her lips, Denver shook his head in a flurry of unease. “I’d never dream of treating you that way! I’m set on building a true, lasting future with you!”

13:44

“A lasting future?”

Hadley’s laugh was sharp, tinged with irony. “We have no future together, Denver. Your family would never

welcome me with open arms.”

shea woman who had already walked down the aisle once–be deemed worthy of him? A golden son of a high flying, pedigreed clan?

there was

a puzzle

even know yet. How can you

the answer was as

this is not gonna work. I’m grateful to you. You pulled me from the wreckage of a painful marriage. You helped me pirouette back into

deep as the ocean. “You’re a dear friend, one I treasure.

sank any deeper.

inevitable ache took

“Hadley…”

waiter came

here to toast my triumphant performance? Let’s not muddy the waters with anything else.

for now.”

flavors on his

The

his own family.

began plotting his

Hadley a hidden chapter from his family.

Hadley’s words tonight lit a fire under him, pushing him to lay his

family, she would have no more excuses to push him away, would she?

he could sweep her off her feet and ask her to be

parents to return, Denver mused over whether to pair

would be

couldn’t be something

13:44

120 Not

to his feet, he left his room and descended to the basement. The basement housed a sturdy safe, a sanctuary for the family’s most treasured possessions.

code, slipped inside, located his personal safe, and opened it with

lifted the lid,

tucked the box under his arm, secured the door, and headed out.

“Denver.”

as he was about to climb the stairs.

spotted his parents,

“Dad, Mom.”

just returned

Denver had

took a few steps forward, her expression unreadable as she sized up her son. “You’re

I expected…”

her eyes landed on the box in his

gaze darkened like storm clouds rolling in. “What’s that you’ve got

dodge the question. With a

about to bring up Hadley anyway, there

She recognized the delicate jewelry box in a heartbeat. “Is that

“Yes.”

take a look.” Without waiting for permission, she plucked the box from Denver’s hands, opened it, and gazed at the ruby bracelet nestled

at the sight of the bracelet, her expression tinged

had overheard at the evening’s gathering gnawed at her as she cast a piercing

son.

to have a word.”

his