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

Chapter 129

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.”

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

then there was joy….

puzzle with no

yet. How can you be so certain

didn’t need to ponder; the answer was as clear as day.

I’m grateful to you. You pulled me from the wreckage of a painful marriage. You helped

I treasure. But let’s draw the curtain here before the

his heart sank any deeper.

the inevitable ache took

“Hadley…”

that moment, the waiter came with their meal.

gears, her tone lightening. “Aren’t we here to toast my triumphant performance? Let’s not muddy the waters with anything else. The food’s calling–let’s just savor it

for now.”

on his plate

knew pressing further was like chasing a mirage. The real hurdle

of his

plotting his next

keep Hadley a hidden chapter from

fire under him, pushing him to

would have no more excuses to push him away,

her off her feet

parents to return, Denver mused over whether

be

couldn’t be something run–of–the–mill.

13:44

Not Fir

descended to the basement. The basement housed a sturdy safe, a sanctuary for

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

lifted the lid, and nodded with a satisfied grin “This’ll do the trick.”

his arm, secured the door,

“Denver.”

halted him just as he was

his parents, Roderick and Wilma Moran.

“Dad, Mom.”

just returned from

would have it, Denver had been

steps forward, her expression unreadable as she

I expected…”

her eyes landed on the box

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

didn’t dodge the question. With a bright smile, he answered,

about to bring up Hadley anyway, there was no point in playing coy.

the delicate jewelry box in a heartbeat. “Is that the one

“Yes.”

plucked the box from

sight of the

evening’s gathering gnawed at her as

son.

need to have a word.”

brow, puzzled, and glanced at his father.

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