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.”

woman who had already walked down the aisle once–be deemed worthy of him? A golden son of a

there was joy….

a puzzle with no

confidence flickering. “My family doesn’t even know yet. How can you be so certain they’d

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

me from the wreckage of a painful marriage. You helped me

friend, one I treasure. But let’s draw the curtain here before the plot thickens, shall we?”

heart sank any

ache

“Hadley…”

waiter came

Hadley seized the chance to shift 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

for now.”

in silence, the flavors on his plate

mirage. The real hurdle wasn’t just

his

began plotting his next move

keep Hadley a hidden chapter from his

him, pushing him

to his family, she would have no more excuses to push him

her feet and ask her to be his

return, Denver mused over whether to pair his declaration with a

be fitting?

be

13:44

Not

feet, he left his room and descended to the basement. The basement housed a sturdy safe, a

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

a small box, lifted the lid, and nodded with a satisfied grin “This’ll do

arm, secured the door, and headed

“Denver.”

voice halted him just as he was about to climb the

his parents, Roderick and

“Dad, Mom.”

returned from a social

it, Denver had

took a few steps forward, her expression unreadable as she sized

I expected…”

her eyes landed on the box in his

like storm clouds rolling in. “What’s that

With a bright smile, he answered, “It’s a

was about to bring up Hadley anyway, there was no

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

“Yes.”

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

at the sight of the bracelet, her expression tinged

gnawed at

son.

need to have a

at his father. “Dad, what’s got Mom