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

Chapter 141 I Hate You

The shock struck Eric deeply, leaving his eyes shattered and his complexion drained of color.

It dawned on him then. Hadley must have caught snippets of his exchange with Linda!

“Hadley!”

Eric massaged his temples, looking at her with a guilty expression. “You’ve got it all wrong…”

How could he even begin to explain this? “I have no idea why Linda would say such a thing…”

A soft, mocking laugh escaped Hadley. “You have no idea? Really? You already used me once because of her. What, are you hooked on setting me up and planning to do it again?”

“Hadley…”

“Make no mistake–it won’t happen again!” Rejecting his attempts to explain, she scoffed coldly, “Four years have passed. Do you think I’m still that naive? Your manipulations won’t work on me anymore!”

“Hadley, that’s not true.”

A deep helplessness settled over Eric, as if no explanation would ever be enough. “What will it take for you to

trust me?”

*Enough!”

Hadley gestured sharply at his hand on her arm. “Release me now! Stay away for good! That’s when I’ll trust

you.”

Eric stood frozen, meeting Hadley’s firm stare. Eventually, he relented.

“Okay.”

With a weary sigh, he gave in and slowly loosened his grip.

Without hesitation, Hadley turned and yanked open the car door.

At that moment, Eric felt an overwhelming sense of despair, the weight of her disdain crushing him. A chilling realization hit him–Hadley despised him. Could she possibly hate him as well?

“Hadley!” Instinctively, Eric called after her.

Hadley halted yet did not look back.

“Hadley…” Eric whispered, his voice trembling as emotions swirled within him. “Tell me–do you hate me?”

At these words, Hadley’s body tensed visibly.

Time seemed to stall as silence lingered before she finally faced him, her gaze unflinching.

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Chapter 141 I Hate You

words were deliberate, each pronounced with clarity. “Yes, I hate you–despise you,

her courage, Hadley continued without wavering, “To be honest, had you not asked, I would never have had the courage to admit it. After all, you’re Eric Flynn–the man powerful enough to banish me

years had passed since she was forced to leave

harsh satisfaction

you really think I should thank the man who banished

himself at a loss for words, his gaze darting away from hers.

of hurting Linda. You’ve made your point clearly

looked down, her lashes fluttering slightly as her voice softened. “But your compensation was indeed generous.”

she’d ever dreamed she’d see in her lifetime.

with resignation, “From now on, let’s live as strangers.

for Eric’s reply, Hadley spun around decisively, opened

firm click, she closed the door and instructed, “You can

“Right away.”

frozen by sorrow. A sudden emptiness filled him, a hollow

he could never have imagined standing here, feeling this

single, painful thought

out a harsh, mocking laugh. “Well, Eric, this is all

the dance troupe arrived in Tidebourne to kick off their

initial destination Lightning Dance Studio was seasoned in handling tours,

of the day gave way

hovered around twenty–seven to twenty–eight degrees Celsius, but by night, it dramatically fell to near freezing.

strong winds began to roar,

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III

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く

cold front

location. The city fee besieged, the storm setting

stay indoors, leading to the lovable googement of the conges

troupe found themselves trapped in their

if there hadn’t been an advisory, the weather conditions

a newly built resort, secluded yes

well–equipped with essentials, spring them

dance troupe dined

sitting next to Elissa, handed her food

Elissa, take

“Really? “Thank you!”

need to maintain my figure, so I really shouldn’t eat anyy fatty meat. If anything, I owe

onto Hadley’s plate. “Have more shrimp then–they’re high in protein and

“Alright then.”

spending several days together, their similar

“Tch.”

disdainfully, “Talk about bad luck. Could it be

brow knitted as she snapped a look back.

wondering