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

Chapter 729:

The little boy scrambled down from Nyla’s lap and planted himself squarely in front of Ernest. For someone so small, he stood with an unshaken determination—one that shouldn’t belong to a child his age.

“Dad, I’m sorry!”

His tiny fists clenched, his words trembling on the verge of breaking.

Locke hesitated, stealing a glance up at Ernest, searching his face for a reaction.

That look—so fragile, so uncertain—sent a sharp pang through Ernest’s chest.

He was just a child. And yet, he already understood too much.

That his fate wasn’t in his own hands. That his father had the power to decide whether he belonged in this family. Whether he mattered.

hesitation, Ernest crouched down and

as if letting go would mean losing everything. His voice

his cheeks, his small frame trembling as he sobbed

son’s cheeks, his voice steady, reassuring. “This is your home. No matter what happens, I don’t want you thinking like that again. Do you hear

“Dad!”

out, stroking Locke’s soft hair. “Sweetheart, let’s not cry anymore, okay? How about some ice

on g aln ov el

picture of familial love that should

it was suffocating. She had been completely forgotten, pushed into the background. Without another word,

“Hadley!”

that moment, Eric stepped out of his room, freshly changed, his sharp gaze immediately catching sight of Hadley walking toward him with

Linda retreat into her room, shutting the door firmly behind her.

Hadley said casually, chewing thoughtfully. “Seems

the boy? Eric hesitated before choosing his words carefully. “Maybe she just… doesn’t