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

Chapter 997:

As Denver approached, he gave a polite nod. “Eric.”

There was no warmth in the exchange, but civility mattered. Appearances had to be kept.

Eric returned it with a curt nod of his own. “Denver.”

Without another word, Denver pushed open the door and stepped inside.

Hadley was on the phone with Joy, her voice soft and tinged with guilt. “Mommy, you didn’t come home last night,” came the little one’s voice on the other end.

“I’m sorry, Joy. Mommy had work to do.”

She couldn’t bring herself to tell Joy the truth—that she’d been kidnapped and barely escaped a fire. Instead, she wove a story about being stuck with work, away for a few more days. “I’ll be good and wait for you at home, Mommy. Bye-bye.”

“Bye-bye, sweetheart.”

caught sight of Denver. A

with a small

overheard the tail end of their conversation

gave Hadley a once-over, his gaze

“I am,” she answered.

of observation, I can go home tomorrow morning.” Thankfully, there had been no signs of cerebral edema. It could’ve been fatal—but with no damage to her organs, her recovery had been surprisingly

looked at him. “If it weren’t for you… I might never have seen Joy again.” The weight of that truth settled between them. She

he had seemed to accept it—his choice to charge into a burning building to save her spoke

love

hadn’t let

he asked, his eyes locked on hers. “Wondering if I’ll cling to you now, just because of what happened?” The bluntness of his

a faint, sardonic smile flickering on his face. “Yes, I pulled

you back then—I was part of that debt. Saving you… maybe it makes us

was just balancing some old ledger. Such a perfect moment—he could have used it, pressed her, guilt-tripped her. But he