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

Chapter 1611:

With school in session, Locke had departed early, his absence keenly felt throughout the house.

When Joy awoke to find her cousin missing, she erupted into tears and protests. Hadley spent nearly an hour soothing her daughter’s disappointment. By afternoon, Joy stubbornly refused to nap in her bed. Clutching the Minnie Mouse doll—Locke’s gift—against her chest, she demanded to sleep beside her mother in the sitting room.

While Joy slumbered, Hadley thumbed through a wedding planning booklet, visions of her upcoming celebration dancing in her mind. The rhythmic patter of rain against glass created a soundtrack to her contentment, filling her heart with tranquil joy.

Eventually, her vision blurred from studying elaborate cake designs and floral arrangements. She placed the booklet aside and turned toward the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The plush sofa directly faced a wall of sliding glass doors, framing the rain-drenched garden like a living watercolor painting.

A memory flashed through Hadley’s mind. She massaged her stiff neck, carefully rose to avoid waking Joy, and padded upstairs.

descended the stairs, a mysterious bag clutched

lay several skeins of auspicious red yarn and a

purchased the yarn with grand intentions—a matching sweater for both Joy and Eric, symbols

so quickly this year that the

story of their relationship—started, abandoned, and resumed countless times, yet

gαℓησν𝒆𝓁s․c𝓸𝗆 brings imagination alive

before her and her heart finally

from his coat while Joy continued to dream undisturbed. The sitting room remained a sanctuary of quiet, broken only by the soft click of Hadley’s

usual,” she observed

by now. “Another evening meeting

He sighed, loosening