Too Late, Mr. Billionaire: You can’t afford me now

Chapter 969:

“And now, when you’ve been caught red-handed, you pretend it was all some joke?” Hadley’s gaze narrowed. “Even you don’t believe that, do you?”

She then pointed directly at Eric. “And I know he doesn’t. Isn’t that right?”

“Shut up!” Linda snapped, her voice shaking. Her face had gone pale, and then flushed deep red, anger and humiliation crashing into each other all at once.

Hadley laughed, loud and unrestrained, the sound laced with satisfaction.

“Craving both Eric and Ernest—so fickle, so shameless. That’s you in a nutshell!”

“Hadley! That’s enough!”

Before Linda could completely unravel, Eric acted. In one swift motion, he wrapped his arms around Hadley’s waist and lifted her clean off the ground.

“Let’s go!” he growled, striding off with her in his arms.

“Eric!” Hadley gasped, caught off guard. Her legs kicked helplessly in the air. “Put me down!”noveldrama

But Eric wasn’t listening. With his height and strength, she was no match.

He didn’t take her far—just to the quiet lobby outside the examination room. There, he finally set her down.

“Don’t even think about running,” he said, his voice low. “You know you can’t outrun me.”

“Why chase me at all?” she said, cool and teasing. “Your little sweetheart just confessed. Shouldn’t you be rushing back to her arms so the two of you can finally live your happily-ever-after?”

“Hadley!” Eric’s voice sharpened. “It was just a joke!”

“A joke?” Hadley’s smile vanished, her tone growing serious. “Trust me, women know each other. And as a woman, I’m telling you that wasn’t a joke. Linda really does like you. She’s always had a thing for you—”

𝕋𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖐𝖊𝖉 𝖋𝖗𝖔𝖒 g⍺𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝗍𝖊𝗅𝘀․𝖼𝗈𝗺

Before she could finish, Eric closed the distance.

The kiss hit like a storm—deep, consuming, edged with something dangerously close to punishment. It wasn’t gentle. It simply claimed.

“That hurts…” Hadley groaned, frowning as she tried to pull away.

But he didn’t stop. Her protest was a spark to fire, not a barrier. Time slipped—two minutes, five, maybe more. The world narrowed down to breath and skin and heat.

By the time he finally let her go, her lips were flushed red.

Eric’s gaze swept over her, his thumb brushing lazily against her swollen lip. “Keep talking nonsense,” he murmured, voice thick. “Say one more word, and I swear, I won’t stop at ten next time.”

“How is it nonsense?” she snapped, clearly unfazed. “I was trying to have a serious conversation!”

She stared at him, suspicion creeping into her eyes.

“Do you really not believe it… or are you just in denial? Is it that hard to accept that the girl you idealized actually confessed to you?” Her voice lowered, steady and serious. “Because she did, Eric. She meant every word. She—”

But before she could continue, Eric leaned in again, cutting her off with another kiss—quicker this time, but just as firm.

As their breaths mingled, he let out a low, amused chuckle. “If you want me to kiss you, Hadley… just say so. No need to dress it up like an argument. I’m more than willing to oblige.”

Hadley gasped, her eyes going wide as she felt his hand slide to her waist, pulling her against him.

“At least focus. If we’re going to kiss, let’s do it right,” he whispered into her mouth.

Nyla’s test results had come back—thankfully, nothing serious. Still, the doctor recommended she stay under observation overnight.

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