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

Chapter 218 Let's Get Married Right Away

Hadley froze, eyes widening in shock. Could it really have been Eric?

Elissa, just as stunned, stole a glance at Hadley before voicing the question that was stuck on her lips. “Are you

sure, Alice?” she asked, her tone laced with skepticism. “Could you have mistaken him for someone else?”

“No, I'm totally sure,” Alice's response was firm, unwavering. “A man that handsome? Trust me, he’s not the kind

of face you forget.”

Elissa said nothing more, and Hadley sat in silence, her thoughts spinning.

A feeling stirred in her chest-Alice had to be right.

At that time, Eric had been in Blathe.

She remembered the injuries he carried back then. But she had never asked. Never cared enough to question

them. Now, everything was starting to click into place.

After seeing Alice off at the airport, Hadley and Elissa returned to the dance studio.

As they walked through the halls, Elissa let out a deep sigh. “Mr. Flynn is really something. Does he just go

around saving people without ever taking credit for it?”

Hadley exhaled slowly, shaking her head. “I'm not sure what to say to that.”

Hadley and Eric had met as children given their grandmothers’ friendship, and they also once spent years

together under the sroof, yet she couldn't say she truly knew him.

As a child, Eric had been quiet, reserved-distant. Perhaps it was because they hadn't spent much ttogether

back then.

By the tshe was adopted into the Flynn family, he had changed a lot-short-tempered, unpredictable, a storm

that could never quite be tamed.

Maybe that was just how people were. Layers upon layers, contradictions upon contradictions.

The Eric she had known was ruthless enough to exile her abroad for four years without hesitation, yet at the

stime, he was also the man who had risked his own life to save her.

Hadley found herself wondering-if she told him the truth now... If she looked him in the eyes and finally said it—

that she had been innocent. That she had never pushed Linda. That there was more to the story.

Would he believe her?

Could she trust him with the truth?

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That afternoon, Hadley’s phone buzzed with a message from Eric. “I'll pick you up around 6:30. Dinner at the

mansion with Grandma.”

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“Okay,” she replied simply.

Since she would finish work before five, she took the opportunity to stop by her apartment first.

Hadley had no choice but to keep dealing with Eric, but that didn’t mean she couldn't carve out tto be with

Joy.

Thankfully, Joy was an easy child-gentle, well-behaved, and never difficult to care for. Spending twith her

gave Hadley a rare sense of peace.

By the tshe returned to the dance studio, she was right on schedule. Exactly five minutes later, Eric's car

pulled up outside.

He stepped out immediately, reaching for her hand as soon as she approached. “Did | keep you waiting? Sorry, |

got caught up in something.”

“It's fine,” Hadley replied as they got into the car.

As the vehicle pulled away, Hadley studied him for a moment before speaking.

“You were so different as a kid. Quiet, reserved. Not at all like you are now.”

Eric's grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly. His expression didn’t change much, but there was a flicker in

his eyes.

“Was 1?” His tone was light, but his smile was faint. “I don’t remember much from back then.”

Hadley nodded, lost in thought.

As a child, her visits to the Flynn Mansion had been rare, limited to the times she accompanied her grandmother

to visit Nyla.

“You were always off in your own world-reading or just staring off into space. Even when | was around, you

barely acknowledged me.”

Eric arched a brow, a smirk tugging at his lips. “That bad, huh? Sounds like | was a bit of a snob.”

“You were.” Hadley sighed playfully. “You've changed a lot since then.”

Eric shrugged casually. “People grow up. You can’t expect them to stay the sforever.” Then, glancing

sideways at her, he added smoothly, “Haven't you changed too?”

Hadley considered that for a moment. He wasn’t wrong

Hadley knew one thing for certain-she had changed. After everything she had been through, how could she

not?

And yet, sitting beside Eric now, she couldn't help but feel that he had changed too. The man beside her wasn’t

quite the sas the one she had known four years ago.

“Eric...” Hadley hesitated.

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“Mm?” He glanced at her, his tone casual but attentive. “What is it?”

Hadley opened her mouth, but then faltered.

She couldn’t be impulsive. Not yet. She still wasn’t sure about him.

And then there was Ernest. The situation between him and Linda was anything but simple.

The incident from back then-the one that had sent her away for four years-was bound to be far more

complicated than it seemed.

Was she really ready to step back into the chaos of the Flynn family?

Her thoughts tangled, Hadley exhaled softly. “Just focus on driving.”

That evening, the Flynn Mansion was unusually lively.

Linda had been discharged from the hospital, her leg injuries healing well enough that, as long as she wore pants

and avoided any strenuous movement, no one could tell.

Adding to the energy, Eric had brought Hadley along-something that made Nyla positively beam.

“It's so nice to have everyone together again,” she said warmly. “We can finally enjoy a proper family dinner.”

The meal was pleasant enough, even lighthearted at times.

After dinner, Hadley and Eric carried a platter of fruit toward the living room, where they could all enjoy a nice

chat over coffee and fruit.

But before they could enter-A sharp voice rang through the air.

“Ernest! What is the meaning of this?”

It was Linda. Her voice was laced with grievance and barely restrained fury.

Eric immediately frowned. “What is it now?”

Hadley cast him a sideways glance. “Have they been arguing often?”

Eric didn’t even hesitate. “Yes.” He nodded, his expression turning grim. “I don’t know what's going on, but ever

since Ernest recovered, they've been fighting constantly.”

“Ernest?” Nyla’s tone was gentle but troubled as she addressed her eldest grandson. “Linda is asking you a

question. Please, say something.”

Ernest met his grandmother's gaze briefly before shifting his eyes to Linda. His voice remained calm, controlled.

“What exactly do you wantto explain? It's just a new property purchase-why is this an issue?”

Linda let out a sharp scoff. “No issue?” She folded her arms, her expression hardening. “Fine. Then tellwhy

did you even buy a house at Lion Bay? It's not a new development, there's no planned demolition or renovation,

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and yet you invested in it. Are you seriously tellingthere’s nothing unusual about that?”

Hadley observed quietly. Linda's suspicions weren't entirely unfounded.

However, Ernest remained unfazed, his tone even as he countered, “Then tell me. Linda whore

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< Chapter 218 Let's Get Married Right Away

think the issue lies?” His lips curved slightly, though there was no warmth in the expression. “Do you think I'm

hiding someone at Lion Bay?”

Linda’s mouth opened, but no words cout. Despite her suspicions, she hadn't found any concrete evidence

of that

Taking the silence as an opportunity, Nyla sighed. “Linda, you can’t be so quick to jump to conclusions over

every little thing. Relationships aren't built on constant suspicion.”

Linda's frustration only deepened. She couldn't explain it, couldn’t prove it, but her gut told her-“Something’s

wrong. There has to be something wrong!”

Ernest hadn't expected Linda to catch onto the purchase so quickly.

Quentin was usually thorough, but it seemed Linda's control over the Flynn family’s internal affairs had grown

more extensive than he had realized.

“Linda,” Ernest exhaled sharply, his patience wearing thin. “What will it take for you to trust me?” His voice was

laced with exasperation. “You keep stirring up arguments-big and small. When does it stop?”

Linda stared at him, stunned by his words.

For a moment, something flickered in her gaze-hurt, maybe disappointment. And then, she said it. “Marriage.”

Silence fell over the room.

All eyes turned to Linda, the tension palpable.

She inhaled deeply, steadying herself before locking eyes with Ernest. “Ernest, you heard me. Let's get married -

right here, right now!”

Ernest didn’t respond.

His expression tightened, brows knitting together as his gaze flickered-not to Linda-but to Eric, and then to

Hadley, as if searching for something he couldn’t quite grasp.

“Ernest!”

Linda’s voice cracked with frustration, raw emotion bleeding into every word. “I’m asking you a question! Why

are you hesitating?” She stepped forward, her breath uneven, anger and vulnerability colliding in her chest. “Do

you even want to marry me?” A bitter, humorless laugh slipped past Linda's lips, sharp as a blade. “We should

have been married long ago! But instead, | waited. And waited. Four long years, Ernest!”

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