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

Chapter 957:

“Eric!” Linda suddenly grabbed his hand and cried, “It hurts so bad. You have no idea how painful this is…”

Tears brimmed in Linda’s eyes, clouding her sight.

“How can a person’s heart shift so fast?” she whispered.

“Linda…” Eric studied her, his brow creasing with unease. “Look, before your trip to Storia, there had been nothing going on between Ernest and Elissa.”

In Eric’s view, Ernest approached relationships with cool-headed logic, guided by a strict personal code rather than sentiment.

He went on, “Even now, I’d say what Ernest feels for Elissa comes from duty and a sense of remorse. To him, looking after her is an obligation.”

Linda let out a faint, wry laugh. She stood frozen for a moment, dazed. “He told me the same thing. So, it was on me. I let him go…”

Agony flashed across her face as she squeezed her eyes shut, tears spilling free.

Bowing her head, she pressed her forehead to Eric’s shoulder.

Eric stiffened, at a loss for how to ease her pain. The sound of footsteps broke his focus, and he glanced up to see Hadley nearing.

“Hadley…”

Before he could say more, his phone buzzed in his pocket.

“Linda, I’ve got to take this,” he said, seizing the call as a chance to pull away. “It’s Grandma.”

He answered with a swipe. “Hey, Grandma…”

Nyla’s voice crackled through, insistent. “What’s going on with you lot? Your brother’s not back, and neither are you!”

“Grandma, we’re on our way now… Yes, with him too.”noveldrama

Through the corner of his eye, he saw Hadley reach the door. He cut the call short.

“Grandma, we’ll talk later!” With that, he ended the call.

“Hadley!” Tucking his phone away, Eric jogged to catch up. “Heading home? Let me drive you!”

He figured she was returning to Joy.

“No, thanks,” Hadley replied, shaking her head with a polite refusal. Her expression remained steady, devoid of any irritation. “I can manage on my own. Besides, Nyla’s expecting you.”

“It’s no trouble. My brother hasn’t finished his business here yet. I can drop you off and then—”

“Really, it’s not necessary,” she said, a touch exasperated. “Aren’t you coming by to see Joy first thing tomorrow? I’ll have breakfast ready. I’ll see you in the morning, alright?”

At that, Eric’s face softened, a grin breaking through. “Alright.” Still, he pressed, “I’ll get someone to take you home. Text me when you’re there.” Hadley relented.

The sanatorium sat far from town, and cabs were scarce during such late hours.

Eric flagged down a car from the facility, waving as she climbed in.

“See you in the morning.”

“Okay,” Hadley said, offering a small smile before looking away, a flicker of something unreadable in her eyes. She had matters to broach with Eric.

Early the next morning, just after seven, Eric arrived at Hadley’s door.

She let him in. “Morning, Hadley,” he greeted, bundled in a black cashmere hat that hid his still-bare scalp.

In his hands, he carried a box. “Got a bunny toy for Joy. I’ll set it up with her later.”

He chatted as he stepped inside, settling onto the sofa with a thud. “No company stuff for a bit so I can hang out with Joy properly,” he said, lowering his voice. “She’s not awake yet, right?”

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