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

Chapter 52 | Just Want To

See You

Hadley lifted an eyebrow. What else would it be? Was he expecting someone else to be here?

Eric let out a low chuckle. “You're really something, you know that? | help you out, take one sip from your mug,

and suddenly I'm the bad guy?”

That wasn't the case.

Hadley opened her mouth, ready to set him straight, but before she could, his phone rang.

He glanced at the screen, and his expression shifted in an instant. “It's me. Go on.”

Judging by his tone, it was something work-related.

“Got it. I'm on my way now.”

Eric ended the call and turned toward her. “I need to go.”

“Alright.” Hadley nodded, walking with him to the door. As he stepped out, she said, “Drive safe.”

“Yeah.”

Eric gave a slight nod before heading down the stairs.

For a brief second, something strange settled over him-almost like a husband leaving for work while his wife saw

him off.

But when he reached the last step, Eric slowed, glancing back toward her place. His expression darkened. How

was he going to convince Hadley to leave this dump of a neighborhood?

Hadley hardly spared another thought for Eric's visit. The moment he left, it was already slipping from her mind,

no more than a passing breeze that barely registered.

Right now, she had far more pressing concerns. Money.

After turning it over in her head countless times, Hadley found herself considering someone she had sworn never

to contact again. Not under any circumstances. Not even if her life depended on it.

But she was still alive, and she desperately needed help. For the sake of her child, she had no choice but to

swallow her pride.

With a deep breath, she pulled out a phone number she hadn't touched in years. Her fingers trembled as she

punched it in.

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Chapter 521 Just Want To See You

Did he still have the snumber after all this time?

She pressed the call button, holding her breath.

The line connected.

A voice-one she hadn't heard in so long, yet still painfully familiar-answered. “Hello? Who's this?”

Hadley’s heart pounded against her ribs. Her tongue felt heavy, but she forced herself to speak. “It's me.”

A brief silence followed.

Then, the man’s voice cthrough again, this tfilled with a mix of shock and something dangerously close

to excitement. “Hadley? Is this really you?”

She gripped the phone tighter, her other hand pressing hard against her knee. “Yeah. It's me.”

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His reaction was immediate. “Can’t believe you really call me!” His voice wavered slightly before he caught

himself. “Wait-do you need something?”

He seemed to realize how that sounded and quickly backtracked. “I don’t mean you can’t call unless you need

something! That's not what | meant. You can callanytime. Whenever. I'll always pick up.”

The way he stumbled over his words made Hadley’s eyes sting.

Her fingers curled into her palm, shaking just a little.

She didn’t waste ton pleasantries.

“I need money. A loan. Will you lend it to me? | can’t promise to pay it back quickly, but I will.”

“Money?” He faltered for a second, clearly caught off guard, but there was no hesitation in his answer, “of

course. How much?”

“Five hundred thousand.”

Hadley gave him the number without wavering.

“Cagain?” The man was clearly taken aback. His voice shot up slightly as he blurted, “Hadley, why do you

need that kind of money? What happened?”

Hadley’s expression hardened. She had no intention of explaining. “Are you lending it or not? If you're not, then |

won't waste your time.”

“Wait!”

He rushed to stop her before she could hang up. “Just-don’t hang up yet! Let's meet in person.”

Meet up? What for? Hadley frowned, immediately wary.

“Hadley...”

He must have sensed her hesitation because his voice softened. “I'll give you the money, | promise. It's been

years. | just want to see you. That's all. We'll meet, and I'll hand the money over. Fair enough?”

Hadley weighed her options. She had no desire to see him again, but five hundred thousand wasn’t a small

amount, and her child's life depended on it.

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Chapter 521 Just Want To See You

After a long pause, she gave in. “Alright.”

“Ill text you the tand place. Just don’t back out on me.”

“I won't”

A few days later, Hadley arrived at a private club in the city.

It was an exclusive spot-quiet, discreet, the kind of place where people went when they didn’t want to be seen.

The irony wasn’t lost on her. He was the one who wanted to see her, yet he was also the one going out of his

way to stay under the radar.

Hadley showed up ten minutes early. Since entry was restricted to members, she had to give his nat the

front.

“This way, please.”

“Thanks.” Adjusting the strap of her bag, she followed the staff member inside.

The interior was dimly lit, and the air carried a faint scent of expensive cologne and aged whiskey. It was her first

tin a place like this, and despite being led in, she couldn't shake the feeling that she didn’t quite belong

here.

As she walked down the hallway, a door ahead suddenly swung open.

Before she could react, someone stepped out, and she walked straight into them.

“Sorry!” The apology left her lips instinctively.

“No prob-"

The man started to brush it off, but the moment he saw Hadley, his words cut short. Holding his phone in one

hand, the man squinted his eyes.

“Hadley?”

Hadley froze for a moment, caught completely off guard. Of all people, why did it have to be him?

“Why are you even here?”

Under the dim lights, Eric's expression shifted almost immediately. His eyes darkened, suspicion flashing

across his face.

Hadley almost laughed. “What? You can chere, but | can’t? Or is there srule saying I'm not allowed?”

“Hadley!”

“You don’t need to concern yourself with my business.”

She had no patience for a pointless back-and-forth. “I have somewhere to be. I'm leaving.”

The staff member who had been guiding her remained nearby, waiting.

“Apologies for the delay.” Hadley picked up her pace, moving past Eric without another glance.

“There's no rush,” the staff member assured her with a polite nod.

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Chapter 521 Just Want To See You

Eric stood rooted in place, watching as she disappeared around the corner. His fingers curled into fists before he

shoved his phone into his pocket, his frustration bubbling over.

She didn’t want him interfering?

Fine. He wouldn't.

Why should he even care?

But back in the private room, Eric couldn’t relax. His mind was elsewhere, and it didn’t go unnoticed.

Marshall and Barrie exchanged glances before they spoke up.

“What's with you, man?”

“Don’t tellit's about Linda again?”

Normally, Eric brushed off their teasing with little more than a smirk, but this time, he barely reacted. Instead, he

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turned to them with a question. “If a woman comes here, what could she possibly be here for?”

Marshall and Barrie looked at each other.

“Depends on what kind of woman you're talking about.”

This club catered to all sorts. Scfor business, like the three of them. Others, though, had entirely

different reasons. But a good number of others cfor reasons they preferred to keep under wraps.

The reason? Discretion was the club’s biggest selling point.

Eric’s brows knit together, and he muttered, almost to himself, “A dancer?”

Barrie let out a knowing chuckle.

“A dancer, huh? Con, Eric, don’t play dumb.”

Marshall shot Barrie a warning look, and Barrie quickly caught on. Everyone knew Eric had seemed to be

infatuated with a dancer from Galant. But lately, he hadn't been seen anywhere near that club.

Barrie cleared his throat and rephrased. “You mean that dancer is here?”

“What else would she be up to?” He leaned back. “If you're not the one covering her tab, someone else will. Girls

from Galant almost all end up on the spath eventually.”

Eric's grip tightened on his glass. Hadley had mentioned she was here to meet someone. It couldn't likely be

business, could it?

That thought alone made something snap inside him.

“Hey! Where are you running off to?”

“I'm getting her out of here!”

He had no choice.

He couldn't just stand by and let this happen. Hadley was still legally his wife. They hadn't even finalized the

divorce.

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Chapter 52 | Just Want To See You

if he let this slide, people would laugh him out of town.

Marshall and Barrie quickly followed, exchanging silent looks as they hurried after him.

At the reception desk, Eric's presence alone made the receptionist tense up.

“Mr. Flynn.” Her voice was wary, almost pleading. “Please don’t make this difficult for us. You know we can’t

disclose guest information. If | do, I'm out of a job.”

And that wasn’t the only issue. This place thrived on secrets. If even one got out, the entire business could

crumble.

The things concealed within these walls were far from trivial.

A single slip, and the entire foundation of trust would crumble.