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

Chapter 65

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Chapter 65 An Overwhelming Urge To Ki...

What was happening?

Everything around Eric was engulfed in darkness, visibility reduced to nil

Eric's gaze snapped towards Hadley’s apartment, noting the complete blackness that enveloped her chem living

space as well.

He pondered whether Hadley might be frightened, considering she was alone.

Deciding not to wait, Eric activated the flashlight on his phone and advanced.

He ascended the stairs rapidly, two or three at a time, until he reached the fifth floor in no time.

Inside, Hadley was searching through a drawer for candles with the help of her phone's light

The sound of knocking made her pause, slightly startled.

She hurried to the door. “Who's there?”

“It's me!”

As the door opened, Eric's gaze found hers in the dim light. “Do you often have visitors? Other than that grocery

store guy | saw last time, who else comes around often?”

Hadley, still a bit bewildered, shook her head. “Nobody else.”

Eric let out a soft chuckle.

He strode in, his long strides taking him directly to the sofa where he sat down. “So, what's the situation here?

Hadley said, “The power’s gone out.”

“A blackout?” Eric was taken aback. “Here?”

“Can you believe Srixby still experiences blackouts?” Eric muttered internally.

“That's just how things are,” Hadley said. “This part of town is quite old. The electrical infrastructure is outdated,

leading to frequent repairs and disruptions.”

For Eric, who was raised in a more affluent area, such realities were beyond his usual experiences.

“This neighborhood is really run-down...” Eric grumbled.

Visibly annoyed, he then questioned, “Why do you have to stay in such a place?”

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Hadley chose not to respond directly to his criticism. Shifting the focus, she asked, “Did you need something by

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Chapter 65 An Overwhelming Urge To Kiss Her

coming up here?”

At that question, Eric hesitated.

How should be respond? Should he admit that he was concerned for her safety?

Too awkward to voice his thoughts, Eric scoffed lightly, “I just cto see what was up. If anything happened to

you, explaining it to Grandma would be difficult.”

That explained his presence.

Hadley acknowledged with a nod. “I appreciate it, but you can go now.”

Eric was startled. Was she dismissing him already? It seemed she didn’t value his concern at all.

Frustration surged within him. “Leave? In this darkness? How am | supposed to even see all those stairs?”

“Don’t you have your phone?”

“My phone's out of battery!”

“Okay, hold on.”

Hadley suddenly seemed to recall where she might find what she needed. She returned to rummaging through

the cabfor candles.

Eric, puzzled about what she could possibly be doing, got up and joined her by the cabinet. Leaning in, he asked,

“What's this you're searching for?”

“Candles.”

“Candles?” Eric repeated, taken aback. “You actually keep candles around?”

“Yes,” she answered without looking up. “Power outages are frequent here. The landlord and the agent warned

Really?

She knew about the frequent outages and chose this place anyway?

A puzzled frown crossed Eric's face as he watched her silhouette against the faint light. This resourcefulness was

uncharacteristic of the Hadley he remembered, who had always seemed more demanding and less prepared.

“Found them.”

Finally, Hadley pulled out scandles from the back of the drawer.

With a slight smile, she said, “Here they are.”

She offered a candle to Eric. “Here, use this to light your way out.”

Eric gave her a skeptical look and scoffed, “Keep it. | don’t need it!”

Hadley paused, baffled. “But you said it was too dark to see the steps.”

“How ridiculous!” Eric retorted, his tone laced with contempt. “You expectto walk out holding a candle?

Absolutely not!”

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Chapter 65 An Overwhelming Urge To Kisa Her

In his refusal, he knocked the candle from her hand. “I don’t want that thing anywhere near met”

Hadley stood still, a look of astonishment crossing her face. She murmured, “Okay, no need to overreact.”

Just then, she tensed, her reaction turning urgent as she grasped Eric's hand.

“What's the matter now?” Eric asked, confused.

Hadley only let out a scream.

The candle fell to the floor as she leapt back in fright.

“Hadley! Hadley?”

Eric was bewildered by the sudden chaos. As Hadley leapt towards him, his reflexes took over, and he

instinctively reached out to catch her.

In an instant, Hadley clung to him like a lifeline.

Oblivious to her own reaction, she gripped Eric's neck tightly, her screams muffled in the panic.

Caught off guard, Eric found himself supporting a trembling bundle of warmth against his chest.

He swallowed nervously, securing her more firmly with one hand while gently cradling the back of her head with

the other, pulling her closer.

Their cheeks brushed, and her unique fragrance enveloped him, filling his senses.

She felt incredibly soft and smelled so sweet...

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His tone involuntarily softened. “It’s okay. I've got you.”

Jolted by his reassuring words, Hadley realized what she had done-she had impulsively thrown herself into Eric's

arms.

She quickly started to pull away, saying, “I'm sorry! | didn’t mean to cling like that.”

Eric remained still, either missing her intent or ignoring it, as he chuckled softly. “What got you so scared?”

Hadley, her cheeks warming with embarrassment, muttered, “I think a cockroach.”

In a place like this, encountering cockroaches wasn’t unusual. Despite her efforts with insecticide, a few

persistent critters remained.

She placed a hand against his chest, saying softly, “I'm alright now. You can let go.”

“Sure.”

Eric nodded, but he didn’t release her just yet. Instead, he carried her to the sofa, lowering her carefully onto the

cushions.

His fingers hesitated, barely grazing her as he began to withdraw.

Clearing his throat, which felt constricted and rough, Eric whispered, “Hadley...”

“What?” Peering upward, Hadley tried to discern his features in the low light. “What's going on?”

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Eric's voice faltered. His heartbeat thundered, loud and chaotic, his breathing intense.

Instinctively, his embrace tightened as he moved nearer, his head lowering towards hers.

In the shroud of darkness, his lips sought hers with surprising accuracy.

He felt an overwhelming urge to kiss her.

The desire was immediate and compelling.