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

Chapter 48 Confrontation

“Step aside.*

Eric's voice cut through the commotion like a blade-calm, precise, and brimming with authority. He didn’t need

to raise it. The weight of his words alone commanded attention.

In the crowd, recognition sparked instantly.

“Mr. Flynn?”

“It’s really Mr. Flynn!”

The restless murmuring died down as people instinctively moved aside, clearing a path without hesitation.

Eric walked through them with unshaken confidence, reaching the center of the disturbance in mere moments.

His gaze sharpened slightly, a ghost of a smirk curling on his lips.

“What's all this?”

His voice carried an air of nonchalance, as if he were merely making an idle remark about the pleasant evening.

“Mr. Flynn...”

Cody’s stomach twisted with panic.

So it wasn't just empty talk! Lennon had been dead serious. This was real.

And he was in deep trouble.

Eric didn’t so much as glance at him, treating his existence as nothing more than background noise.

His attention was elsewhere, locked onto the woman Cody had been holding moments ago. Hadley was still in

her stage costume, her mask slightly askew, long hair disheveled as she sat slumped on the floor. She looked

utterly miserable.

“Humph.”

Eric scoffed, his breath carrying a cold, mocking edge. Then, without warning, his arm lashed out like a whip.

A sharp crack split the air.

Before anyone could react, Cody was airborne, flung like a broken marionette before crashing violently against

the wall.

A strangled cry tore from his throat as pain exploded through his back. His spine struck the wall with brutal force,

the impact rattling through his entire body.

But it didn’t stop there. His face burned with a fierce sting, and an unsettling warmth trickled down his chin.

Blood.

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Cody spat, coughing up a mix of red and saliva. Something solid hit the floor with a soft clink. His tooth. The

realization sent a shudder through him.

Eric Flynn's strength was beyond question.

“Mr. Flynn.”

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Cody forced out a ragged breath, ignoring the sharp sting that shot through him. If there had been any doubt

before, it was gone now-this woman meant something to Eric.

Everyone in the city knew Eric had never taken an interest in any woman. Yet tonight, he'd crossed a line

this dancer without hesitation.

“My bad. | didn’t realize she was yours...”

“Out of my sight!”

Eric’s voice was sharp with irritation. His focus never wavered from S, still curled up on the floor, her entire

frshaking.

“Of course.”

Now mostly sober and no longer concerned about pride, Cody staggered back, retreating without another word.

Eric closed the remaining distance, stopping right in front of Hadley before reaching out his hand.

“It’s alright now. You can get up.”

Hadley didn’t react, as if she hadn't even registered his words.

“Mr. Flynn!”

Lennon burst in with security trailing behind him, only to find that the crisis had already passed.

His relief was obvious. “Man, am | glad you showed up when you did!”

Then, he grumbled, unable to hold back. “You saw it, right? That Cody Blake kept claiming | was throwing your

naround just to intimidate him. But seriously, without your permission, | wouldn't have dared-not even

if I had nerves of steel!”

Lennon's endless rambling grated on Eric's patience.

Tuning him out, Eric crouched down in front of Hadley. “Are you hurt? It’s over now... Lethelp you up.”

As Eric spoke, his hand cto rest gently on her shoulder.

“Ah!”

Hadley flinched violently, her reaction sharp and instinctive, rejecting his touch without thinking.

“What the-" Lennon, startled by the sudden outburst, let out a yelp of his own.

Irritation flashed across Eric's face. “What are you screaming for?”

He fixed Lennon with a sharp, irritated glare. “Shut it.”

“Alright, alright,” Lennon muttered, nodding quickly. Lowering his voice to a near whisper, he leaned in slightly.

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“She’s shaken up bad. That stunt Cody pulled really did a number on her?”

Really?

Eric narrowed his eyes. Something didn’t sit right.

That look in her eyes, the way she shrank back-he had seen this before. The entire situation felt eerily familiar.

His chest tightened as realization clawed at the edges of his mind.

Without another word, he turned sharply toward Lennon. “Clear the room.”

Lennon blinked, unsure he'd heard correctly, “Wait... Everyone?”

Eric didn’t bother explaining He simply leveled the other man with an icy, expectant stare. That was all it took.

“Got it!”

Lennon wouldn't risk pressing the issue any further.

He straightened up and instantly got to work, waving his arms to herd everyone out. “Alright, show’s over! Move

it! Out, all of you!”

Within moments, the dressing room emptied, leaving only Eric and Hadley behind.

Eric took a step closer, his jaw tight as he studied the woman in front of him. His hand lifted slightly, hovering in

hesitation before he reached toward her mask.

A beat of silence passed before he stopped and spoke, his voice steady yet firm. “Do you want to take this off

yourself, or should I do it for you?”

Hadley didn’t answer. Her head remained bowed, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as if bracing against

an unseen force.

Eric exhaled slowly, willing himself to keep his patience. His tone softened as he called her name.

“Hadley?”

At that, she stirred.

Her chin lifted slightly, and through tear-streaked lashes, her gaze met his.

The moment their eyes locked, Eric felt the breath catch in his throat. His fingers twitched as he reached out.

“Relax,” he murmured. “I won't touch you.”

Hadley closed her eyes, surrendering to the moment as Eric carefully slipped his fingers beneath the mask and

lifted it away. The mask slipped away, uncovering her face beneath it.

And there she was. Hadley.

Eric clenched the mask in his grip, his eyes shutting for a brief moment as everything clicked into place.

That strange feeling of familiarity when he first saw her on stage. That unshakable pull toward her, no matter

how much he tried to ignore it.

Of course, it made sense now. Hadley was a dancer.

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Chapter 48 Confrontation

And he had been too blind to see it

“You”

Eric shot to his feet, his initial shock melting into raw frustration

He pointed straight at her. “Hadley, what the hell are you doing in a place like this? Do you even understand

what kind of place this is?”

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Hadley smirked, completely unfazed by his outburst

She had been expecting this. From the moment she realized Eric frequented Galant, she knew this

confrontation was inevitable.

She got to her feet, dusting herself off before meeting his glare head-on. “Mr. Flynn, you chere all the time.

If anyone knows what kind of establishment this is, it should be you.”

Eric's jaw tightened. “And you knew that, yet you still chose to be here?”

Hadley tilted her head slightly, feigning innocence, “Why not? If you're allowed here, why wouldn't | be?”

*Ridiculous!”

Eric's voice shot up, his anger boiling over. A vein pulsed at his temple.

“I'm here to enjoy the performance! What's your reason? You're putting yourself up for sale! Hadley, my family

took you in and raised you. Do you have no sense of dignity or self-respect?”

Dignity and self-respect?

Hadley’s hands tightened into fists, a sharp pain twisting inside her as if something deep within her was

unraveling

She had long been deprived of the luxury of clinging to ideals like honor and dignity. Those were things she had

sacrificed long ago during her struggle to stay alive,

Survival was all that mattered now.

“Say something!”

Eric's voice sliced through the silence, sharp with accusation. He took her refusal to answer as an admission of

guilt, his tone growing even harsher. “You toldyou wanted to stand on your own. Is this what you meant?

Flaunting yourself in front of men just to scrape by?”

As he spoke, Hadley met his words with an icy glare.

Her lips curled into a smirk, dripping with contempt. “That's right-1 flaunt my body for money. And you, Mr.

Flynn? You're the one paying for it. What gives you the right to sit in judgment?”

“You-!"

She didn’t flinch. She didn’t back down.

“I'm a dancer,” she stated, steady and unwavering “I earn my way with my own skill. | don’t steal. | don’t cheat. |

don’t break the law. Tell me, what exactly am | doing wrong?”

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Eric's eyes darkened. “So you've learned to run your mouth.” His patience snapped. “After all these years, this is

the person you've become? | won't stand here and argue with you. Gather your things and cwith me. |

refuse to let this continue!”

“Not happening.”

Hadley lifted her chin, her defiance cutting through the air like a blade. “This is my life. I'm not going anywhere.”

Eric froze for a second, stunned by her resistance. Then his expression hardened, his jaw clenching as he

lowered his voice to a dangerous growl. “Do you really think I'll let this slide? If you won't leave with me, I'll see

to it that this place shuts down. You'll have nowhere left to run.”

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