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

Chapter 51 You Are Not

Allowed To Smile At Them

“Alright,” the grocery store owner responded, giving a quick nod without a second thought.

Hadley, meanwhile, stood frozen, completely thrown off by what had just happened.

Eric turned on her abruptly, his gaze sharp and impatient. “Why are you just standing there? Pay for the flour

already!”

“Huh? Oh-okay,” Hadley stammered as she fumbled to find her wallet. “Just a second.”

Eric's gaze darkened as he caught the store owner sneaking glances at Hadley. Was she really this oblivious?

How could she not pick up on it? Wasn't it obvious to her what was going on?

“What's taking so long?”

His voice cut through the moment, growing harsher. Something as simple as finding her wallet shouldn't be

dragging on.

“There,” Hadley said, handing over the cash. “All set.”

“No, it's nothing...” The owner's gaze flickered toward Eric, hesitating “Hadley, he, uh, he is...”

“Shouldn’t you be on your way?” Eric interjected, his cold, piercing stare cutting through the tension like a blade.

The owner tensed, his resolve crumbling in an instant. He knew better than to press further. “Ah, well... Hadley,

I'll get going then...”

“Alright, take care.”

Hadley gave him an awkward little wave.

“What are you staring at?”

Eric’s patience snapped, his voice edged with irritation. What was so fascinating?

And that lollipop in Hadley’s mouth had been driving him up the wall.

Before she could react, Eric reached over, plucked it from her lips, and tossed it straight into the roadside gutter.

Hadley stared at him, stunned. “What is wrong with you?”

“Why are you yelling?”

Eric had tolerated enough. Srandom man handed her candy, and she just ate it without a second thought?

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Now that it was gone, at least he felt a sense of relief.

His eyes locked onto Hadley’s. “Cheap candy. | bet it tastes just as cheap. You're not allowed to eat stuff like

that.”

What? Hadley couldn't find the words to respond.

Did she ever ask him to try it? And what did how the candy tasted have to do with him?

Watching her fin frustration only soured Eric’s mood further. “Who was that guy? What's he to you? Are you

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seriously upset just because | threw out the lollipop he gave you?”

“What are you even talking about?” Hadley blinked, baffled. “He owns the grocery store nearby | buy things

from.

He was just being nice and gavecandy, and you tossed it like it was nothing. Am | supposed to thank you

for that?”

“That's all there is to it?” Eric's eyes narrowed as he pressed for more.

“What else would there be?” Hadley shot back, still not following where he was going with this.

Alright..

Eric quickly caught on-it was just sguy nursing an unrequited crush.

A smirk tugged at his lips as he crouched down, hoisting a box with ease. “Quit standing around. Cgive me

a hand.”

“Alright.”

Hadley walked over, her thoughts lingering. Since when had she asked for his help?

Eric had already balanced two boxes in his arms and motioned toward her. “Stack the flour on top. You're

carrying those two bags of fruit.”

Right after speaking, he figured his tone might have coff a little too sharp.

“Can you handle that?” he asked.

“I can.”

Hadley gave a firm nod and followed his instructions.

Still, she hesitated. “Are you sure that’s not too heavy?”

As far back as she could remember, she had never once seen Eric do any kind of manual labor.

“This? You call this heavy?”

Eric let out a mocking scoff as he strode ahead without slowing down. “Move it. Don’t just stand there.”

Even his posture radiated irritation.

Hadley was dumbfounded. “Then why carry it at all?” she thought. No one forced him to help, yet he went out of

his way to do it and then got annoyed about it.

With a sigh, she grabbed the fruit bags and hurried after him.

Eric was strong, she had to admit that much. He carried the heavy boxes straight to her apartment and

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< Chapter 51 You Are Not Allowed To Smile At Them

ascended to the fifth floor without a single pause.

“Open the door.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Hadley fumbled with the keys, twisting them in the lock until the door finally swung open. Eric walked in and

dropped the boxes onto the floor without ceremony. His chest rose and fell with deep breaths, exhaustion clear

on his face.

Hadley caught sight of the sweat glistening on his forehead and felt a slight pang of guilt. “Do you want to wipe

your face? Maybe get swater?”

“Bring it.” Eric didn’t hesitate.

“What?”

“A towel.”

His glare sharpened. “What else do you expectto wipe my face with?”

“Oh! I'll grab one!”

Hadley rushed into the bathroom, grabbed a fresh towel, and handed it over. “Here. This one’s clean.”

Eric's expression darkened as he shot her an unimpressed look.

Hadley blinked in confusion. What now? What had she done this time?

“Tsk.” Eric clicked his tongue, clearly irritated. “You seriously expectto wipe my own sweat?”

He lifted his hands, showing them off. “Take a good look. They're covered in dust from carrying your stuff. How

do you expectto clean my face like this?”

“Then...” Hadley hesitated before mumbling, “Do you wantto do it for you?”

The second the words left her mouth, she regretted them. No one annoyed Eric more than she did.

“Or maybe-"

“Hurry up!” Eric cut her off, impatience flashing in his eyes. “Just get it over with. This place is a joke. Not even

an elevator.”

Hadley hesitated for a beat, but Eric wasn’t having it. “What are you standing there for? Do it already.”

“Alright...” Still feeling a little dazed, Hadley gave a small nod, lifting her hand as she stepped closer.

The difference in their heights becpainfully obvious. Without the extra height from her heels, Hadley barely

reached Eric's shoulders, making the difference in their heights even more noticeable against his towering 6'2"”

frame.

Eric seemed to take note of that, too. When Hadley stretched onto her toes, he exhaled sharply and leaned

down, clearing his throat.

“Can you even reach?”

“I can.”

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Chapter 51 You Are Not Allowed To Smile At Them

Hadley gave a slight nod before dabbing the towel against his skin.

A soft, fresh scent clung to the fabric-the sone she always carried.

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Eric found himself distracted. With her this close, he could make out every tiny detail of her face. Her skin was

impossibly smooth, completely unblemished, as if the slightest touch could leave a mark.

His throat felt dry. He swallowed hard.

Hadley, absorbed in wiping his face, didn’t notice. She worked in silence, her touch light and careful.

“So, she has this side to her too,” he thought quietly.

The Hadley he remembered wasn't like this.

In his mind, she had always been loud, always in his space.

“Eric, did you see Danica today?”

“Eric, when are you coming home?”

“Eric, who was that girl you were talking to? You better spill!”

“Eric, don’t even think about looking at other girls, and definitely don’t smile at them. Got it?”

Eric wondered if things would have turned out differently between them if she had been this soft-spoken before.

“All done.” Hadley pulled back, lowering the towel.

Snapped out of his thoughts, Eric felt a strange, lingering emptiness.

“Do you want something to drink?” Hadley asked. She set the towel aside and turned to pour him a glass. “I only

have water, though.”

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

Eric watched as she moved, and then gestured toward the hall. “Mind if | use your bathroom?”

“Sure, it's on the left.”

He disappeared inside and returned a moment later, shrugging off his jacket and tossing it onto the couch.

As soon as his eyes landed on Hadley again, he caught her hesitating. “Uh... Sorry, | don’t have any spare cups.

Wantto run downstairs and grab you a bottle?”

No cup?

Eric's gaze flicked to the table, where a lemon-yellow mug sat. He pointed at it. “What about that one?”

“That's...” Mine!

Before she could finish, Eric had already grabbed it and downed the water in one go.

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My Neighbor's Wife

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“You're a creepy bastard.” His

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Hadley froze, staring blankly. “Guess I'll just wash it later,” she thought.

As he set the mug back down, Eric caught sight of her slightly puffed cheeks. Then, it hit him. “Wait. That was

yours?”

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