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

Chapter 54 Bail Her Out

Hadley cast a fleeting glance at Eric before lowering her head with a faint smile. “No need, | will tell the police

whatever they need to know.”

She was curious to see if Eric truly believed he could dictate every turn of her fate.

Eric had not expected her to dig in her heels like this. Was it really so impossible for her to just talk to him and

clear things up?

Trapped between frustration and disbelief, Eric let out a cold, sharp laugh. “Fine, perfect! Let's get moving then!”

Did she think he relished interfering in her affairs? If he kept sticking his nose in, he might as well be a fool.

“Let's go!”

Hadley turned and followed the policewoman out.

A moment later, a loud crash echoed behind her. She froze for a heartbeat. Eric had overturned the coffee table

in a fit of rage.

The room lay in ruins.

At the police station.

“Officer, | have explained everything clearly.”

She had been repeating herself like a scratched record, yet the officers remained unimpressed.

“You claim you are innocent, so why were you

there?”

Hadley opened her mouth, but then shut it again.

She had been alone in that room, just as she had already said.

“Your story is full of holes, Miss Pearson. You need to tell us the truth.”

Hadley fell silent, the pressure pressing down on her like a boulder.

“Any witnesses? Friends? Family? Someone who can vouch for you?”

This...

Her mind went blank. She had no one.

The officer sighed. “Alright, detain her for now.”

He snapped his notebook shut and motioned for her to be taken away.

The iron door groaned, and she was shoved inside a cell.

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Three or four other women were already there, their skimpy outfits clashing with the heavy makeup they wore.

Their line of work was no mystery.

Hadley pressed her lips together and settled into a corner.

The women threw a few glances her way but made no effort to engage her.

“When are they letting us out?” one of them grumbled with a yawn. “This is ridiculous. How are we supposed

to make a buck like this?”

“You still worried about cash? We should count ourselves lucky they are not shipping us off to one of those

reform programs. Those things drag on for months!”

“Free food from the government is not too shabby though!”

Hadley listened, a gnawing dread settling in her stomach.

Was she headed toward the sfate? She had heard of those reform programs.

Not quite prison, but still a cage. She could not afford to get entangled in that.

She had not seen this mess coming.

If only she had not let that man slip away.

After stime, an officer swung by, unlocked the door, and hauled two women out. “You two, let's go.”

“These two headed for White Lake?” the officer asked his colleague.

“Yeah.”

Hadley caught their hushed exchange and tightened her arms around herself. White Lake was where Srixby

Prison stood.

What was she supposed to do? Just sit here and wait for the walls to close in?

Eric’s arrogant face flashed through her mind... She shut her eyes for a second.

Then, she stood up and moved to the iron door. “Officer! | need to call my family!”

They allowed her one call, and Hadley dialed Eric's number.

But it was Phillips who answered. “I will pass it along to Mr. Flynn.”

“Alright, thank you.”

She hung up and waited.

No one came.

Her phone had been confiscated when she was brought in, so she had lost all sense of time. Each second

crawled by like an eternity.

Would he truly not come? It would not surprise her. Men like him did not take kindly to being defied.

Just as she was about to resign herself to her fate, the iron door creaked open again.

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Chapter 54 Bail Her Out

“Hadley Pearson?”

Her head snapped up.

“Your family is here. Cout.”

Hadley jumped to her feet, her fists clenching unconsciously. For a split second, she felt an overwhelming urge

to cry.

Eric was waiting, sprawled in a chair as if the entire station belonged to him. As she walked toward him, a

smirk played at his lips.

“You must have a real fondness for police stations. You have not been back long, and this is already your

second visit.”

Hadley ignored his jibe, stopping in front of him with her head slightly bowed.

Eric raised an eyebrow, his fingers drumming lazily against the table. “Did you dragdown here just to play

the silent game? Do you think | have tto waste?”

Hadley took a deep breath before lifting her gaze to meet his. “I have not.”

“What?”

Eric paused for a beat before smirking. “Have not what? You are speaking in riddles.”

She knew he was playing with her on purpose.

Why was he always like this?

Did he care about her?

Not a chance. Not in this lifetime.

Maybe it was just because they had not divorced yet? But that was a weak excuse. Their marriage had been

dead for four years, nothing more than an empty husk.

Still, Eric wanted answers, and if Hadley wanted her freedom, she had to provide them.

Hadley furrowed her brows and spoke carefully. “The question you asked and the answer you are seeking. |

have not...”

“You have not what?” Eric refused to let it go.

He suddenly stood up, leaning in close, his breath warm against her skin.

“Tell me.”

“I...” Hadley bit her lip, frustration and embarrassment warring inside her. “I have not been with other men!”

Was he satisfied now?

“Oh,” Eric said as if it had finally clicked, but then his voice dropped an octave. “You are not lying to me, are

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you?”

Hadley stared at him, startled, shaking her head. “No, | am not lying.”

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Eric let out a slow, icy chuckle.

Without warning, his hand shot out, grasping Hadley’s chin, forcing her to look at him. She flinched slightly.

He ignored her reaction, his voice like a blade against stone. “You said it, and | will believe you! But if | find out

you are lying, you will not like the consequences.”

“No!” Hadley gasped, cold sweat forming on her back. She shook her head. “I am not lying.”

“Good.”

With that, Eric released her. “Let's go.”

He turned and walked ahead.

Behind him, Hadley let out a shaky breath, clutching her chest.

“Hurry up!”

“I am coming!”

Outside, Eric yanked open the passenger-side door, shooting her a pointed look as she moved toward the back

seat.

“Sit in the front.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Eric's expression darkened. “Do | look like your driver? Do you think you are

that important?”

Hadley frowned. “That is not what | meant.”

“Then take the front seat!”

“Alright.”

With little choice in the matter, Hadley acquiesced. Eric didn’t have a chauffeur; he was behind the wheel

himself. As she settled into the passenger seat, an uneasy feeling crept over her.

“What's on your mind?” Eric cast a sidelong glance her way. “Hey, there’s a bag in the back. Can you get it?”

“What's inside?”

“You'll find out when you see it. Why the twenty questions?”

“Fine.”

Hadley swung around, reached around to the rear seat, and opened the bag.

She then stopped at what she saw.