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

Chapter 131 Unbearably Painful

Hearing the noise, Hadley set down her fork and quickly stepped outside.

“Hadley!”

“Denver? What are you doing here?”

Realizing it wasn’t exactly appropriate to talk right there at the doorstep, Hadley motioned toward the garden,

and the two of them moved out of earshot.

“Hadley.” Denver lowered his gaze, his voice thick with guilt.

“This is all my fault. | never thought my mom would clooking for you. Whatever she said, don’t let it get to

you. Please don’t be upset...”

“Don’t worry,” Hadle

replied, her tone calm and steady, much more so than his.

“I'm not upset. Mrs. Moran was just telling the truth...”

“Hadley?” Denver's eyes widened in shock, a sense of dread settling in his chest.

“Denver, listen...” Hadley sighed softly, her voice heavy with resignation. “Your mother was right. That's why |

turned you down the other day. From now on, we shouldn't see each other anymore...”

“No!”

Before she could finish, Denver interrupted, his handsface twisted in turmoil. “Hadley, please, don’t say

that!”

He stepped closer, his voice desperate. “I didn’t handle things well. | never expected my mom to... Hadley, |

really like you! It’s rare to find someone who feels right, and | don’t want to give up just like that. | can’t give up.

Please, don’t shutout like this, okay?”

Hadley shook her head, unable to agree.

“Listen, parents look out for their children and often have their own good reasons for disapproving a relationship.

Most relationships that try to survive their objections don’t end well...”

“But you said most!”

Denver's voice was filled with urgency, rising in pitch.

“That doesn’t mean all of them,” he argued, his eyes pleading. “How can we know if we don’t give it a shot?”

Hadley paused, caught off guard. She was momentarily speechless.

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Chapter 131 Unbearably Painful

“What's going on?”

Back in the dining room, Nyla couldn't sit still any longer. She rose to her feet. “I'm going to check on them.”

“Grandma, I'll cwith you.”

Eric quickly followed, but Nyla shot him a pointed look. “What's going on with them? Do you know something?”

“No,” Eric replied firmly.

This was Hadley’s business. Whether she wanted to share, it was up to her. He wouldn't interfere.

When Nyla reached the garden and found Hadley and Denver, she glanced back and forth between the two of

them. “Are you two arguing? Or is something else going on? Can you tell me?”

“No, we're..."

Denver remembered that Nyla had once promised her help if they ever faced opposition.

But he had no intention of asking for it.

He knew his parents well. If Nyla intervened, it would likely make them resent Hadley even more.

He turned to Hadley, his expression regretful, as he replied to Nyla’'s question, “This is my fault. | upset Hadley.”

“Oh.”

Nyla sighed, her tension easing. “Well, in that case, | won't be able to help. You made this mess, so it's up to you

to clean it up.”

She glanced at Eric. “Let's go.”

“Yes, Grandma.”

As they turned to leave, Eric furrowed his brow and looked at Hadley.

She was clearly struggling, yet still refused to ask Nyla for help. The swent for Denver.

Could they really handle this by themselves?

Since they wouldn't ask for assistance, there was only so much he could do.

After leaving the Flynn Mansion, Denver hurried hand went straight upstairs to find Wilma.

“Mom!”

Wilma glanced at him, instantly understanding the situation. Her expression tightened. “What's with that look?

Looks like you already know. Humph, that girl sure knows how to stir things up!”

“Mom!”

Denver frowned and shook his head. “It wasn’t Hadley.”

“If not her, then who?”

Wilma’s anger flared up, her disbelief evident. “I think you've completely lost your mind! What's so special

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< Chapter 131 Unbearably Painful

about her that you keep defending her? Tellwhat else did she say about me?”

“It was Eric!” Denver responded honestly, his voice steady. “He's the one who told me! Hadley never said a

single bad word about you!”

At the mention of Eric, Wilma’'s expression darkened even further.

“Denver, listen to yourself. Hadley and Eric are divorced, and to think he still defends her like that... Do you

really want to be with someone like her?”

“What do you mean ‘someone like her?”

Denver was taken aback and quickly explained, “Hadley is part of the Flynn family. Even if she and Eric are

divorced, they're still family!”

“Oh, please!” Wilma’s anger only grew. “Enough! There's nothing more to discuss! I'll never approve of you

marrying a divorced woman! Even if she’s adopted by the president, it doesn’t change a thing!”

So, no room for compromise?

Denver paused for a moment, his thoughts swirling. Then, he nodded slowly. “Alright, | understand.”

His sudden compliance made Wilma uneasy. “What are you planning? Are you really willing to cut ties with your

family for her?”

“No.” Denver shook his head. “If | did that, you'd only hate Hadley even more. I'm not that foolish.”

“At least you have ssense!”

“But...” Denver remained calm, his voice steady. “Mom, I'm not giving up on Hadley. | really care about her. If

you can't accept it, then I'll handle the pressure from both sides. Get srest. Goodnight.”

With that, he turned and walked out, closing the door quietly behind him.

“Denver!”

Wilma shot to her feet, stunned, her voice a mix of surprise and disbelief.

She never expected her usually obedient son to stand up to her like this!

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“Everything | do is for you, you foolish boy!”

Wilma gritted her teeth, her resolve hardening. She was determined to find a way to separate them-no matter

what it took!

Denver realized he had completely misjudged the situation. He never anticipated his parents would fight his

relationship with Hadley so fiercely.

Back in his room, he grabbed his phone, planning to call her.

But then, he saw a message from Hadley.

“Denver, it wasn't the right tto talk at the Flynn Mansion earlier. Your mother is right, and | agree—we're just

not right for each other. Please don’t insist on this anymore. Don’t do anything because of me.”

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Reading the message, Denver jumped to his feet, a cold sweat creeping down his back.

Without wasting another second, he dialed Hadley’s number.

“Hello.”

“Hadley!”

His grip on the phone tightened, his heart racing. “Please don’t be upset. I've already talked to my mom. Can we

decide our future for ourselves?”

From the other end, Hadley could easily guess that he'd clashed with his mother once again.

She paused, reflecting on her own actions,

“I'm sorry, Denver. This is my fault. | shouldn't have used you to escape from Eric in the first place.” Given how

everything had unfolded, even if it was unintentional, the blrested with her. She should never have let him

get caught in the crossfire of family conflict because of her.

me. Please listen to them. Let's stop contacting each other.”

“Don’t fight with your family over

“Hadley...”

Each word she spoke hit Denver like a silent, searing blade-sharp and excruciatingly painful.

“Don’t...”

“Denver, I'm sorry. I'm really not worth all this. I'm hanging up now, and | won't take your calls again.”

With that, she ended the call.

“Hadley!”

Stunned, Denver immediately tried calling back.

But the call wouldn't go through-Hadley had blocked him.