Too Late, Mr. Billionaire: You can’t afford me now

Chapter 997:

As Denver approached, he gave a polite nod. “Eric.”

There was no warmth in the exchange, but civility mattered. Appearances had to be kept.

Eric returned it with a curt nod of his own. “Denver.”

Without another word, Denver pushed open the door and stepped inside.

Hadley was on the phone with Joy, her voice soft and tinged with guilt. “Mommy, you didn’t come home last night,” came the little one’s voice on the other end.

“I’m sorry, Joy. Mommy had work to do.”

She couldn’t bring herself to tell Joy the truth—that she’d been kidnapped and barely escaped a fire. Instead, she wove a story about being stuck with work, away for a few more days. “I’ll be good and wait for you at home, Mommy. Bye-bye.”

“Bye-bye, sweetheart.”

As she ended the call, Hadley looked up and caught sight of Denver. A tired but genuine smile touched her lips. “That was my daughter.”

“I figured,” Denver said with a small nod, returning her smile.

He overheard the tail end of their conversation just now.

Denver gave Hadley a once-over, his gaze steady. “You look much better.”

“I am,” she answered.

“I just finished an HBOT session. There’s another one scheduled this afternoon. The doctor said if everything looks good after one more night of observation, I can go home tomorrow morning.” Thankfully, there had been no signs of cerebral edema. It could’ve been fatal—but with no damage to her organs, her recovery had been surprisingly swift.

“Thank you,” Hadley said, her voice low but sincere as she looked at him. “If it weren’t for you… I might never have seen Joy again.” The weight of that truth settled between them. She owed him more than words could repay. He had saved her life. How could one even begin to repay a debt like that?

She wasn’t naive. Even though she had turned Denver down before—and he had seemed to accept it—his choice to charge into a burning building to save her spoke volumes.

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He hadn’t let go. Not entirely.

“What are you thinking?” he asked, his eyes locked on hers. “Wondering if I’ll cling to you now, just because of what happened?” The bluntness of his question caught her off guard.

“Don’t read too much into it,” he continued, a faint, sardonic smile flickering on his face. “Yes, I pulled you out of the fire. But I haven’t forgotten what you said before. I know where we stand.”

He exhaled slowly. “And you don’t owe me anything. What my mother did to you back then—I was part of that debt. Saving you… maybe it makes us even.”

He said it so casually, as if rescuing her was just balancing some old ledger. Such a perfect moment—he could have used it, pressed her, guilt-tripped her. But he didn’t.

That was Denver. Honest. Principled. Always straightforward. Hadley nodded, her throat tight. “Okay,” she said softly, offering a grateful smile.

“Oh—right,” she added, suddenly remembering. Her gaze dropped to his arm. “How’s your arm? Does it hurt?”noveldrama

“It’s nothing.” He glanced at it briefly. Denver lifted his arm and rolled up his sleeve, revealing the bandaged wound beneath. “No damage to the muscles or bones, but I’ve got to keep it dry, change the dressing regularly, and watch what I eat. Kind of a hassle.”

Hadley frowned, her expression immediately turning serious. “Don’t downplay it. If it gets infected, you’ll have a much bigger problem on your hands.”

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