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

Chapter 212 Abduction

“What did I do now?”

Eric looked confused, hoping Ernest would elaborate.

Instead, Ernest simply shook his head and dismissed the conversation. “Never mind.”

“Ernest,” Eric's curiosity grew, along with a sense of helplessness. “You can’t just start something and not finish

it. What's the mystery here? What are you hiding?”

Ernest chuckled, “Let's save it for another time. Right now, | need to visit Linda at the hospital. Why don’t you go

have dinner with Grandma?”

So this was about Linda.

“Alright,” Eric responded, nodding.

Yet, Eric was left with a nagging suspicion that Ernest was still hiding something from him.

What was bothering him so much that he couldn't even share it?

Throughout the night, Eric's thoughts were preoccupied with Hadley.

The following day, rather than going straight to his office, he detoured to her place.

Although he knew Hadley often visited the dance stuin the afternoons, he wanted to see how she was doing

in the morning before heading to work.

He hesitated as he picked up his phone. Was it too early? Was Hadley even awake?

Despite wanting to go up to her apartment, Hadley had been clear that it wasn’t allowed, it wasn’t convenient.

Amidst his indecision, he spotted Hadley exiting the gate. She was briskly walking with a bag in hand, appearing

somewhat hurried.

“Hadley!”

Eric quickly drove up and pulled over next to her. “Where are you off to? Hop in; I'll give you a lift.”

“Thanks!”

Recognizing him, Hadley didn’t hesitate and climbed into the car.

As they drove off, Eric stole a glance at her. She looked a little tired, perhaps still groggy from sleep.

He asked, “You just got up?”

“Yep.

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Hadley paused, giving a nod as she glanced in the mirror. Was her late start that noticeable?

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She couldn't fall asleep until early morning, which led to her waking up late.

Unaware that the stuhad temporarily stopped their performances, Melba hadn’t woken Hadley, assuming her

usual schedule was in place.

Continuously checking her phone, Hadley urged Eric, “Could you speed up a bit?”

Tardiness at the stumeant not only a cut in pay but also missing out on her attendance bonus.

“Got it.”

Eric accelerated, though the traffic was thickening by the minute.

He looked over at Hadley, concern evident in his voice. “Did you skip breakfast in your rush?”

“I did.” Hadley nodded, not in the mood to think about that now.

Without hesitation, Eric grabbed his phone and made a quick call. “Hey, it's me. Swing by Grandma's Kitchen,

grab a batch of their donuts, and take them to Lightning Dance Studio-fast!”

Hadley caught every word.

Was he arranging this for her?

After hanging up, Eric assured her with a nod. “Hold on, you'll have something to munch on shortly. Donuts from

Grandma's Kitchen-your favorites, right?”

Indeed, they were.

But how had he remembered?

Overwhelmed by a sudden surge of emotions, Hadley responded with a raspy, “Yes, that’s correct.”

The remainder of the drive was quiet.

Arriving at the studio, Hadley quickly expressed her gratitude, saying, “Thanks so much!”

She exited the car swiftly.

“Hadley!” Eric called out. “Hold on, the donuts will be here any second!”

“I'm not waiting!”

Rejecting his plea, Hadley responded quickly, “I have to check in now! Appreciate the gesture though!”

With a quick wave, she dashed into the building without looking back.

“What's the point of only your gratitude?” Eric sighed, speaking to himself. “Skipping breakfast isn’t good for

you.”

He was genuinely concerned for her health.

Securing donuts from Grandma's Kitchen had proven difficult, and he ended up waiting over ten minutes for

their arrival.

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“Mr. Flynn!”

“Right here!”

Receiving the bag, Eric instructed, “Please inform Phillips I'll be delayed by about forty minutes. He should

handle things till | get there.”

“Understood, Mr. Flynn.”

With the bag in hand, Eric proceeded towards the studio.

Luckily, his role as an executive meant he had no set schedule, unlike Hadley.

Once inside, Hadley had managed to clock in just in the nick of time, barely two seconds before being late. She

now took her tchanging in the locker room.

As it was a weekday, there were no morning classes scheduled for the trainees, affording sfree time.

“Hadley.” The call cfrom the entrance of the locker room. “You have a visitor at the east side door.”

“Thanks!”

Grateful for the heads-up, Hadley grew curious about who awaited her.

The east side door was typically used by staff and rarely known to visitors. Was it someone familiar who waited

there?

She secured her locker and proceeded to the east side door.

Eric, just reaching the locker room, unexpectedly bumped into Elissa.

“Do you know where | can find Hadley?” he asked.

Elissa peered inside. “She’s not here. | heard she went to meet someone at the east side door.”

“Thanks a lot!”

Eric flashed a grateful smile at Elissa and then headed out.

Elissa lingered for a moment, impressed. Eric really did have a captivating smile, and his charm was undeniable.

It was clear why Hadley might be drawn to someone like him.

At the east side door, Hadley scanned the area, wondering who might be looking for her.

No one was in sight, yet a dusty van parked nearby caught her attention. It looked as if it hadn't seen water for

weeks.

Suddenly, she noticed something unsettling about the van-it lacked a license plate.

This was bad!

Hadley felt a surge of panic and started to flee.

At that moment, the van’s door flung open, and a young man leaped out, grabbing Hadley.

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“Let... mmph..."”

Before she could scream, his hand was over her mouth.

The man, strong and imposing, hoisted Hadley into the van effortlessly.

“Silence her!”

Inside the van was another accomplice-a woman.

She quickly gagged Hadley with a towel and tossed a rope to her accomplice. “Tie her up!”

Then she slid into the driver's seat and started the engine.

The van began to move as the man secured the door.

At that moment, Hadley caught sight of Eric making his way toward her, and their eyes met.

“Hadley!”

“Mmph!”

Hadley tried to move toward the sound of his voice, her heart pounding with the urge to call back.

Yet, she was forcefully restrained..

The man securing her bindings scoffed, “Don’t even think about it! You're not going anywhere. Thinking of

escaping? Dream on!”

The driver slammed the accelerator, making the van surge forward.

“Hadley!”

Eric sprinted furiously, watching helplessly as the van sped away with Hadley inside.

He never slowed down, not even to catch his breath.

Continuously, he sprinted, pursuing the van by foot.

As he ran, he managed to pull out his phone and make a call, “Where are you? Get back here now! I'm by the

east side door of the studio, hurry!”

He was reaching out to the sman who had delivered the donuts, knowing he was definitely still nearby.

Once the call ended, Eric pushed his limits, clenching his teeth as he raced after the van.

“Hadley! Hang in there! I'm coming for you!”

Inside the van, the man was baffled. “He's still behind us? How is he running like this?”

Both captors and Hadley were shocked. She wondered, could Eric truly sustain that pace? His face, contorted in

pain, suggested it was a struggle.

How much longer would he keep running? How far was he willing to go?

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