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

Chapter 983:

Eric’s eyes burned red with rage. His jaw locked so hard it felt like his teeth might shatter. “Ferris!!” he growled.

His pulse thundered in his ears.noveldrama

“What about the firefighters? Aren’t they there yet?”

“They are,” Phillips said quickly. “They’re doing everything they can. As soon as they get the fire under control, we’ll head in!”

They had to wait?

Could Hadley even survive that long?

Eric clenched his jaw tighter. His temples pounded; veins bulged along his forehead.

His thoughts were spiraling…

Linda was at the Blisey Dock, and Hadley was at Fralo Mountain. That was what Ferris had told him.

Eric was sure he hadn’t misheard. Had Ferris lied? Or just gotten it wrong?

The Blisey Dock was already engulfed in flames.

“Is anyone there? Please! Somebody!”

Hadley’s voice echoed through the warehouse, swallowed by smoke and fire. She grabbed the chair she’d been sitting on and hurled it against the iron door. It barely made a dent.

Her thoughts scrambled.

What now? Was this it? Was this how she would die?

She coughed hard, her lungs rejecting the thick smoke sneaking in through every crack.

She called out again, but her voice cracked and faded.

gⱯ𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀.𝗰𝗈n – 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻

Weak from shouting and gasping for breath, she collapsed against the door and slid to the floor.

Heat pressed in from all sides, and the air was disappearing fast. Her face flushed, her eyes reddened. She shut her eyes out of despair.

Maybe… maybe this was how it ended.

She’d only known true happiness as a baby—back when her parents still loved each other, when she was the center of a warm, loving home. But then her father cheated. Her mother died. Her grandfather passed away soon after, consumed by grief. Her grandmother, already old, had to raise her alone. Then she lost her grandmother, too.

The Flynn family had taken her in—but she’d never felt like more than a guest in their home. She owed them everything, so she endured everything without complaint.

Her grandmother had taught her to always repay kindness, no matter the cost.

“But, Grandma, I’m so tired…” she murmured, eyes still closed. Looking back on her life—just twenty-some years—it felt like a lifetime of struggle. Maybe death wasn’t so bad. Maybe it was a release.

Maybe this was fate’s way of giving her peace…

A loud, metallic crash jolted her upright.

The iron door groaned—the wall behind it had weakened, flames burning through it. The impact shifted the door, leaving a narrow gap. Through it, she could see fire licking at the edges—but it wasn’t fear she felt at that moment. It was hope.

“Joy, Joy…” She whispered her daughter’s name as she found strength. The world had never really loved her. Life had always been heavy. But she couldn’t die. Not now. Not with Joy still out there.

If she died, what would happen to her little girl?

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