?Chapter 1293:

    Standing up, Eric looked at her with reluctant eyes. “I should go.” He hesitated before adding, “Aren’t you going to see me off? Once I’m gone, we might not see each other for years.”

    “Years?” Hadley looked up, startled.

    His gaze held hers. “Every day without you feels like forever.”

    Hadley blinked, and then burst intoughter. “Seriously? That was cheesy! Are you really Eric, or is this some imposter in a mask?”

    “Check for yourself.” He caught her hand, guiding it to his face. “See if I’m wearing one.”

    “Stop…” Hadley said, trying to pull away. “Be careful with my headpiece. The makeup artist spent hours on this.”

    “You’re the one who doubted me—”

    Just then, the door opened. They both turned.

    A stood frozen in the doorway, looking ufortable. “I… didn’t know you were here. Sorry to interrupt…”

    “Out,” Eric said coldly.

    “Oh! Okay!” A stammered, backing away quickly. She looked spooked.

    Hadley stared after her, confused.

    A had never acted like that around Eric before. She nced at him. “Why were you so harsh?”

    Women could always sense these things.

    A’s feelings for Eric weren’t exactly subtle. But Eric had never shown her the slightest interest—at least not until now.

    Hadley had known Eric for over a decade.

    Eric was cold, detached. It wasn’t easy for anyone to get close to him, let alone win his heart.

    But his reaction today wasn’t just cold—it was sharp, angry. His attitude had gone from indifferent to openly hostile, and that wasn’t like him.

    “Harsh?” he repeated, lifting a brow. “She interrupted us. Was I supposed to be nice?” He thought ofst night…

    L?tｅst ch?pt?rs in g??lnovels.??ο??

    He tightened his grip on Hadley’s hand slightly, his voice lower. “It’s better if you stay away from A from now on.”

    “Why?” Hadley looked at Eric with genuine surprise. “Wasn’t A the one you arranged to keep an eye on me?”

    Eric was silent for a few seconds, seemingly unsure of how to respond.

    The truth was, he regretted it now.

    He couldn’t believe he had failed to notice A’s intentions sooner, unintentionally causing trouble for Hadley.

    “Wait a minute…”

    Hadley’s eyes lit up with amusement, and the corners of her lips curved into a smile. “Did you just now realize she has feelings for you?”

    Eric froze. His posture stiffened, and he looked slightly embarrassed. “You knew about that?”

    “I did.” Hadley gave a small nod, the smile still on her face. “I’ve been aware for quite some time.”

    Eric blinked, still trying to catch up. “When did you figure it out?”

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