“Already had,” Zane replied, returning her smile. “My car’s waiting just outside. I need to get going.”
Hadley remained motionless, her body tense as she waited for Eric to approach.
Eric understood the truth—she wasn’t waiting for him at all. Earlier, he had seen Zane’s departure and realized that Hadley had been there to bid him farewell.
“Hadley.” Eric managed a smile as he retrieved a set of car keys from his pocket. “I came to return these.”
The keys belonged to Brady. Yesterday, after Eric had helped Brady into his own car, his bodyguard had driven Brady’s vehicle over. In the chaos of the moment, he had forgotten to leave the keys behind.
“Here.” He stretched out his hand, presenting the keys to Hadley.
“Thank you.” Hadley voiced her appreciation as she reached forward to accept them, her fingers closing tightly around the keys.
Following a brief pause, she angled her face toward him with gentle concern. “Are you alright?”
Confusion flickered across Eric’s features, her question catching him off guard.
“I mean…” Hadley clarified softly, her tone laced with worry. “Last night, with all that torrential rain… you were completely drenched. Did you catch a cold?”
Understanding dawned on him—that was her concern. For a moment, he had feared she was probing into something far more serious, like his health. Relief washed over him so strongly that perspiration threatened to bead on his forehead.
Eric found himself unable to suppress a smile. Hadley was worried about him.
“I’m perfectly fine—no need to worry about me.”
Despite his cheerful expression, Hadley couldn’t bring herself to mirror his warmth. Her lips pressed into a thin line.
Without warning, she spoke again. “Thank you.”
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Eric’s smile faltered, uncertainty clouding his expression. “What are you thanking me for?”
“I mean…” Hadley continued, her voice steady. “Brady told me what happened yesterday. You followed him to the Hayes residence out of concern for his safety. Thank you for protecting him.”
“No need.” Eric gave a modest shake of his head. “While I did follow him there, I hardly provided any real assistance.”
With her gratitude expressed, Hadley fell silent and motioned toward the house. “Well—”
Her words were cut short by the sharp ring of Eric’s phone.
“Give me a moment,” Eric said.
As he pulled the device from his pocket, Hadley caught a glimpse of the caller ID—Ernest’s name glowed on the screen. She couldn’t help but wonder if this was about business or something more personal.
“Hey, Ernest.” Eric made no move to step aside, answering the call in plain view of Hadley. “I’m currently on Jewel Avenue… Yes, proceed.”
Whatever Ernest said caused Eric’s brow to furrow, shadows gathering in his eyes.
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Message from Noah: Sorry for the delay, dear ones. I wanted to bring as many chapters as I could—there were 18 novels, so it was a lot to go through. Still, I hope you enjoyed the chapters. God loves you, and Noah wishes you all the best. (?O?=)? ?
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