Chapter 24

Chapter 24:

“Hello?” Abruptly, the man ahead halted to answer his phone.

“About that project, listen…”

His discussion appeared to be about some business matters.

Hadley couldn’t make sense of it and chose to disengage, remaining silent.

Suddenly, Eric increased his walking speed, forcing Hadley to hasten her steps to keep up.

Then, without warning, he faced her, a look of annoyance clear on his face.

“I have to deal with some issues, so don’t follow me.”

He then quickly walked away.

Standing there, Hadley felt a calm acceptance wash over her. She had anticipated that he might leave her behind—and he did. Now, she needed to figure out her next steps. What was she to do now? She touched her stomach, feeling the pangs of hunger. The only thing she had eaten so far was a couple of slices of bread.

Now seemed like a good opportunity to eat something more substantial.

Hadley made her way to the buffet table, grabbed a plate, and began to fill it with foods she hadn’t savored in four years…

“Linda!”

Out of nowhere, a light tap came on her shoulder.

Hadley stopped and turned around.

“Wait, what?”

The woman behind her looked familiar.

Years ago, this woman had also been infatuated with Eric. She was Danica Clifford, the heiress of the Clifford family.

Back in the day, rumors flew that Danica would have been Eric’s bride if not for Hadley.

Naturally, there was no love lost between Danica and Hadley.

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“You’re not Linda. You…”

Recognition dawned on Hadley immediately, and after a moment, Danica also realized who she was facing, albeit with a brief delay.

“Is that you, Hadley?”

Danica wasn’t by herself; a group of her friends was with her. As soon as they heard the name “Hadley,” their faces registered shock.

All eyes shifted toward Hadley.

“Who? Hadley?”

“Is she really back?”

“Funny.” One of the women chuckled. “Didn’t you know? Nyla organized this whole celebration as a welcome back for Hadley.”

“I was unaware. I just knew there was a gathering and showed up. It’s quite something, Hadley’s return!”

The group of women showed clear disapproval.

“Had I known this was for her, I might have skipped it! Celebrating her return? That’s just my luck!”

“This means trouble! With Hadley back, Srixby is going to be in chaos!”

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