Chapter 404

Chapter 404:

Hadley tilted her head, blinking at him.

“Think about what?”

“Nothing.”

Eric shook his head, his jaw tightening as he forced the lump in his throat down. Then, with a casual shrug, he threw out a number.

“200 bucks.”

Hadley instinctively nodded.

“Oh… okay.”

Then her head snapped up.

“Wait—what? What did you just say?” Was he somehow mistaken?

Elissa said it was worth at least a thousand.

“Didn’t hear me the first time?”

“No, I heard you… I just didn’t expect it to be that cheap. It looks expensive, you know.”

Eric’s brows drew together, his patience thinning.

“Why are you making such a big deal out of this? I bought it, so I think I’d know the price. If you want to transfer the money, then go ahead. If not, just forget it. I don’t have time to argue over 200 bucks!”

Hadley hesitated, but then nodded,

“Alright… fine.”

What else could she do?

𝖙𝖗𝖚𝖊 𝖘𝖈𝖗𝖎𝖕𝖙 𝖋𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖉 𝖆𝖙: gⱯ𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀ꞏⅽ𝗈𝗺

Pulling out her phone, she quickly sent the payment.

“Done!”

A soft chime came from Eric’s pocket, but before Hadley could even tell him the transaction was complete, he had already turned away.

“We’re done here, right? I’m leaving.”

Hadley opened her mouth.

“Take care—”

But the words barely left her lips before he was already striding off, his handsome face set in a cold, unreadable expression.

Why had he even bothered buying anything for her?

If he ever did something this pointless again, he really would be a fool.

Eric’s chest felt tight, his emotions tangled in frustration he couldn’t quite shake. Just then, his phone rang. Nyla.

The second he answered, her usually calm voice spilled through the line, edged with urgency.

“Eric, something’s wrong! Your brother and Linda are in a huge fight—it’s bad!”

Flynn Mansion.

Linda’s growing unease over the past few days finally solidified into certainty. Her fingers tightened around the two delicate tortoiseshell hairpins—something she had just discovered beneath Ernest’s pillow.

They weren’t hers.

Then whose were they?

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