?Chapter 144:


    Eric closed the remaining distance, stopping right in front of Hadley before reaching out his hand.


    “It’s alright now. You can get up.”


    Hadley didn’t react, as if she hadn’t even registered his words.


    “Mr. Flynn!”


    Lennon burst in with security trailing behind him, only to find that the crisis had already passed.


    His relief was obvious. “Man, am I d you showed up when you did!”


    Then, he grumbled, unable to hold back. “You saw it, right? That Cody ke kept iming I was throwing your name around just to intimidate him. But seriously, without your permission, I wouldn’t have dared—not even if I had nerves of steel!”


    Lennon’s endless rambling grated on Eric’s patience.


    Tuning him out, Eric crouched down in front of Hadley. “Are you hurt? It’s over now… Let me help you up.”


    As Eric spoke, his hand came to rest gently on her shoulder.


    Hadley flinched violently, her reaction sharp and instinctive, rejecting his touch without thinking.


    “What the—” Lennon, startled by the sudden outburst, let out a yelp of his own.


    Irritation shed across Eric’s face. “What are you screaming for?”


    He fixed Lennon with a sharp, irritated re. “Shut it.”


    “Alright, alright,” Lennon muttered, nodding quickly. Lowering his voice to a near whisper, he leaned in slightly. “She’s shaken up bad. That stunt Cody pulled really did a number on her!”


    Really?


    Eric narrowed his eyes. Something didn’t sit right.


    That look in her eyes, the way she shrank back—he had seen this before. The entire situation felt eerily familiar.


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    His chest tightened as realization wed at the edges of his mind.


    Without another word, he turned sharply toward Lennon. “Clear the room.”


    Lennon blinked, unsure he’d heard correctly. “Wait… Everyone?”


    Eric didn’t bother exining. He simply leveled the other man with an icy, expectant stare. That was all it took.


    “Got it!”


    Lennon wouldn’t risk pressing the issue any further.


    He straightened up and instantly got to work, waving his arms to herd everyone out. “Alright, the show’s over! Move it! Out, all of you!”


    Within moments, the dressing room emptied, leaving only Eric and Hadley behind.


    Eric took a step closer, his jaw tight as he studied the woman in front of him. His hand lifted slightly, hovering in hesitation before he reached toward her mask.


    A beat of silence passed before he stopped and spoke, his voice steady yet firm. “Do you want to take this off yourself, or should I do it for you?”


    Hadley didn’t answer. Her head remained bowed, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as if bracing against an unseen force.


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