?Chapter 168:


    “Are you sure about this?”


    From what he’d seen, she was making a move on Duran. But getting involved with a guy like that? That wasn’t something she could just walk away from.


    Hadley didn’t answer directly. Instead, she tilted her head slightly.


    “What do you think of him?”


    “What do I think?” Lennon sighed, cutting to the chase. “He’s a bit too old for you, don’t you think?”


    Too old was putting it lightly. Duran was old enough to be Hadley’s father. But Lennon figured she already knew that.


    Hadley shook her head. “That’s not what I meant,” she said, her voice steady. “I mean, do you think it’s possible?”


    “Possible?”


    Was she asking if she could actually be Duran’s lover?


    Even Lennon paused, thrown off by the question.


    In his gut, he knew there was no “possible” when it came to something like this. But he also knew that everyone who took that route had their reasons.


    When Hadley first started at the nightclub, Lennon could tell she was in a tight spot. She needed money, and fast.


    So, she went along with his arrangements without a word ofint.


    But there was a big difference between featuring Hadley to draw in customers and pushing her toward one of them. That was a line Lennon never expected her to cross.


    He paused, weighing the options—Duran versus Eric.


    “Duran might not have Eric’s deep pockets, but he’s got connections. You get what I mean?”


    “Yes.” Hadley nodded, her gaze steady. “I get it.”


    “So, sticking with Duran? You’d have it easy,” Lennon continued. “And yeah, he’s older, but he’s got no strings attached.”


    “No strings attached?”


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    “Divorced.” Lennon grinned. “I heard it was his wife who pulled the plug. The reason, though, works in your favor.”


    That was certainly a plus. No wife meant fewerplications, even if the whole situation still felt off to Hadley.


    “Got it.”


    Hadley felt the same. “I’ll need your help with the arrangements, Mr. Lewis.”


    But Lennon still hesitated, his unease creeping in. “Hadley, are you sure you don’t want to think this through? Or maybe give it a little more time?”


    Maybe Eric woulde back for her? Or what if someone else, someone better suited to her, came along?


    “No.” Hadley shook her head, resolute. “Duran’s a solid option. I’m the one reaching here.”


    As a dancer barely getting by, could she really afford to be selective?


    Time was running out. Joy’s surgery was going to cost five hundred thousand dors, and Hadley needed toe up with that amount quickly.


    Lennon exhaled slowly, a flicker of sympathy crossing his face.


    “Alright, if you’re sure about this. I’ll handle it. Don’t worry.”


    Hadley went to visit N.


    They rxed in the sun for a while before Hadley ushered her back inside for some refreshments.


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