?Chapter 193:


    At her question, Eric hesitated.


    How should he respond? Should he admit that he was concerned for her safety?


    Too awkward to voice his thoughts, Eric scoffed lightly. “I just came to see what was up. If anything happened to you, exining it to Grandma would be difficult.”


    That was why he was here.


    Hadley nodded, acknowledging his words. “I appreciate it, but you can go now.”


    Eric was startled. Was she dismissing him already? It seemed she didn’t value his concern at all.


    Frustration surged within him. “Leave? In this darkness? How am I supposed to even see all those stairs?”


    “Don’t you have your phone?” Hadley asked, her tone casual.


    “My phone’s out of battery!” Eric snapped.


    “Okay, hold on.”


    Hadley suddenly seemed to recall something and returned to rummaging through the cab for candles.


    Eric, puzzled by what she was doing, got up and joined her by the cab. Leaning in, he asked, “What’s this you’re searching for?”


    “Candles.”


    “Candles?” Eric repeated, taken aback. “You actually keep candles around?”


    “Yes,” she answered without looking up. “Power outages are frequent here. Thendlord and the agent warned me when I signed the lease, so I came prepared.”


    Really?


    She knew about the frequent outages and chose this ce anyway?


    A puzzled frown crossed Eric’s face as he watched her silhouette against the faint light. This resourcefulness was uncharacteristic of the Hadley he remembered—she had always seemed more demanding and less prepared.


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    “Found them.”


    Finally, Hadley pulled some candles from the back of the drawer.


    With a slight smile, she said, “Here they are.”


    She offered a candle to Eric. “Here, use this to light your way out.”


    Eric gave her a skeptical look and scoffed, “Keep it. I don’t need it!”


    Hadley paused, baffled. “But you said it was too dark to see the steps.”


    “How ridiculous!” Eric retorted, his toneced with contempt. “You expect me to walk out holding a candle? Absolutely not!”


    In his refusal, he knocked the candle from her hand. “I don’t want that thing anywhere near me!”


    Hadley stood still, a look of astonishment crossing her face. She murmured, “Okay, no need to overreact.”


    Just then, she tensed, her reaction turning urgent as she grasped Eric’s hand.


    “What’s the matter now?” Eric asked, confused.


    Hadley let out a scream.


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