?Chapter 277:


    “Fine, fine.” Eric sounded patient, almost like soothing an upset child. “If it makes you happy, go ahead and pay.”


    Hadley was too intent on settling the bill to catch the tenderness in his voice. She quickly turned to the manager. “How do I pay?”


    “Right this way, please,” the manager said, still processing the peculiar dynamics at y.


    The wealthy certainly had their unique quirks; nheless, he was just there to make things happen.


    “Will that be cash, credit card, or other mobile payments?”


    “Do you take PayPal?”


    “Certainly,” the manager responded, and then informed her of the pricing details. “The list price is $39,000. However, there’s an internal discount which brings it down to $21,000. But for you, Mr. Flynn’s associate, the price is just $16,000. Please scan here.”


    “W-What?! $16,000?”


    That meant a discount exceeding fifty percent!


    Hadley’s eyes brimmed with gratitude. “Really? Thank you so much!”


    “Absolutely,” the manager responded with augh. “Though it’s really Mr. Flynn you should be thanking.”


    Hadley was aware of that fact.


    While shepleted the payment, Eric peered over to see the details on the screen at the check-out counter, raising his eyebrows in surprise.


    $39,000 for a toy?


    To him, the amount was trivial, yet for most, it was far from affordable. Shaking his head, Eric reflected on his financial independence. He had built his own wealth, distinct from the vast Flynn family’s fortune. Even the alimony he had proposed in their divorce hade from his personal earnings, a detail he had kept to himself.


    He was resolved to ensure Hadley’s future needs were met, to avoid any further outbursts or difficulties on her part.


    Suddenly, Eric winced and touched his neck—the area where Hadley had bitten him was still sore.


    Hadley shot a guilty look at Eric, wondering if she’d really bitten him that hard.


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    She paused, and then in a tentative voice, she asked, “Is it very painful?”


    Eric quirked an eyebrow, his smirk yful. “Would it matter to you if it was?”


    That question made Hadley freeze. Why did she even ask?


    With a theatrical sigh, Eric yed up his plight. “You’ve marked me, yet you withhold your pity?”


    He then moved his hand away to show the bite mark. It was small but evidently deep, still bleeding.


    The manager, catching sight of this, started piecing together a dramatic scenario in his head.


    This wasn’t just any bite; it looked like the kind of mark one might find in an intense lover’s quarrel.


    So, thete-night trip for this exclusive doll was their way of making up? The extravagance of the wealthy really knew no bounds. Meanwhile, Hadley, missing the manager’s silent conjectures, asked with genuine concern, “Is there a first aid kit avable?”


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