?Chapter 547:


    Hadley, still pressed against his chest, stared nkly ahead. Was he slowly going insane?


    Before she could process it, she felt him shift against her. His weight was getting heavier, pressing into her.


    She grunted. “Eric—hey! Get off! You’re crushing me!”


    “I don’t care,” Eric muttered,pletely unbothered, resting his head heavily on her shoulder.


    “My legs… they feel weak. I can’t stand.”


    “You?” Hadley scoffed, unimpressed. “Weak in the knees?”


    She then shoved at him, ring. “Enough of the dramatics—get up!”


    Eric tightened his embrace, resting his head against Hadley’s shoulder, his breath warm against her skin.


    “Don’t you know why my legs feel weak?”


    The words stuck in her throat. She wasn’t sure how to respond. Then, in a low whisper, Eric murmured against her ear, “You scared me to death. Just let me stay like this… hold me a little longer.”


    Hadley froze.


    For a brief moment, the chaos around them seemed to blur, the sounds of sirens and distant voices fading into the background.


    What… did he mean by that?


    No. This wasn’t good.


    Lately, Eric had been different—dropping hints, subtle and not-so-subtle, that he cared about her more than he should.


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    Was she imagining it?


    If she wasn’t… That would be a disaster.


    Before she could untangle her thoughts, Eric suddenly lifted his head, his gaze falling on the item in her hand.


    “What’s that?”


    Hadley, still dazed, instinctively raised it. “An ice cream cone.”


    “Yeah.”


    Eric nodded thoughtfully, and then—without warning—leaned down and took a massive bite.


    Hadley blinked. She looked at the cone. Then at Eric. The ice cream she had just bought—the one she had been looking forward to—was now just a cone.


    “Eric,” she said slowly, her voice dangerously calm. “What did you just do?”


    Eric barely held back hisughter, his expression one of pure, mischievous delight.


    Then, unable to contain himself, he burst intoughter—and ran for his life.


    “Eric!” Hadley shrieked, fury igniting. “Get back here! You owe me an ice cream! If you wanted one, why didn’t you just buy your own? Huh!”


    Eric sprinted ahead, arms wide open like a carefree child. “I’ll buy you another one! In fact, I’ll buy you the whole shop!”


    That ice cream shop had just saved her life!


    That night, in the dimly lit study, the air was thick with tension.


    Quentin stood before the desk, his expression unreadable.


    “Mr. Flynn, we’ve nearlypleted our search through the orphanages and welfare homes. Still no sign of the child.”


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