?Chapter 1254:


    Even so, from Hadley’s point of view, he couldn’t fault her. No woman could easily ept her partner giving that much attention to another woman, unless that woman was family. But Linda wasn’t.


    Eric slipped his phone into his pocket, took a slow breath to steady himself, and returned to the private room.


    He exchanged polite words with Elvin and Adonis near the entrance. Adonis gestured subtly toward the far side of the room. “Hadley’s over there, Mr. Scott.”


    “Thank you.” Eric offered a brief nod of gratitude and headed in her direction.


    The dinner was set up buffet-style, and Hadley sat quietly, focused on her sd. As Eric approached, several colleagues near her noticed him and instinctively got to their feet, giving him space.


    “Thank you,” Eric said as he pulled out a chair beside Hadley. Hadley didn’t acknowledge him at first, continuing to pick at her sd as though he weren’t there.


    “What are you having?” Eric asked, leaning slightly to nce at her te.


    Finally, Hadley lifted her head, mild irritation shing in her eyes. “Never seen a sd before?”


    Her sarcasm caught him off guard, but a smallugh escaped him anyway.


    “Is it any good?” he asked, undeterred.


    “Honestly?” Hadley gave a nonchnt shrug. “Not that impressive.”


    Eric nodded thoughtfully. “The food here really is pretty average. How about we get out of here, and I take you somewhere better?”


    “That’s unnecessary.” Hadley shook her head without hesitation. “This is fine. I have to watch my weight, particrly at night.”


    Watch her weight?


    Eric could hardly believe what he was hearing.


    As far as he was concerned, she had no reason to lose a single pound. Being a dancer, Hadley had always been slender, her figure graceful and bnced. But after days of illness and stress, she looked even more delicate—like a paper doll caught in the wind.


    Emotional pain had a way of wearing a person down. As Eric thought about all she had endured after her breakup with Denver, a flicker of jealousy rose unexpectedly in his chest.


    . is your storytelling hub


    Grabbing a pair of tongs from the table, he nced over at her. “What would you prefer to eat? I’ll go get it for you.”


    Hadley barely looked up. “Anything’s fine.”


    “Got it.” Eric selected some spinach and mushrooms, cing them gently on her te. “Here. Eat.”


    “Thanks.” Hadley dug in, her focus fixed entirely on her meal.


    As she chewed, her cheeks puffed slightly with every bite, and Eric found himself leaning closer, lowering his voice. “Regarding the promise you made earlier…”


    “Is this all vegetables?” she abruptly asked, shooting him a sharp look. Her fork poked aimlessly at the greens. “There’s not even a scrap of meat here!”


    Hearing herint, Eric felt momentarily wronged. Wasn’t she having sd just moments ago because she was worried about eating too much at night and gaining weight? Wasn’t the vegetable exactly what she ate for dinner when dieting?


    “My bad.” Despite his inner thoughts, he surrendered, taking all the me. He stood from his seat without hesitation. “I’ll go get you some meat right now. Just hang tight…”


    Worried about Joy, Hadley excused herself when her new colleagues suggested a drink at the barter. With Eric there, no one dared to pressure her into staying longer.


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