Chapter 324
It was a birthday gift, after all, and Denver had done so much for her — far more than she had ever properly thanked him for.
As Hadley began cutting the fabric, bittersweet memories surfaced. She had once crafted a similar shirt for Eric, yet his lukewarm reaction had deeply hurt her.
Hadley had no clue where Eric had ended up keeping that shirt because she had never seen him wearing it.
It might be gathering dust in some forgotten storage box, or perhaps he had thrown it out long ago.
Denver returned from Prineville a week later. His birthday celebration was scheduled for the following weekend.
Initially, Denver had planned to pick up Hadley from West Twelfth Alley, but she was elsewhere, busy with additional shoots alongside Elvin. After finishing her scenes, Hadley made her way to the party using the address Denver had given her.
Her journey was delayed by traffic, causing her to arrive a bit later than planned.
Upon her arrival, a server greeted her and ushered her into the lively venue. The party was in full swing, with a crowd of guests filling the space.
Hadley spotted Denver amidst the attendees, but he was engrossed in conversation. Not wanting to interrupt, she decided to find a seat on her own.
To her relief, the crowd consisted mostly of people her age; none of Denver’s older relatives were present.
Just then, a voice called out, “Well, who do we have here?”
Turning around, Hadley saw Danica leading a group toward her, arms crossed and a smug smirk on her face.
Hadley’s expression turned into a frown as she considered moving to another spot. The history between her and Danica had always been fraught with tension, and she’d prefer to avoid any confrontation at the party.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Danica stepped in front of Hadley before she could leave. “Hey, Hadley, it’s been a while. Why don’t you stay so we can talk?”
Danica’s tone made it clear that she was looking for trouble.
Hadley held back her annoyance. “I have no interest in talking to you. Please step aside.”
“Really? Nothing to talk about?” Danica scoffed. “Tell us, why are you here? Sure, Nyla might coddle you, but know your place. This isn’t just any party; it’s private, and you’re not even a real Flynn. What gives you the right to be here?”
One of Danica’s friends whispered, “Isn’t Mr. Flynn around somewhere?”
“Is that so?” Danica raised an eyebrow. “Did you cling to Eric just to snag an invite here? That’s not just bold—that’s downright shameless.”
“Exactly,” her friends chimed in, exchanging smug smiles.
“Why even show up here? Did Eric reject you, and now you’re hunting for another wealthy man?” one of them sneered.
“Quite the ambitious plan,” another added.
“Trying to go from nothing to everything, huh?” one of them said, clearly enjoying the scene.
Hadley simply closed her eyes, tuning out their taunts as if they were nothing more than background noise. She said calmly, “Are you quite finished?”