Chapter 471
Surprise flickered briefly across Hadley’s face. So, Eric had returned? His recent message had certainly caught her eye. Now, his first move upon coming home was this extravagant display.
Yet Hadley barely acknowledged the flowers as she finished applying her makeup, soon stepping confidently onto the brightly lit stage.
Later, once the performance ended, she casually checked her phone.
Eric’s name flashed across the screen.
“I’m back in town. Could we talk tonight?”
After calmly reading his message, Hadley set her phone aside without responding, proceeding to remove her makeup and slip into her casual clothes.
As she left for home, she halted abruptly when someone blocked her path.
“Miss Pearson…”
“Oh!”
With her heartbeat racing, Hadley frowned slightly at the stranger who had appeared so suddenly.
“Can I help you?”
“I apologize,” he quickly replied, embarrassment evident on his face.
The man appeared to be in his thirties, neatly dressed and professional-looking, yet oddly anxious standing in front of her.
“Forgive me, did I startle you? That wasn’t my intention.”
“No harm done.” Relaxing slightly, Hadley smiled faintly. “My mind was elsewhere… Did you have something to tell me?”
“I do.”
With evident admiration, the man continued, “I’ve watched several of your shows. You’re… truly remarkable on stage.” Perhaps he was a fan?
Warmly, Hadley replied, “I appreciate you coming to watch.”
“Ah, no problem…” Clearly nervous, the man stumbled slightly over his words. “If… um… if you’re not too busy, would you… um… be interested in… joining me for coffee?”
As the man spoke, Hadley spotted Eric stepping out of a car across the street.
He was approaching quickly, his expression growing darker with each step.
His eyes narrowed into a scowl.
The moment Eric spoke, his tone was sharp. “Are you done yet?”
“What?” The man jolted in surprise, spinning around to face Eric with wide eyes.
“You’re… you’re—”
“What about me?”
With undisguised contempt, Eric fixed the stranger with a hard stare before asking Hadley bluntly, “Are you seriously thinking about having coffee with this guy? He can barely string a sentence together.”
Annoyance flickered across Hadley’s face.
Was it necessary for Eric to embarrass the man so openly?
Not that she’d planned on accepting the invitation anyway.
With an apologetic smile toward the man, she gently said, “I usually skip coffee this late, but it was thoughtful of you to ask.”
“Oh, right.”