Too Late for Sorry, Mr. Billionaire (Chasing my Wife Back) novel Chapter 90

DINNER plates had long been cleared.

The house was unusually calm. The television murmured to itself in the background, some late-night talk show host laughing at his own joke. The twins’ distant voices could be heard faintly down the hallway, followed by Wendy’s softer tone, probably correcting them or accusing one of them of cheating at whatever game they were playing.

Hazel sat curled into the far end of the couch, one leg tucked beneath her. The TV glowed against her face, but her attention was nowhere near it. Her thumbs moved quickly over her phone screen, expression shifting every few seconds, from a small smirk, to a frown, and then an eye roll.

Fully concentrated.

Her father stepped into the living room quietly, phone still in his hand. He paused for a second when he saw her there. It wasn’t often he caught Hazel alone like this, unguarded, not arguing, not rushing somewhere.

He slipped his phone into his pocket and walked over, then he sat beside her.

The cushion dipped slightly.

Hazel glanced up immediately.

“Oh. Dad,” she said, a bit surprised but not unpleasantly so.

“Welcome back again,” Adrian replied softly.

She locked her phone and dropped it on her lap.

“Thanks.”

A brief silence stretched between them, filled only by the low hum of the television.

“How has school been this past week?” he asked.

Hazel shrugged, the universal teenage response.

“It’s school.”

Adrian smiled faintly.

“That bad?”

“It is not bad,” she said quickly. “It’s just… annoying.”

“In what way?”

She shifted, pulling her other leg up and hugging a pillow to her chest.

“The waking up early. The stupid lights-out bell. The fact that you can’t even step outside without signing some form. It is like… prison but with uniforms.”

Adrian chuckled lightly.

“Boarding school isn’t prison.”

“It feels like it,” she muttered.

He studied her face for a moment.

“You are adjusting, though.”

She gave him a look.

“Do I look adjusted?”

He exhaled slowly.

“You are strong, Hazel.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Dad, that is not the point.”

“Then what is?”

She hesitated, her jaw tightening slightly.

“She didn’t even ask me if I wanted to go.”

There it was. He had known the conversation would circle here eventually.

“Your mom thought—”

“She didn’t think,” Hazel cut in. “She decided.”

Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried heat.

“She just decided I needed ‘discipline’ and ‘structure’ and ‘exposure.’ Like I’m some project.”

Adrian leaned back slightly, choosing his words carefully.

“She was thinking about your future, dear.”

Hazel laughed dryly.

“That is what parents say when they are doing something their kids don’t like.”

Adrian glanced at her.

“You think she enjoys being away from you?”

Hazel’s eyes flickered, but she recovered quickly.

“She is on a trip, isn’t she?”

“That is different.”

“Is it?” Hazel shot back. “She sends me away. Then she travels too. Seems fair.”

He sighed softly.

“She didn’t send you away to punish you.”

“Then why does it feel like that?” Hazel’s voice cracked slightly, though she masked it by looking down at her hands.

Adrian softened.

“She wants you to have opportunities she didn’t have.”

Hazel stayed quiet.

He continued gently, “She wants you to be independent. Confident. Exposed to more than just this house.”

“I was fine at home. I was fine here.”

“You were comfortable here.”

She frowned.

“What is wrong with being comfortable?”

“Nothing,” he said. “But growth usually doesn’t happen in comfort.”

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