Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 1270

"You seem to hold some hostility toward me?"

Ethan asked.

"It's not hostility, really. It's just that you're interrupting our lives."

Mira said this to justify her coldness, while simultaneously soothing her foster parents' nerves. They had worked so hard to raise her; she couldn't just eagerly abandon them the second her blood relatives showed up.

Ethan brushed it off. "Here's the thing. They are your foster parents, which means they aren't your biological parents."

Ethan stared into Mira's eyes, carefully observing her shifting expressions.

"I know. My parents told me yesterday."

Mira had no intention of hiding it.

Realizing they were discussing private matters, Ryan slipped away; he was probably rushing back to tell his parents the explosive news.

"We are your brothers, and we're here to bring you home."

"So, what's the situation at your house right now?"

Mira didn't want to dodge the issue. Going back meant facing a mountain of annoying people and endless drama. It lacked the warmth of this small home. But if she wanted to build her empire, she couldn't stay hidden here forever.

The lessons of her past life had taught her that to live freely, she had to become undeniably powerful as quickly as possible.

Though peaceful, this place was too impoverished and backwards; stagnating here simply wasn't in Mira's nature. Not to mention, her parents constantly dreamed of her going to college and making something of herself.

On the flip side, it would have been fine if those people hadn't found her, but now that they had, they might worry about loose ends and just decide to kill her to save themselves the headache.

If they could shove her into a trash bag and throw her away as a baby, what wouldn't they do?

With her current lack of power, if they really wanted her dead, it would be as effortless as crushing an ant.

It might even drag her foster parents down with her.

Only by facing it and growing stronger could she forge a path forward. That was the only way she could protect herself, secure her family, and give them a good life.

"At home, there are our parents and four brothers. You also have an older sister—your twin."

Julian answered.

Twins? How ironic.

"And this sister grew up in the Mercer household?"

George spoke up immediately, terrified of severing his ties with his daughter.

"Dad, this twenty grand isn't to buy out our relationship. It's pocket money for you and Mom. Take it. Having a nest egg will make handling emergencies much easier."

When rural folks fell seriously ill, many delayed treatment simply because they couldn't afford the hospital fees.

"Is twenty thousand too little?"

Ethan asked.

"I'll repay their kindness in the future. I'm just leaving them an emergency fund for now."

Even this couldn't be known by outsiders.

In this impoverished mountain village, twenty thousand dollars was a massive fortune. Any more, and having a massive fortune would only attract dangerous greed.

Mira turned back to her parents. "Mom, Dad, keep two grand on hand for emergencies, and don't you dare skimp on your food or clothes. Put the rest in a checking account at the bank.

"Remember, no one can know about this twenty thousand."

"I also want three phones—two old-school ones and one smartphone. Oh, and I desperately need a laptop.