Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 16

“If you could just come forward and clarify things for her, it would definitely help.”

The Mercer family’s official story about the incident was that Mara had accidentally fallen on her own and, in her confusion, thought her sister had pushed her.

It was a simple mistake, a much lighter offense than a calculated plot to frame someone.

If the supposed victim herself could confirm this, public opinion would quickly turn around.

“If you’re here to be Mara’s mouthpiece, you can leave now. I won’t speak up for someone who tried to harm me.”

With that, Mira turned her head away.

“Mira, as a member of the Mercer family, don’t you care about the company’s interests? This affects everyone in the family.”

“I don’t care, Mrs. Mercer. I haven’t taken a dime from this family since the bracelet incident. What do the Mercers’ interests have to do with me?”

Once, Mara had deliberately smashed a bracelet and told everyone that Mira had done it. They had all believed her. From that day on, they stopped giving Mira any allowance. At Mara’s urging, they had even confiscated Mira’s savings and taken all the valuable items from her room.

The memory had almost faded from Lacey’s mind. Ever since Mara had returned, Lacey had poured nearly all her energy and time into her, completely neglecting Mira.

“Please leave, Mrs. Mercer. I’m weak and I need to rest.”

Just as Lacey left, Liora and Celine returned.

“You two were listening outside the door just now, weren’t you?”

“Of course! The Mercers treat you so badly, how could we just leave you alone?”

“From now on, we’ll be your bodyguards,” the two declared with conviction.

“Where would I find the money to hire two young ladies like you?” Mira said with a smile.

“Celine, the moment I decided to leave, I gave up any thought of inheriting the Mercer family’s assets. I’m planning to start my own business.”

It would be difficult, but with the memories of her past life, how could she not succeed?

“Start a business? Are you quitting school?” Celine asked.

“No, I’ll go to school and run the business at the same time. Neither will be neglected. If you two are interested, you can join me.”

Upon hearing this, Liora immediately said, “Just hearing you talk about it gets me all fired up. I’ll have to give it some serious thought.”

But Celine had a different take. “I don’t want to start a business right now. I’m about to be a senior, and my parents want me to focus all my energy and time on my studies.”

Her reasoning was sound. Celine was also from a wealthy family with numerous businesses; she wasn't short on money. Even if she needed business experience, she would get it within her family’s companies, or at most, with startup capital provided through a family arrangement. She didn’t need to sacrifice her study time to start a business so early.

In truth, Mira was just sharing her thoughts with her best friends; she didn't actually expect them to join. Even with Liora, it was highly unlikely her family would agree. Most of her family members were in government. While they weren't as wealthy as the Mercers or the Bennetts, they were still well-off.