Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 196

Ethan couldn't stand hearing anyone speak ill of Mira anymore.

Lately, he'd been plagued by vivid dreams of things that had never happened, leaving him with a gnawing suspicion that Mara was the real instigator behind everything.

And wouldn't you know it? She had stirred up trouble again.

The entire family had been blinded by her gentle, sweet facade. Driven by the guilt of losing her for seventeen years, they had bent over backward to make amends, doing entirely too many absurd things in the process.

Especially when it came to their unfair treatment of Mira.

"Don't forget, Ethan, Mara hired those thugs to smash the bikes specifically to get back at Mira," Norman reminded him. "Because of that, Mira has every right to convince the bike company's management to deny the settlement agreement. Your father and I asked her multiple times today to plead with Mr. Lance on our behalf, but she refused us at every turn."

"And shouldn't she?" Ethan shot back. "Mara got herself locked up for seeking revenge, and now she's complaining that her victim won't beg for her release? If it were me, I'd throw fuel on the fire."

Norman stared at him, bewildered. *Didn't you just say this had nothing to do with Mira a minute ago?*

"Norman is right."

Adrian's voice cut in as he walked into the living room, having just changed his clothes. "That ungrateful girl had the nerve to call me Mr. Mercer. One minute she’s calling me her stepfather, the next she’s claiming we’re complete strangers. She has absolutely no intention of helping us."

"Ethan, Mara is your biological sister. How can you say that?"

"You need to think of a way to help her. She hasn't even recovered yet."

Lacey couldn't listen to this anymore.

"Mira is your biological daughter too, but wasn't she still kicked out of the house?"

"How is that the same? She brought that on herself!"

"If we're talking about bringing things on themselves, nobody does it better than Mara."

Damon, who had been staring down at his laptop, suddenly chimed in.

Although he usually favored Mara, even he was getting sick of her endless self-destructive stunts.

"Dad, you really need to focus on the corporation," Damon continued.

"The bike company has already posted about the incident online, and rumors are flying everywhere."

"The jewelry store scandal hasn't even died down, and now this happens. You need to figure out a PR strategy."

...

The next day, when Mira finished classes and walked out toward the school gates with her group, she noticed someone blocking the path ahead.

Looking up, she saw Ethan's towering figure.

"Mira."

Mira had no intention of engaging. She tried to step around him and keep walking, but Ethan quickly closed the distance, cutting her off again.

"Are you here to beg me to ask Mr. Lance for a settlement agreement for Mara?"

"No, that's not it, Mira."

"I just wanted to come see you. If you ever run into any difficulties, just tell me. I will always have your back."

"I wouldn't dare, and I don't need it!"

"The best thing the Mercer family could possibly do for me is to stop bothering me entirely."