Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 21

She instinctively glanced toward the side of the road, looking for a bike to ride, but couldn't find a single one. Then she remembered—bike-sharing services didn't exist yet.

That part of the internet-driven sharing economy wouldn't appear for another five or six years.

The internet age was just beginning, and this era of new, burgeoning economic models was brimming with infinite business opportunities.

When Mira realized this, she grew unconsciously excited, and even her pace quickened.

But then, a wave of anxiety washed over her. Every business opportunity required money—a substantial amount of start-up capital. Otherwise, the moment an idea showed promise, it would get noticed, and any venture with decent returns could be swallowed up by major corporations.

She never thought about this when she was living as a pampered heiress. Now that she could no longer rely on the family's wealth and had to build something of her own, she deeply understood the importance of money.

In reality, she had never truly been able to rely on that conglomerate.

To enjoy the resources they provided, she had to obey their arrangements and let them control her, regardless of whether she was willing or if it benefited her.

For example, their demand that she clear Mara's name, or their attempts to push her into an arranged marriage…

When she was younger and they doted on her, everything seemed wonderful. But now that they had shown their favoritism and turned on her, continuing to depend on them would only drag her into an abyss.

After all, hadn't she already paid for that mistake with her life in her past life?

Therefore, the only thing she could truly own was what she built herself. But what about the start-up capital?

Get a job?

Given Mira's current living expenses—rent, fees for various extracurricular classes, plus food—everything was a significant cost.

And she was just a high school student. Even with her exceptional musical talent, tutoring elementary school students would, at best, barely cover her living expenses.

Besides, once she cut ties with them, would the Mercers just stand by and watch her succeed? Would Mara and the people backing her allow her to develop freely?

Impossible. They would probably crush her before she even had a chance to grow.

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