Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 268

"You're gambling big," Mira warned softly. "Since we grew up together, I'll give it to you straight. Close your position right now. Porter is backed into a corner, and they're about to lash out."

Harvey was a decent guy. He was worth keeping around as an ally.

"Understood. I'm pulling out."

...

Inside the executive suite of Porter Entertainment.

"Boss, should we suspend trading?"

"The stock is rebounding slightly. Hold the line."

Suspending a stock sent a massive red flag to the market, and corporations avoided it unless it was a fatal emergency.

Perhaps their aggressive PR blitz was finally turning the tide. The public's outrage had a short half-life; they would forget the scandal soon enough.

"Boss, it's climbing!"

Shane exhaled a heavy breath, the crushing weight on his chest finally lifting. He knew this storm would pass.

But the relief was fleeting. Minutes later, the stock violently tanked right back to the floor.

"Mr. Porter, I strongly advise immediate suspension," Allen urged. "That minor rally wasn't a recovery. It was the massive short-sellers closing their positions and cashing out. It was an illusion."

Shane hesitated, his pride warring with logic. But as the red numbers flashed, indicating another two-point drop, reality set in.

"Suspend it," Shane ordered, his voice laced with defeat.

Their E-Scooter Program was already bleeding cash. The rollout was expensive, and the user adoption rate was abysmal. Internal metrics showed they had less than a third of EcoRide's user base and mileage.

"Boss, it's Mara," Allen reported. "She says Ethan has been heavily trading stocks all week. It's highly likely he was shorting us."

...

Despite Ethan's vocal protests, Adrian's stubborn insistence and Lacey's relentless nagging had forced him to accept Mara into his corporate office.

Fine. If they wanted her there, she could stay. But Ethan had zero expectations of her actually contributing, nor did he have a single second to waste playing mentor.

The secretaries and assistants in the President's office handled complex, high-level corporate warfare—nothing a high schooler could even begin to comprehend.

So, Ethan had pawned Mara off on a junior secretary and completely ignored her existence.

What he never anticipated was that his momentary lapse in judgment had allowed a corporate spy directly into his inner sanctum.

And without missing a beat, Mara sold him out.