Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 363

"Wait, wasn't Evelyn..."

"Yeah. After the scandal with Mara, the school transferred her to some rural district. The conditions were terrible, and she couldn't handle it. She looked down on the poor students and ended up verbally abusing them. The parents stormed the principal's office, and she got fired. But honestly, Evelyn never wanted to be out there in the first place."

"Did Natalie tell you this too?"

"Yep. Natalie is stockpiling dirt on Mara. The second Mara tries to get near Wesley, she's going to leak everything."

Mira had to hand it to Natalie. Though she wondered if Natalie had figured out the real reason Mara was lingering in Ethan's office.

Probably not. Shane and Mara were operating in the shadows, and the Mercer Group kept tight security.

"Think about it," Liora continued. "Evelyn got demoted because of Mara. Now that she's unemployed, her first move was to run back to Mara. A match made in hell."

Celine thought for a moment. "Evelyn is a competent teacher, though. She's more than qualified to tutor Mara."

"Oh, totally. But she's a complete mercenary. Mrs. Mercer throws some cash at her, Mara slips her some under-the-table bribes, and Evelyn will spoon-feed her all the test secrets."

Celine scoffed. "I wouldn't be so sure. People like Evelyn always hold something back. You pay her a little, she teaches a little. No extra cash? You just get the standard curriculum."

Liora nodded. "Which means Mrs. Mercer's money is just pouring straight into her pockets. She'd sell her soul for Mara."

"Alright, enough about her," Mira interjected. "Rachel should have dinner ready by now. Let's head back. You still haven't seen your gifts."

"Ooh, what did you get us? I can't wait!" Liora's attention was instantly derailed.

When they got back, the table was set.

"What does a Lune do?" Rachel asked, completely out of the loop with pop culture.

"It means she's a money-making genius."

Rachel sighed softly. "Life forced her to be. You girls know how hard she had it. She left the Mercer family to protect me. Juggling school and trying to make a living... this poor girl has suffered so much."

Liora and Celine exchanged a blank look. Suffered? All they saw was Mira soaring higher every single day, leaving them entirely in the dust.

"We know, we know. We're her best friends, of course we know," Celine covered smoothly.

"What about Elara?" Rachel asked curiously. "I haven't seen that sweet girl in a while."

"Don't even get me started on her, Rachel. She's a total workaholic now. School starts the day after tomorrow, and she still hasn't quit her shift at the restaurant."