Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 366

Mira tilted her head and shot him a sideways glance.

Throughout the entire handover, Mira merely listened, observed, and signed the necessary documents. Harvey and Cyrus handled all the heavy lifting.

On the ride home that afternoon, Jax sulked in the passenger seat. "You went all the way to Aethelgard and bought gifts for your friends and your subordinates, but you didn't get anything for me and Zane?"

"You guys were with me the whole time. Why would I buy you souvenirs from a trip you were on?"

"We spent the entire trip stressed out of our minds protecting you! We almost went down in a plane crash with you!"

Mira rolled her eyes. "My friends and subordinates are fiercely loyal. They're with me for the long haul. You guys threaten to quit one day and run off the next, and half the time you don't even listen to my orders. Why would I reward that?"

Honestly, Mira was half-tempted to dock their base pay.

"If you want me to spoil you, take some notes from the Iron Wolves. They are ride-or-die. They'd walk through fire for me without a second thought. If you show me that kind of loyalty, I'll fund your lifestyle for the rest of your lives. How about that?"

Jax immediately shut his mouth.

When she got home, Elara was waiting in the living room.

"Well, look who finally decided to show up," Mira teased.

Elara looked a little slimmer, having lost her residual baby fat, but she looked more radiant and mature than ever.

"Mira, I missed you so much!" Elara launched herself forward and pulled Mira into a tight hug.

"Are you crazy? You worked at the steakhouse for an entire month without taking a single day off?"

Elara nodded.

"I bow down to you. That kind of insane stamina... there's nothing in this world you won't conquer."

Mira looked her up and down. Solflare Hearth & Grill pulled in massive profits, but the shifts were grueling. During the holiday rush, the customer volume was astronomical. It was backbreaking work, yet Elara, a high schooler, had powered through the entire month without a break.

"Focus on your studies this semester. Once you graduate college, I'll pull you straight into the Solflare executive track."

"Did you go see your dad?"

"I did. I went first thing this morning. He's doing great. I bought him some supplements and then came straight back here. We have school tomorrow, after all."

"Are you still staying at Grandma Finn's place?"

Elara nodded.

"Drop the side gig tutoring those middle-school kids. We're going to be slammed this semester."

"Okay, I trust you. I'm going to grind hard so we can get into the same university."

Elara stayed for dinner and then headed back to prep her school supplies. As Mira was walking her out, they bumped into Mr. Harth stepping out of the elevator. He had returned to campus a week early.

"The national academic decathlon is coming up quickly—Math, Physics, English, and Writing. I need you both to start preparing for the qualifiers."