Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 383

Shane had purposely stayed late at the office to wait for Lydia's report. Because the plot involved narcotics, he wanted to minimize his exposure, delegating the entire operation to his mistress.

"Shane! Lexie was arrested! They took her!" Lydia wailed, clutching his desk.

"What the hell are you talking about? Who got arrested?"

Because the case involved a toxic substance, Liam's unit had initiated a complete information blackout the moment they detained Lexie. Shane had been entirely in the dark.

Lydia had only discovered the truth when Lexie failed to come home from school and she frantically drove to the campus to demand answers.

"It's Lexie! Our daughter!"

"Shut your mouth!" Shane hissed.

Lydia quickly covered her mouth and looked around. The fact that Lexie was his illegitimate child was his most guarded secret. Even his lawful wife only thought of Lydia as a pathetic widow he occasionally pitied.

"Explain yourself. How was she arrested?"

"She tried to stab Mira on the sports field today! She missed, and the cops grabbed her!" Lydia sobbed.

Shane slammed his fist onto the desk. "I explicitly told her to pass the syringe to Mara! And if she missed, how did they find the drugs?"

"She went rogue! She wanted to do it herself. I don't know the rest of the details!"

"Idiot! Absolute lunatic!" Shane roared, his face turning purple.

Shane stepped close, his voice dropping to a terrifying whisper. "Do not come back here. If the police interrogate you, you will take full responsibility for the drugs. Understand? I will compensate you. When you finish your sentences, I'll buy you a company and ship Lexie off to Europe for her education."

Lydia took a shaky breath, realizing she had no leverage. "Fine. I promise this won't trace back to you. I just beg you to look out for us when we get out."

It was the best deal she was going to get. Pushing him further would only turn him into an enemy, and then she'd truly have nothing.

The next morning at school, Liora gleefully informed Mira that Lydia Fontaine had been arrested the night before. Mira immediately deduced that Shane was cutting his losses.

Shane was meticulous. Mira never expected this botched attack to bring down his entire empire.

Clearly, Lydia and Lexie meant nothing to him. She had certainly gone all out for Shane, even going so far as to use drugs herself. Yet Lydia was willing to take the fall, claiming she had smuggled the narcotics from across the border for personal use and that her daughter had stolen them by accident.