Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 384

The police found drug residue in Lydia's system, corroborating her confession.

With no evidence linking the contraband to Shane Porter, the police officially closed the case.

Given the relatively small quantity of narcotics, both Lydia and Lexie were handed five-year prison sentences. A fitting end for their malicious intent.

Mira couldn't help but calculate the fallout. Lydia was in her forties; in five years, she'd be pushing fifty. Would a billionaire like Shane still be interested in an aging mistress fresh out of a cell? Highly unlikely.

Lexie's loss was even more devastating. In five years, she'd be twenty-three. While Mira and her peers would be graduating from top-tier universities, Lexie would be an uneducated ex-con. Her life was fundamentally destroyed.

As for Shane's grand promises of post-prison compensation? That was a joke. Mira had no intention of letting Porter Entertainment survive for another five years. Shane's empire would be ashes long before Lydia saw the light of day.

...

That evening, Lenny Forbes called. The DNA test results Mira had ordered were finally in, and the conclusion was staggering.

Mira was indeed the biological daughter of Lacey and Adrian Mercer. There were no surprises there.

The sickening twist lay in Mara.

The daughter Lacey guarded so fiercely, the child she treated like glass, was not hers. Mara was the biological daughter of Adrian Mercer and his longtime secretary—and Lacey's supposed best friend—Fiona Quinn!

Mira wondered how Lacey would react when her entire reality shattered. Lacey had spent her life coddling the bastard child her husband had conceived with her most trusted confidante.

It perfectly explained why Adrian had always favored Mara. She was the product of his true love affair with Fiona.

The line picked up almost instantly. Sebastian Quinn's frantic voice echoed through the speaker. "Mira! Are you alright? Did something happen?"

He knew her boundaries. If there wasn't a crisis, she wouldn't have called.

"Mr. Quinn," Mira said, her voice steady. "Do you know the truth about Mara's background?"

Sebastian felt a pang of sorrow at the formal title, but he didn't push it.

"What's going on?"

"Just noticing some strange patterns. Ever since Mara came back, they've defended her blindly. I know I cut ties with them last year, but I recently noticed Fiona Quinn treats Mara with an unnatural level of devotion. I need to know exactly what happened the year I was born."