Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 435

When she saw Roxanne stand up and head toward the restroom, Mara turned to Lacey. "Mom, I need to use the restroom too."

By the time Mara walked in, Roxanne was already drying her hands and heading for the exit. Mara faked a rush, deliberately colliding with Roxanne in the hallway. In that split second, she shoved the real bidding proposal directly into Roxanne's hands.

There were no security cameras near the restrooms, and Mara was incredibly smug, thinking she had executed the handoff flawlessly.

But she didn't realize Lenny's operatives were watching, capturing the entire exchange on video.

Roxanne stood frozen, utterly confused. She mentally cursed Mara and her entire ancestry. They were only at the bidding as a formality! They had absolutely zero need to steal their opponent's documents!

Roxanne quickly scanned the hallway. Seeing no one paying attention, she shoved the proposal into her designer bag and hurried away to avoid a scene.

The second half of the bidding commenced, and a heavy silence fell over the room as the host took the stage. Ethan was the first to present. He opened his folder, ready to read, only to freeze. The document in front of him was identical to the failed proposal from their last bid.

"Wyatt, what is the meaning of this?" Ethan demanded loudly, completely ignoring the risk of being mocked by the audience and his competitors.

Every head in the room snapped toward the Mercer section.

"What's going on? Are the Mercers pulling another stunt?"

"I knew it! They brought that troublemaker to a high-stakes corporate event just to stir the pot."

Ethan's mind raced. Did Wyatt grab the wrong file? No, impossible. He had reviewed the proposal himself that morning and handed it directly to Wyatt. There was no room for error.

Wyatt was equally horrified, but his mind instantly flashed to Mara's stunt during the break.

"Searching her won't do any good!" someone yelled from the crowd, clearly enjoying the chaos. "I saw her bump into Roxanne Porter outside the restrooms earlier!"

Ethan didn't hesitate to believe it. He turned his predatory gaze toward the Porter delegation. "Roxanne! Are you addicted to corporate espionage, or are you just a natural sewer rat?"

The audience exploded into whispers, practically vibrating with excitement. This was the best drama Melvion City had seen in years!

The host desperately shouted for order over the microphone, but he was completely ignored.

Roxanne's face burned crimson. For a woman known for her sharp tongue, she was entirely speechless. She had been handed a toxic asset by a brain-dead pawn without even asking for it!

Just then, someone whispered into Ethan's ear, "The proposal is in Miss Porter's bag."