Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 450

"No buts. If one plan fails, we execute the next. Did you think our enemies would just lay down and die?" Shane poured himself a glass of whiskey. "Stop being so reckless. Panic leads to mistakes, and mistakes lead to ruin."

Roxanne took a deep breath, forcing her anger down. "You're right, Dad." She had taken too many hits recently. It was time to step back, re-evaluate, and strike with absolute precision.

Just then, Allen stepped into the office, carrying the rest of Norman's report. He detailed the explosive fight between Adrian and his sons.

Shane's eyes lit up. He began pacing the office, a slow, predatory smile spreading across his face. "Well, isn't this a beautiful twist of fate? Allen, if we pull Adrian over to our side, wouldn't dismantling the Mercer Group be a walk in the park?"

"Boss, Adrian Mercer would never ally with us. The blood feud is too deep," Allen cautioned.

"A permanent alliance? Of course not," Shane chuckled. "But for a temporary, mutually beneficial strike? Absolutely. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Right now, Adrian hates Ethan far more than he hates us."

"That's a brilliant angle, sir. It's definitely worth testing."

"Set up a meeting with Adrian."

"Right away."

...

While the Mercers tore themselves apart, Mira was completely dialed into her empire. When she wasn't studying, every ounce of her energy was poured into Nexus Core Systems and her investment portfolios.

Her first two funds were performing phenomenally. If market trends held, she was projecting three hundred million dollars in pure profit by the end of the month. Armed with her memories from her past life, she knew exactly which tech stocks would skyrocket and which bonds would yield massive returns. Her portfolio was practically invincible.

Riding the momentum, Mira decided to launch two aggressive, high-risk equity funds by the end of the month, specifically targeting high-net-worth investors with strong risk tolerance. She didn't have to micromanage the daily trades anymore; she just set the macroeconomic direction and let her elite team handle the execution.

Late that night, Mira had just finished washing up and was climbing into bed when her phone buzzed. It was Lenny Forbes.

"Boss, Adrian Mercer and Shane Porter are having a sit-down at the Platinum Roast Café."

"My apologies, Boss. Just a slip of the tongue."

"Keep a tight perimeter on them. Report any movements immediately."

"Yes, Boss."

Mira hung up the phone and stared at the ceiling. Adrian had completely lost his mind. Teaming up with Shane Porter? The man who had spent his entire life plotting their total annihilation? Did Adrian forget that Shane was a rabid wolf who would eat him alive the second he stopped being useful?

Even if Ethan was ruthless, he was still Adrian's flesh and blood. Ethan took the company to protect it; he would never actually let his father starve in the streets. But Shane? Shane wanted them all in the ground.

Adrian was playing with fire, and he was going to burn the whole house down.

Her adrenaline spiked. Unable to sleep, Mira grabbed her phone and dialed Ethan's number.