Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 465

"Great. You guys can rest up first, and I'll host a welcome dinner for you tonight," Mira told them. Every move she made exuded the elegance of a high-society heiress; some things were simply bred into the bone. "Are you hungry? Should I have someone prepare some food?"

"Just some soup would be good. I'm feeling a bit dry, but we ate on the plane," Owen replied.

"Got it."

It didn't take long for them to arrive at Mira's villa. She owned over two hundred properties in Melvion City now, but she intentionally kept one villa unrented just for hosting VIPs. With her high school graduation behind her, she planned to rent out her old apartment once she left for college, keeping this villa for whenever she returned to Melvion for business.

During dinner that evening, the two men gave Mira congratulatory ornaments. One symbolized smooth sailing and a boundless future, while the other represented breaking out of a cocoon to become a butterfly.

"We know you aren't exactly short on cash, so we figured a meaningful object would be the best way to show our support," Dominic said, a warm smile on his face.

When Mira secured the top score, Owen had discussed the gift with Dominic. "If it were a normal student, handing them a check for a hundred grand would be huge. But Mira plays with billions. Giving her money just feels redundant."

"Who says it's redundant? I'd be perfectly happy if each of you gave me a hundred million dollars," Mira joked with the two older men.

"A hundred million? Owen might be able to afford that, but I certainly can't."

"Bullshit, Dominic. As if you couldn't afford a hundred million."

"I seriously can't. I'm not swimming in wealth like you two," Dominic chuckled bitterly. In terms of personal salary, a government official simply couldn't compete with top-tier business magnates.

"But why? The Mercer Group is a massive piece of meat. Doesn't this just leave it all for Adrian and Mara, and ultimately the Porters?"

"Adrian constantly made reckless decisions for Mara's sake—or perhaps for his own selfish reasons. To protect the big picture, Ethan gradually took control of the company. That crossed Adrian's bottom line. He secretly teamed up with Shane and the board of directors to kick Ethan out..."

"Adrian lost his mind? He teamed up with his worst enemy to deal with his own son?" Owen's eyes went wide.

Adrian's actions were even more absurd than his own so-called father's. When Lawrence Lance and his father conspired against Owen and his mother, Lawrence was at least a legitimate son. But Adrian had literally partnered with a lifelong, blood-feud enemy just because he hated his own son that much.

Mira continued, "As for the assets, Ethan sensed what they were doing. Before he left, he siphoned billions out of the company. What's left is just an empty shell."