Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 471

Adrian Mercer and his daughter, Mara, felt their hearts leap into their throats.

"Adrian, what exactly did you just have me sign?" Lacey Quinn Mercer asked, looking at the document.

Adrian quickly masked his panic with a smooth smile. "A high-end luxury spa just opened a few blocks away. I know how much you love pampering yourself, so I went ahead and got you their exclusive VIP membership. That was just the contract to activate your card."

"Oh, Adrian. You're always so good to me," Lacey cooed, affectionately looping her arm through his.

He draped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. "You're my wife. If I don't spoil you, who will?"

"Adrian, stop it, the kid is right here," she murmured, blushing slightly.

"Mom, Dad, I'll leave you two to chat. I don't want to be the third wheel," Mara said with a sweet smile, tactfully retreating to her bedroom. Once the door clicked shut, her expression twisted into a sneer. She thought to herself, enjoy it while you can, you old crone. You won't be smiling for much longer.

...

That very evening, Mira Mercer received word of how easily Lacey had been duped.

"Miss, should we inform Lacey of the truth?" Lenny Forbes asked over the secure line. "If we act within the next three days, there's still time to stop the transfer."

"Tell her? No. She ceased being my mother a long time ago. Everyone has to pay the price for their own choices," Mira replied coolly.

If she tried to warn Lacey now, the woman would only assume Mira was lying or trying to drive a wedge between her and her precious husband.

Mira told Lenny, "Let nature take its course."

"Understood. Miss, should we notify Ethan?"

"No need." She had no obligation to intervene.

...

The following morning, Adrian and Mara arrived at the Mercer Group headquarters. The first person to intercept them in the lobby was Fiona Quinn.

"Well? How did it go?" Fiona whispered.

Adrian gave a firm, satisfied nod.

"Mom—" Mara started.

Fiona instantly clamped a hand over Mara's mouth, her eyes darting around the busy atrium. Once she was sure no one was eavesdropping, she let out a breath. "Child, until the ink is completely dry, do not do anything impulsive."

"I know. I was too impulsive," Mara said, biting her lower lip.

Mira hadn't expected Vertex to send someone so quickly.

As an internet juggernaut, Vertex rarely integrated external games into the Vertex Gaming Store.

But just as Owen Lance had predicted, when a game was a certified hit, the platforms came begging.

Vertex's opening offer was a thirty-seventy split.

They wanted a thirty percent cut of Harvest Haven's net profits, leaving seventy percent for Solflare Entertainment.

They also demanded that the game exclusively use the Vertex ID System, a move clearly designed to strip away Solflare's channel independence.

"Given the sheer popularity of our game, we really aren't desperate to be on the Vertex Gaming Store," Owen countered smoothly.

Even if they wanted the deal, negotiation was a poker game, and he wasn't about to show his hand.

In less than a month since its launch, Harvest Haven had already skyrocketed into the industry's top fifty.

With Vertex's colossal user base, breaking into the top ten would be effortless.