Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 484

"Well, you still weren't as smart as Mira."

As the mother and son spoke, Julian and Damon walked in. Upon seeing Lacey, neither of them uttered the word 'Mom.'

Julian started talking the moment he crossed the threshold. "I told you Mara was trash, but you refused to listen. You even ganged up with them to bully us. Have you learned your lesson yet? I heard that if Ethan had arrived a second later, you'd be out on the streets begging."

Lacey was drowning in guilt toward her children and desperately wanted to apologize, but hearing Julian's sharp words made the apology catch in her throat. She looked at Ethan, expecting him to scold Julian, only to hear him say, "Begging? If I had been a step late, her legs would have been shattered..."

"Ethan!" Lacey cried out, terrified he was about to reveal that they had ordered her stripped.

"Ever since Mara came back, this house has been a toxic wasteland. And yet, you and Adrian protected her with everything you had. Look how well that protection worked out for you," Damon added, his gaze fixed on Lacey.

Lucas arrived last. He glanced briefly at Lacey before turning to Ethan. "Let's eat."

In the end, out of the three brothers who visited, not one called Lacey their mother. But by now, she was numb to it. The fact that they showed up at all meant they still recognized her existence.

Ethan had already booked a table at a high-end restaurant. Once everyone was gathered, they headed out for dinner. At the table, no one hovered over Lacey or showed her any warmth; the brothers simply chatted among themselves. Lacey wanted to ask bitterly if they were ignoring her just because she was down on her luck, but remembering her past actions, she kept her mouth shut. Every time one of her boys had clashed with Mara or Adrian, she had furiously taken the side of the father and daughter, loudly berating her own sons. And as for her biological daughter, she had personally helped torment her. The boys ignoring her now was a punishment she had earned.

"Ethan, is Mira really never going to acknowledge us?" Lucas asked quietly.

"She's a prodigy. Owen Lance probably mentored her. You guys don't know, do you? Owen holds dual Ph.Ds in economics and finance from MIT. He might have cut ties with the Lance Family, but I guarantee his personal empire is massive."

"How does Mira even know him?" Lucas pressed.

Julian knew the answer to that one. "He's a senior student at her martial arts dojo."

"If my guess is right, Mira is likely the true owner of Solflare Entertainment, too. Kieran Holt is just working for her," Damon chimed in. Having spent so much time at Solflare Entertainment, he had picked up enough clues to put the pieces together, even though Mira had been too busy with her exams and financial maneuvers to visit the agency recently.

The other brothers whipped their heads around to stare at Damon. "How is that even possible?"