Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 536

Fiona gasped, nearly passing out again.

"Adrian, she's our only daughter. Please, pay whoever you have to pay and get her out. She made a mistake, but we can teach her better. She's still young."

"You can bail her out yourself when you're discharged. I'm bankrupt, remember? I barely have enough to feed myself, let alone bribe anyone. And none of my old connections will give me the time of day anymore."

Adrian kept his real thoughts to himself: I only brought you to the hospital to save my own reputation. You and Mara conspired against me. Why would I ever help her?

Fiona realized it was hopeless. She would have to figure it out herself once she recovered.

Meanwhile, in the detention center, Mara was utterly alone. No one visited. No one sent money. No one pulled strings for her.

She had been here before, but last time, Adrian and Ethan had smoothed things over, and Lacey had tearfully brought her supplies.

At first, Mara huddled in the corner, ignoring the terrible food and filthy conditions. She thought her past experience would help her survive.

But after two days, the other inmates noticed she had no connections and no care packages. The bullying began.

Mara wasn't weak. She knew the importance of forming alliances. But alliances required leverage—like snacks or soap sent from the outside. If you didn't have goods, you had to be a tough fighter. People would follow you for protection.

"Boss, when do I get to move up?" Mara asked one evening.

"Just keep your head down and do what you're told, and you'll move up," the Boss replied lazily.

Mara knew that meant she had to wait for someone else to screw up, or for a fresh, clueless inmate to arrive.

She was starving, but she didn't dare touch the extra food she knew the Boss had stashed away. She was exhausted, but she forced herself to finish her chores. The alternative was a brutal beating.

She thought she had experienced the worst of it, but the very next day proved her wrong.