Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 565

The address pinged on her screen. It wasn't far.

Roxanne had her flight to Aethelgard booked. Her luggage was packed, and the hotel room was cleared out. She planned to bask in the sight of a shattered Mira Mercer and then head straight to the airport.

She hailed a cab, handing the driver an extra hundred-dollar bill. "Keep the meter running and the trunk popped. I just need to run inside for a few minutes."

"You got it, ma'am. Make it quick."

Roxanne knew this neighborhood. It was the same bleak, forgotten district where she had initially met the Syndicate brokers. Relying on memory, she navigated the cracked pavement until she reached the dilapidated house. A man was waiting by the iron gate.

"Right this way, Ms. Porter," he said, gesturing inside.

Roxanne gave a curt nod and pushed past him. The front door was slightly ajar. She stepped into the dim hallway, her mind racing with vindictive excitement. *What state is she in? Bound? Begging?*

She barely took two steps before a heavy hand clamped over her mouth. The suffocating, chemical sweetness of chloroform invaded her lungs. She thrashed wildly, her nails clawing at the thick arm holding her, but within seconds, the world went black.

***

Mira woke the next morning to the soft sunlight filtering through her blinds. She reached for her phone on the nightstand. One unread message: *"Done."*

A profound wave of relief washed over her. For the first time in months, she drifted back into a deep, uninterrupted sleep.

Downstairs, Rachel noticed Mira's door was still shut and happily left her to rest. *The poor girl works herself to the bone,* the housekeeper thought affectionately. She cooked up a hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs, keeping it warm in the oven while she waited in the living room.

The bodyguards had already slipped out for their morning run, seeing that their boss was taking a rare day off.

When Mira finally opened her eyes, the clock read 8:00 AM. She had slept three hours past her usual alarm.

"Are you heading to the office today?" Rachel asked as she served breakfast.

Mira took a bite of her eggs. "No, everything is locked down there. Rachel, start packing. We're moving to Aethelgard today."

"What's wrong?" Mira asked, pulling them inside.

"Mira..." Liora choked out. "Roxanne is missing."

"Roxanne?" Mira asked, playing the part perfectly.

"My brother's ex," Liora sniffled. "Right before she vanished, she sent Xavier a text. He couldn't get ahold of her after that, so he filed a missing person's report. The police looked into it—she's just... gone."

Mira suppressed an eye roll. The Bennett family was utterly exhausting. In her past life, Roxanne had destroyed them, and Mira had moved mountains in this life to sever their toxic ties. Yet somehow, Xavier was still rushing to Roxanne's rescue.

When Roxanne was ruining lives, the Bennetts turned a blind eye. Now that she had finally met her match, they wanted to play savior.

"What are the police saying?" Mira asked smoothly.

"Nothing yet," Liora cried. "And Mara is missing too! Roxanne had bailed her out, and she was helping her run things. They're both gone!"