Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 571

Mira thought for a moment before nodding. "Alright."

She was more than willing to accept Harvey Rivers as a friend.

The exhausting train ride had taken its toll, and with a packed schedule the next day, Mira decided to turn in early. By nine o'clock, she was freshly showered and tucked into bed.

She wanted to call Eleanor Quinn. She knew her grandmother was eagerly awaiting news of her arrival in Aethelgard.

Just as she picked up her phone, Liora Bennett called. "Mira, Mara went missing too. Do you have any idea where she might be?"

"No."

Mira's tone was flat. Why would she care about the whereabouts of that manipulative brat? She certainly wasn't going to risk missing her university registration to play detective for someone she despised.

"My brother thinks the Porter woman's disappearance is directly tied to Mara," Liora pressed.

"Then let your brother investigate it."

"Mira, what's wrong? Why do you sound so indifferent?"

"I'm swamped, and I'm exhausted. I have to be up early tomorrow. Goodnight." Mira hung up without another word.

She finally dialed Eleanor's number. "Grandma Eleanor, I'll come see you tomorrow."

"Oh, don't worry about me, sweetheart. Focus on your own things first. I'm just relieved you arrived safely," Eleanor replied warmly.

Mira often wondered how such a wise, open-minded woman could have raised a daughter as foolish as Lacey Quinn.

But Eleanor's next words instantly killed Mira's desire to visit the Quinn estate.

"Don't blame me, Lacey. Everyone has to face the consequences of their own actions."

...

The meeting with Vanguard Systems wasn't scheduled until the afternoon, but their executive team arrived first thing in the morning.

"Incredible! Truly a formidable new generation," the CEO of Vanguard Systems, Mr. Sterling, praised warmly. "I never expected someone as young as you, Miss Mercer, to possess such incredible foresight. When we heard about the new mobile operating systems launching overseas, we anticipated the market shift and considered developing our own. We even toyed with the name 'Aegis' for our OS. But while it was still just an idea on our whiteboard, you were already building it. You have our utmost respect!"

Mira hadn't expected the Vanguard team to be so approachable. They lacked the usual arrogance of industry titans. They were legends in the tech space, possessing unmatched talent and financial reserves that Solflare Technologies couldn't yet rival.

"It's nothing, really. I had the capital, so I decided to execute the idea," Mira replied with modest grace.

"Execution is the hardest part. We are thrilled to partner with rising stars like you and Owen. The innovation is yours, and since you already have a working foundation, it's only fair that you take the lion's share of the profits.