Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 678

Think about it. Doesn't it just look like a rich girl feeding her pathetic lapdogs?"

"That's exactly what it is,"

Elara agreed.

"I might not have much money, but if I let someone else pay for my meals every single time, I'd feel useless and pathetic. My pride couldn't take it."

"Exactly! Running errands for someone and living off their charity—if that's not being a total lapdog, I don't know what is,"

Zachary nodded.

That was precisely why Mira, despite her massive wealth, rarely paid for her friends' meals unless it was a special occasion. Harvey operated by the same code.

They were more than willing to help their friends out, but they refused to insult their dignity or breed a toxic sense of dependency.

Their conversation wasn't exactly quiet. Jillian turned purple with rage and opened her mouth to start a screaming match, but Vanessa quickly grabbed her arm.

"They're just bitter and jealous. Why bother arguing with them?

Don't forget why we're really here."

Jillian snapped out of it and offered an apologetic smile to the two guys across the table. "They're just incredibly envious. Sorry you had to hear that."

"You find people like that everywhere. Don't worry about it."

Their voices carried across the dining room just as clearly.

Wyatt lunged forward again, his temper flaring, but Harvey yanked him back. "Let the dogs bark. They aren't worth the energy."

"We have a very special guest joining us tonight. You'll all get properly acquainted soon,"

Vanessa declared loudly.

"Is it Piper's new boyfriend? The one who just moved back from overseas? We definitely need to meet him,"

one of the upperclassmen chuckled.

Piper blushed furiously. "Oh, stop it... He's nothing special."

Jillian, completely dropping her usual hostility toward Piper, chimed in. "He has a PhD from abroad, makes tens of thousands of dollars a month, and is absolutely gorgeous. Plus, I hear he's incredibly sweet and considerate.

He had once been head over heels for Piper and had sacrificed a lot for her, only to be gutted when she cheated on him, leading to their messy breakup.

When her side fling inevitably crashed and burned, she realized Wyatt was the better option and spent weeks relentlessly stalking him, begging for a second chance.

But Wyatt's feelings had flatlined. He shot her down cold.

Now that she had supposedly climbed the social ladder again, she was desperate to flaunt her new catch and make Wyatt drown in regret.

Mira couldn't comprehend Piper's twisted psychology.

What was the point of parading her new man in front of her ex, other than stirring up toxic drama?

What confused Mira even more was Jillian's bizarre pride. She had firmly strapped herself to Vanessa as a subservient lapdog—what exactly was there to brag about?

Elara, sharp-eyed as always, nudged Mira's sleeve. "Look. Look at Madison. She's covering her mouth and snickering behind their backs."

"What on earth is she laughing at? And why is she hiding it from them?"

Mira was still processing it when Leah voiced her exact thoughts.