Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 1072

Since gold bars were high-value assets, their origins needed to be explicitly documented. The certificates would protect the recipients from any future disputes.

York Vance and Callum Young, along with two commanding officers from the tactical unit, arrived bright and early to help.

They wanted to express their gratitude to Mira, but they were also the ones who had led the troops in the Balkan Underworld. Their familiarity with the men ensured the process would go off without a hitch.

The soldiers lined up early, greeting Mira and her team. Seeing the genuine smiles on their faces made Mira feel it was all worth it.

Originally, she had discussed keeping the gifting quiet with Eleanor and her mentors. But since they were distributing standardized gold bars instead of uneven jade pieces, the dynamic had changed.

This was an honor, and there was absolutely no need to hide it.

The benefactor section of the certificates listed Mira and Owen Lance, as Master Ellis preferred to remain in the shadows.

Everyone received two gold bars, which could be immediately deposited into Barlow National Bank's vaults or instantly liquidated into cash if they needed the funds.

Currently, each gold bar was valued at a hundred thousand dollars.

Once the rank and file had claimed theirs, Mira handed three bars to each of the commanders, rewarding their higher rank and greater contributions during the mission.

She had originally intended to give them jade, but considering the complications involved, standardizing the reward as gold was much cleaner.

Afterward, Mira invited York and his colleagues to a casual lunch at the Solflare Grand Hotel. It was a rare opportunity to catch up and ask how things were going back at the base.

The tactical units had settled back in smoothly, but there was some lingering drama at the military camp.

"The day we got back, Felicia Foster's parents showed up to raise hell," York said.

While in the Balkan Underworld, Felicia had been arrested and escorted back for treason and leaking classified intel. But later, Mira's group had encountered her again in the basement of that black-market hospital.

At the time, Mishka's half-sister claimed the woman who had been sent back was merely a body double, insisting the one in the basement was the real Felicia.

They clearly don't give a damn about anyone's safety," Mira remarked, shaking her head.

"So, what are you going to do?" she asked York.

"Felicia colluded with the enemy and leaked intel. The facts are undeniable, and the evidence is rock solid. As for whether the woman in custody is the real one, that's the result of her own treasonous plotting and deception.

What does that have to do with us?"

York scoffed. "Her parents want us to risk our necks in the Balkan Underworld for her? They're dreaming."

"What about the fake Felicia? Has she confessed?" Mira asked.

"Once the parents exposed her identity, she spilled everything. It only further corroborated the real Felicia's crimes," York replied.

"Felicia comes from a high-ranking family; her parents have serious pull, so I expect they'll keep making noise. But that's for the higher-ups to handle. It's out of our hands."