Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 1177

"To be honest, I prefer this temperature anyway. I just never had the heart to tell Grandma."

"As long as it's to your liking."

Truthfully, Rachel's presence was the anchor that kept the house feeling like a home. When Grandma Eleanor had moved in, that warmth had blossomed into something deeply comforting.

Now that the older woman was gone, the manor felt hollow, leaving a persistent ache of emptiness in the halls.

Mira had always felt disconnected from her blood relatives. Grandma Eleanor had stepped in and effortlessly filled the maternal void in her heart. She hadn't expected her to leave so soon.

Rachel was wonderful, and Mira cared for her deeply—half out of genuine affection, half out of gratitude.

But at the end of the day, their dynamic was still rooted in an employer-employee boundary. Mira paid her a substantial salary, and Rachel constantly sought to prove her worth through meticulous housekeeping.

Even though Mira repeatedly told her to relax and enjoy a life of leisure, Rachel flat-out refused. That inherent need to serve created a polite distance between them that true family didn't have.

Mira could give her unlimited access to their funds and tell her to rest, but Rachel would only ever view it as generous politeness.

It wasn't a bad arrangement, necessarily. They had found a respectful, comfortable rhythm. But that raw, unconditional family bond was something only Grandma Eleanor had been able to provide.

After dinner, as Mira and Owen headed for the stairs, Rachel suddenly spoke up. "A mother and son came by today. They claimed to be your mentor's wife and child."

Mira froze, her foot hovering over the first step.

"What? His wife and child? Ellis has a family?"

Mira whipped her head toward Owen, who looked just as bewildered. "I have no idea. I've known him since I was a kid, and I've never seen a wife or a child. As far as I knew, he was a lifelong bachelor."

"What happened next?"

Mira asked Rachel.

"I have no idea how they got our address. The gate security called up, saying a man and a woman were demanding entry. They asked if I wanted to authorize them.

That was it. Mira completely abandoned the idea of going upstairs. "Owen, why don't you head up and start the review? I'll join you in a bit."

Owen shot her an exasperated look. "What happened to finalizing the design specs? Soren's team is waiting on those."

"Relax, I'm just going to listen for a second. Give me an hour. No, thirty minutes."

"If it's only thirty minutes, I'm staying right here with you."

Owen knew exactly what would happen. Mira wasn't going to get a single ounce of work done tonight. She was brilliant at everything she did, but the moment a juicy piece of gossip dropped, all her productivity vanished.

The moment they settled onto the living room sofa, Mira leveled a demanding look at Jax. "Spill. I'm on a tight schedule."

"I'll spill, but we need to get one thing straight—you cannot tell your mentor I was the one who ratted him out."

The old man could inflict serious bodily harm when provoked.