Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 1178

"You have my word."

Mira raised her hand in a solemn vow. In that moment, the ruthless corporate boss vanished, replaced by an eager girl desperate for a story.

Jax swept his gaze across Owen, Rachel, the Iron Wolves duo, and Zane.

"Do I have everyone's word?"

Jax looked genuinely terrified of Jordan Ellis, which only confirmed that this mysterious mother and son were highly classified territory.

"Relax, our lips are sealed."

Satisfied, Jax leaned back and began. "Do you two have any idea what kind of man your mentor was in his prime?"

Mira jumped in. "He must have been incredibly handsome, right? He's loaded, a lethal fighter, and heavily connected. Was he some kind of billionaire CEO?"

"CEO? Try underworld kingpin.

He was terrifying. He had countless men answering to him. Calling him a ruthless mob boss wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Honestly, Silas and I used to run with his crew. Lawson, the guy you deal with over in Aethelgard? He was one of our guys back in the day, too.

Lawson stayed loyal to him. We preferred our freedom and hated taking orders, so we bounced early on."

Owen chuckled. "He told me you two never save a dime. You quit as soon as you get paid, blow it all on booze and partying, and only look for work when your pockets are empty."

"In our line of work, we lived on a razor's edge. Who knew if we'd even wake up the next morning? If you don't burn through your cash while you're breathing, who are you saving it for?"

Silas chimed in.

They were elite mercenaries. Their combat rankings were in the top tier across Mavaria, and their bounties were astronomical. The average client couldn't even dream of affording them.

The only jobs that required their specific skill set were absolute suicide missions.

Just when everyone assumed a guy like him was incapable of settling down, he fell completely, obsessively in love. He severed ties with every other woman in his life just for her.

That woman was Chloe Abbot."

Silas took over. "Chloe grew up in a single-parent household. Her mother was an elementary school teacher—or at least, that was the official cover.

To catch his eye, she was obviously stunning. But Chloe had that fragile, damsel-in-distress kind of beauty. Constantly crying, always playing the victim.

We have no idea what wired his brain wrong, but he was completely intoxicated by her whining! Guys like us took one look at her and wanted to throw up.

You have to understand, he was absolutely blinded by her. He gave her a blank check. She bought whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted.

If she pointed at a mansion, he bought the mansion. If she glanced at a diamond, he'd buy out entire auctions for her without blinking.

I'm not great with words, but basically, if Chloe Abbot wanted the stars, he would have ripped them right out of the sky for her."