Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 1208

At Mira's commanding shout, Silas and Jax sprang into action. They sprinted toward the bushes, dragged the struggling woman out, and forced her to her knees in front of Mira.

"Gwen Quinn."

Smack! Mira delivered a brutal slap across Gwen's face. "You utterly psychotic trash. You just crawled out of a mental ward and your first instinct is to attack Eleanor?"

Smack! Another vicious strike landed. Mira relentlessly slapped her back and forth, only stopping when her own palms began to sting.

Gwen's face rapidly swelled into a bruised, unrecognizable mess, leaving her unable to form a coherent word.

Mira had zero intention of letting her off easily. If the police were called right now, Gwen would simply play the victim, claiming the rock slipped from her hand and it was a terrible misunderstanding.

Since the stone hadn't actually hit Eleanor, there would be no physical evidence of assault, and she would dodge jail time. Moreover, there was a high probability that Eleanor, out of pity for Miles, might forgive her.

Mira instructed Silas to notify the estate's security team, then turned to Jax. "Go upstairs and get the serum."

Thankfully, Eleanor remained remarkably composed. Watching Mira mercilessly strike Gwen didn't traumatize the older woman; in fact, she found it profoundly satisfying.

But the reality was grim—if that stone had connected, a woman of Eleanor's fragile age and health could have been killed instantly by the shock or the impact.

Jax nodded, instantly understanding Mira's plan, and sprinted toward the house. He returned moments later holding a single capsule of the Veritas Serum, walking purposefully toward Gwen.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

Gwen shrieked, her voice muffled by her swollen lips, terror finally setting in. But Mira wasn't about to waste breath explaining.

Silas roughly gripped Gwen's jaw, forcing her mouth open. Mira tossed the pill directly to the back of her throat, and Jax delivered a sharp, practiced strike to her neck, forcing her to swallow.

By the time the head of security arrived with his team, the men were profusely apologetic. "Miss Mercer, we are so incredibly sorry. We will launch a full investigation into how she bypassed the gates immediately."

I've lived a long, full life. But she would rot in a prison cell for the rest of hers."

Mira was momentarily taken aback by the morbid pragmatism. "Please don't say things like that. Your life is infinitely more precious than hers."

Miles arrived in record time, pulling up just as the security team delivered the recorded confession.

The truth was pathetic. Gwen had ordered her driver to drop her off blocks away from the community.

She knew from past attempts that the guards had strict orders from Mira to deny the Quinns entry.

Realizing she couldn't just walk in, she had staked out the perimeter until she spotted an elderly resident returning from the grocery store.

Swallowing her usual aristocratic pride, the arrogant professor had played the role of a helpful citizen, eagerly carrying the heavy bags of vegetables and fruit to manipulate her way past the security checkpoints.