Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 1209

"You've got quite a heavy load there. Let me help you carry one."

It was always nice to have a helping hand. The older woman smiled at Gwen Quinn. "Thank you so much. Do you live in this neighborhood too?"

In such a sprawling community, it was completely normal not to recognize everyone.

"Yes, I was just out for a walk. It's getting late, so I figured it was time to head home for dinner," Gwen lied smoothly.

The two chatted as they walked to the main gate. The woman swiped her access card, and they both slipped inside.

The security guards couldn't possibly memorize the faces of every resident and simply assumed they were neighbors. Just like that, Gwen managed to sneak in.

As she made her way deeper into the complex, Gwen had her entire plan mapped out. She would knock on Mira Mercer's door and claim to be a delivery driver. However, she never expected to bump into Eleanor Quinn right in the middle of the community garden.

Seeing Mira standing there, with Jax Weaver and Silas Vane hovering just a short distance away, Gwen knew a direct confrontation would be a losing battle. Instead, she grabbed a heavy stone from the landscaping and hurled it straight at Eleanor's head...

Miles Quinn arrived to find Gwen beaten to a pulp. One look at her battered face was all it took for him to realize his mother had caused trouble yet again. He demanded to know what she had done.

The nearby security guard simply pressed play on the recording of her recent interrogation.

Knowing they were completely in the wrong, Miles slumped in defeat and begged Mira to keep the authorities out of it. "Mira, please, just cut me some slack. Don't call the cops, okay?

I swear, I'll have someone watch her around the clock once we get back. I won't let her step out of line ever again.

The Quinn Group is already drowning in endless crises right now, and our stock is plummeting by the day. I'm just so worried..."

Whether driven by a son's duty or corporate survival, Miles's desperation was palpable. Mira shot a glance at Eleanor. The older woman remained entirely silent, but Mira instantly understood her unspoken plea.

The mere mention of the facility sent violent tremors through Gwen's body. "No... no, you can't send me back there..."

"I'll let it go this time," Mira warned sharply. "But you better keep a tight leash on her. If anything like this ever happens again, there will be no mercy."

The moment Gwen returned to the Quinn family estate, she was hit with devastating news. Lawrence Lance had been executed, leaving her daughter a widow burdened with a newborn. The shock was so immense that Gwen instantly blacked out.

She had barely regained consciousness when she learned that Seraphina's sentence had been extended to eight years for the attempted poisoning of Eleanor. The revelation sent Gwen spiraling right back into a dead faint.

This time, she remained unconscious for two whole days. But the second her eyes fluttered open, she was met with yet another devastating blow.

Seraphina's premature baby—Gwen's very own grandchild—had succumbed to a congenital heart defect. Despite the doctors' best efforts, the infant had tragically passed away in the hospital.