Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 969

There was no reality where he would stay behind while she walked into a warzone.

"If you can't step away from the Lance Group right now, stay here. I'll be fine with Master Ellis. I've been training intensely in both lethal combat and pharmacology; it's time I tested my own limits in the field.

Owen, I'm not some fragile hothouse flower. Real growth only happens under fire.

If something goes sideways, that's on me. I accept the risks.

I just need you here, holding down the fort at Solflare."

If highly trained soldiers were willing to put their lives on the line for this, who was she to hide behind her wealth?

"Don't talk like that," Owen snapped, his voice rough with sudden emotion. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you.

The Lance Group can run on autopilot for a few weeks. My VP is fully trained and hungry to prove himself. It's time I let him take the wheel anyway."

"What about your delightful relatives?" Mira countered.

She didn't trust his family to play nice while the throne was temporarily empty.

"Lawrence is locked away for the foreseeable future. Richard is completely incompetent, and Jocelyn's venom is limited to pathetic parlor tricks.

I've got a surveillance team monitoring their every move. They're toothless."

Even with his reassurances, Mira knew Owen had only recently seized control of the Lance Group. Vacating his seat now was risky.

"Seriously, stay. Secure your empire. And if anything happens with Eleanor, I'd sleep better knowing you were here to handle it."

Owen leveled a piercing glare at her. "My lady is charging headfirst into a cartel bloodbath, and you expect me to sit safely behind a mahogany desk like a coward?"

"I wouldn't hold it against you," she teased with a faint smirk.

"You're infuriating, you know that?

Enough arguing. The house is secure. We'll triple the security detail. If a crisis hits, Felix Grant can handle the corporate fallout, and if it gets physical, Dominic is just a phone call away.

Once we ship out, I'll mandate that Dominic keep his private line open twenty-four-seven.

I'll even have him crash here at the estate while we're gone. He can take my room."

The guy didn't even pretend to politely decline. Classic.

Sure enough, Mira was awarded the Grand President's Scholarship, pulling in a cool twenty thousand dollars.

Harvey Rivers snagged the First-Tier Scholarship, walking away with fifteen thousand. For them, it was purely about the prestige; the actual money was pocket change.

Elara Finn also secured a First-Tier slot. Unlike the others, that fifteen thousand would be a monumental boost to her daily survival.

True to her word, Mira hosted the celebratory dinner for the class president and the rest of the crew.

The invite list expanded quickly, pulling in Harvey and his roommates, along with Jillian Lowe, Quentin Reed, and Wesley Lane.

But with the looming tactical op weighing heavily on her mind, Mira wasn't in the mood to party. She handed Harvey her black card and instructed him to take everyone to the Solflare Grand Hotel to feast on her tab.

As she tried to slip away from campus early, Harvey caught up to her, his sharp eyes picking up on her tension.

Pulling her away from the crowd, he kept his voice low. "You're on edge. What's going on?"