Chapter 217
Back at Mira’s house.
After dinner, Mr. Harth asked, “Are you heading to the office tonight p>
“No. But if you need to go, I can have Ronan drive you p>
“Never mind. If you’re staying, I’ll stay too. I can work from here and save the commute time.” He could easily coordinate with the chief editor over the phone.
With her academic workload increasing, Mira had restricted her office visits to Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, plus the weekends. Any emergencies could be handled via call.
Mira and Mr. Harth settled in at the table to study and work.
Mason was taking Rachel out to stroll through the night market.
Having Mr. Harth there was like having a walking encyclopedia. Not only did he answer all her literature questions instantly, but his presence was also the ultimate accountability check.
Whenever Mira felt the urge to slack off, one glance at her teacher immediately snapped her back into focus, boosting her productivity through the roof.
A short while later, Elara dropped by with a few questions for Mr. Harth.
She lived in the same residential complex, just a few buildings over, so it was a quick walk. Once her questions were answered, she hurried to leave.
“Why don’t you just stay and study here with us?” Mr. Harth suggested.
“I can’t. I’m on the clock, so I can’t leave the house for long stretches. But the old woman I work for lets me study for a couple of hours every night p>
By nine o’clock, Mira had washed up and was getting ready for bed when her phone buzzed.
A call at this hour meant it was either Lenny Forbes or Kieran. They actively avoided interrupting her study sessions and knew this was her downtime.
“The Mercers picked Mara up. Word is she passed out in her cell. They processed her for medical parole to serve the rest of her time outside p>
They certainly knew how to exploit a loophole.
“Lenny, do you think the Mercers orchestrated this p>
“I’d bet my life it was Fiona Quinn’s idea. From what my guys have seen, the Mercers didn’t make any aggressive legal moves after Mara
Quinn
up But Fiona C
was looked ally suspicious
snuck in fortwo
visits.” sŵnovels
Who exactly was Fiona Quinn?
Mira couldn’t figure it out. In her past life, the woman had barely registered on her radar. Time would tell.
They’d just have to wait and see.
“Got it. Thanks for the hard work, Lenny. If it’s not a blazing emergency, just stick to daytime surveillance. Let your guys get some sleep tonight p>
At the hospital, Mara fluttered her eyes open to find a stern-faced Lucas Mercer and a weeping Lacey hovering over her bed.
“My baby! You’re finally awake! If anything had happened to you, how could I go on?” Lacey sobbed.
“Mom… Mom… I missed you so much,” Mara rasped weakly, weakly gripping Lacey’s hand.
Inwardly, Mara sneered. What good was all this crying? She got locked up, and her useless mother hadn’t done a damn thing to get her out. Godmother Fiona’s advice was the only thing that actually worked.
“Why did you starve yourself until you passed out?” Lucas demanded, his gaze piercing.
“The food in there… I just couldn’t stomach it p>
If she hadn’t starved herself, how else was she supposed to get out?
“The food there obviously doesn’t compare to what we eat at home, but it’s far from inedible. It meets basic nutritional standards,” Lucas stated flatly. As a doctor, he knew exactly how the body worked.
“Other inmates survive in there for years, yet you couldn’t handle a single month?
And what about the constant stream of snacks we had sent in p>
Mara immediately played the victim, trembling like a leaf as she buried her face in Lacey’s chest, pretending to be too traumatized to speak.