Chapter 568
“Reginald Frost, Vanguard’s CEO, wants a sit-down with you. We’ll go over the specifics when you get here. Come straight to the office,” Owen instructed.
“Understood. I’m leaving tomorrow,” Mira replied, a surge of adrenaline rushing through her.
She had anticipated Vanguard’s compliance, but hearing it confirmed was exhilarating. Securing a massive tech titan like Vanguard Systems meant the Aegis OS project was poised to dominate the global market. The coalition of top-tier developers was assembling, and her vision was rapidly becoming a reality.
Before hanging up, Owen added, “Lawrence Lance is tearing the city apart looking for Roxanne p>
“He sank millions into her. She was supposed to be his golden goose,” Mira mused, leaning back in her seat. “If she’s gone, his investment just went up in smoke p>
“My grandfather was furious about Lawrence’s recent screw-ups,” Owen noted. “He stripped him of half his operational authority within the Lance family p>
“Can you move in for the kill while he’s weak?” Mira asked sharply.
“Not yet. My grandfather is still shielding him. The old man controls the board, and pulling Lawrence’s power was just a temporary disciplinary measure p>
“Your grandfather is sentimental to a fault. Lawrence is a liability. Why keep backing him p>
“Blood is thicker than water. He’s still the favored grandson p>
When it came time to travel to the capital, Silas and Jax flat-out refused to get on an airplane. The near-fatal sabotage orchestrated by Lawrence Lance had scarred them.
As Silas put it: “On the ground, I can punch my way out of any problem. In the sky? If Owen wasn’t a licensed pilot, we would have been a smoking crater p>
Yielding to her security team, Mira booked a block of first-class sleeper cabins on the express train to Aethelgard. Her entourage was massive: Rachel, Butler Zane, Silas, and Jax. Elara Finn also brought her adoptive father along.
Seeing the small army gathered at the station, Celine Ward couldn’t hide her surprise. “Why is everyone moving with you p>
Mira adjusted her bag. “My base of operations is in Aethelgard now. I’m buying a permanent residence there, so I’m bringing my people with me p>
For Elara, leaving her father behind was never an option. After years of scraping by; she refused to let him out of her sight. Though his leg still had a slight limp from the accident, he was perfectly capable of light work.
“It must be nice to have that kind of freedom,” Celine murmured, a pang of jealousy in her voice.
“You come from a good family. You could easily buy a condo in the capital,” Harvey pointed out, leaning against his luggage.
“My trust fund is heavily monitored,” Celine sighed. “Any major withdrawal requires a board meeting with my parents. And they’d never uproot their lives to move with me p>
She looked at Mira, a profound sense of regret washing over her. “I really wish I had said yes when you offered me a stake in your business p>
Back then, Celine had assumed Mira was hustling small-time gigs just to pay tuition. Who could have predicted she was building a billion-dollar empire?
“If you had partnered with her, your grades would have tanked, and you’d be wishing you studied harder for the entrance exams,” Harvey teased smoothly, trying to lighten the mood.
Celine fell silent, staring at the floor.
“Don’t beat yourself up,” Mira said gently. “You’ve always had the safety net of a
loving family. I had to build my own p>
“But I’ll never reach the heights you’re at,” Celine whispered.
“Mira is a force of nature,” Elara chimed in with absolute loyalty. “There’s no point in comparing ourselves to her. Just being in her inner circle is a privilege p>
“You’re right about that,” Celine agreed softly.
The group boarded the train, claiming their adjoining sleeper cabins. The atmosphere was light as they shared drinks and stories as the countryside blurred past. By silent agreement, no one mentioned Liora or her brother’s foolish crusade.
Those two siblings were simply too emotionally immature and stubborn.