Imprisoned While Pregnant, She's Back for Payback novel Chapter 193

Chapter 193 What Is He Up to Now?

Chapter 193 What Is He Up to Now?

Finn was the one to break the silence.

This time, Tess didn’t answer. Instead, she stood up with Layla in her arms.

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She gave him a cool glance. “Then you should be clear about your own identity, too, Mr. Lock.”

Two back–to–back crisis had been resolved, both tied directly to him. For once, Tess felt an unusual calm toward him.

She wasn’t the kind to repay kindness with betrayal, and she couldn’t bring herself to be as cutting toward him as before.

Still, sarcasm was hard to avoid.

Holding Layla close, she headed for her room.

The simple acetate dress she wore–sleek, with a faint sheen–made her slender frame look even straighter, more poised.

Finn’s gaze followed her all the way until the door shut.

Layla, still clinging to her mother’s neck, peeked over Tess’s shoulder and beamed at him, her clear eyes narrowing into little crescent moons.

A thought rose sharply in Finn’s mind.

That familiar face… is Layla really not his child?

His brows drew together.

He’d come home early from work, and on his way past the kitchen had heard the nanny softly soothing Layla.

The little girl must have been starving–when she looked up at him, there were still two wet streaks of tears on her cheeks.

He was a man who valued peace, yet in that moment, he felt no irritation at all. Instead, he reached out and took her from the nanny’s arms.

The nanny hesitated for a beat, then quickly handed him the bottle.

Finn mimicked her movements, feeding Layla himself.

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Chapter 193 What Is He Up to Now?

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She stared up at him with her dark shiny eyes, being nursed contently, her round cheeks. moved with each suck.

For a moment, something stirred in his otherwise cold heart.

“Looks like the young miss really likes you, Mr. Lock,” the nanny dared to remark.

He didn’t deny it–just kept his eyes on the little bundle in his arms.

Does Layla like me? What about her mother?

The question came unbidden.

And the next moment he snapped back to reality, he was somewhat stunned.

Why the hell would I even think that?

He cleared his throat, hiding the flicker of awkwardness.

That was the scene Tess had walked in on earlier.

What she didn’t know was that quite a bit of time had passed–he’d been keeping Layla entertained all along, enough to make passing house staff give him strange. looks.

Looking down at the child, his ice–bound eyes softened, rippling with unexpected warmth.

Tess, oblivious to his lapse, locked the door behind her.

Her phone lit up–someone was calling.

Her face tightened.

“What?!”

The voice on the other end was loud, dramatic, and furious.

Then came the sound of fists pounding against a table.

“Are they blind? They call themselves high society, yet can’t even recognize a real luxury brand when they see one?”

The low curses dripped with ridicule.

Tess let out a faint laugh and hurried to calm him. “It’s already stirred up enough. I just don’t want these false rumors spreading any further.”

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20:39 Mon, Oct 6 N

Chapter 193 What Is He Up to Now?

“Don’t worry!”

He bellowed with rare fervor. “Just wait–I’ll have my brother handle the PR!”

… Your brother?”

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She thought of the reclusive head of the Dickinson family–she’d only seen him once, and that was from a distance. Would he really lower himself to defend her?

Her hesitation was all too obvious to the man on the line, and he instantly took it as doubt.

“Just wait!” he snapped.

Beep-

With that, the call was disconnected.

Tess stared at the phone, baffled.

The name “Marc Dickinson” blinked briefly on the screen before going dark.

What is he up to now?

Frowning, she set Layla on the bed to get her settled for the night.

Only after turning off the light did another message from Marc pop up, “Tomorrow, I’ll give you a surprise.”

Still confused, she typed a reply–but no answer came.

She eventually let it go and tried to sleep.

The night outside looked oppresive with heavy clouds tangled together.

But sleep didn’t come easily to everyone.

In the most exclusive high–rise apartment in Aetheris, the lights still burned.

you

A woman’s trembling, furious voice spilled through the crack of a window. “3 million and still can’t get it done? Useless! You swore you could handle it and clean it up. Now, even the people you sent have been arrested?!”

On the other end, after taking the brunt of her tirade, a man’s voice suddenly snapped back. “We haven’t even come after you yet! Weren’t you the one who said she was just some nobody? How the hell did she end up connected to Finn?”

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20:39 Mon, Oct 6 N

Chapter 193 What Is He Up to Now?

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The words made her go still for a moment, but then she bit out, “He’s just a convict who’ll be divorced any day now. What kind of connection‘ is that? I paid you 3 million!”

“And we wouldn’t do it for 30 million! This job nearly got us killed!”

He hung up without waiting for her reply–whether out of anger or because he had his hands full dealing with the aftermath, she didn’t know.