Imprisoned While Pregnant, She's Back for Payback novel Chapter 229

Chapter 229 Mockery

Chapter 229 Mockery

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Tess scoffed sharply and took another slow bite, acting like the whole scene was beneath her.

Steven’s calm indifference and Tess‘ mocking tone landed hard, leaving the two across the table rattled. The older man’s glare snapped back to Tommy. “Your name’s been trash in the legal world for years. I bet all your old buddies dropped you. And now you’re hanging around with people even lower than you.”

He managed to insult both of them in one breath.”

Tess and Steven exchanged a glance, disbelief tugging at their lips.

This man was talking to them like they were clueless and easy to push around. And he was doing it right to their faces.

Tess rubbed her temples. Her patience was running thin.

“If you don’t leave us alone right now, we’ll see whether my pull as Finn’s wife is stronger… or your label as his situationship.”

She slammed her fork on the table. Her face went cold, stripped of any warmth.

She hated using Finn’s name, but it was the quickest way to shut this down.

And it worked.

Nadine’s expression twisted, her face shifting between pale and flushed. Calling her a situationship hit her like a blow.

Nearby diners started glancing over, some lingering to watch.

Nadine had no choice but to leave with her teacher.

They shoved a few bites into their mouths before heading out, though Nadine made sure to throw Tess a venomous glare on her way past.

Tess didn’t move.

The only thing that soured the victory was having to use Finn’s name at all.

She’d never liked mentioning him, but even she had to admit it carried weight.

And lately, his strange behavior made her doubt whether his feelings for Nadine had ever been

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Chapter 229 Mockery

as real as she’d thought.

Her gaze softened for a moment, but the thought faded.

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Dragging Finn’s name into it wasn’t the end of the world. Reputation was just noise, and they were still married. She had no reason to feel guilty.

When she looked up, the mood at the table felt different.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

Tommy’s hand trembled slightly as he held his fork. He kept his head low.

“You and your friend are smart people, Ms. Ember. You heard what that old man said. I thought you’d have questions for me.”

Tess’s eyes shifted to him. She caught the dullness, the struggle, and the faint resignation in his expression.

Steven sipped his tea. “The fact I asked you to represent me means I already looked into your background.”

That made Tommy pause. “Even so, you really have nothing to ask?”

“No. Skill is the only thing I care about. If you were as bad as they say, I wouldn’t have invited you.”

Besides, he also had another reason.

Still, he wasn’t going to spill it right here.

Tess sat there, not quite sure what to think.

Tommy let out a slow breath, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. “That old man … he’s my former classmate.”

Tess raised a brow.

“We both graduated from the best law school in the country. My first case out of school put me in court against my professor. He was charged with bribery and corruption, and I took the plaintiff’s side.”

Tess could already see where it was heading.

A teacher raising a student, only for that student to be the one to bring him down–it was

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Chapter 229 Mockery

bitter no matter how you looked at it.

But that didn’t fully explain the venom the old man had just thrown.

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“After that, I stayed in circles the industry didn’t like. My family’s wealthy, so I often took cases for poor clients for free. It didn’t take long before other lawyers accused me of wrecking the market. They teamed up to dig up dirt and ruin my name. I love the job, but my reputation got so bad that even when I offered free help, people thought I had some hidden agenda.”

His gaze dropped again.

Tess noticed his shoulders.

When she first met him, he hadn’t been flashy, but there’d been energy in the way he carried himself. His shoulders had been squared. Now they sagged, weighed down by something

unseen.

And in that moment, she saw herself in him.

Being pushed away from what you love–it hollowed you out.

“Steven still needs you on this case, Mr. Jynn,” Tess said gently, picking up a pastry and setting it on his plate.

“Let’s carve this step out, then we keep climbing. Someone like you should be leading the field and setting the tone for the rest.”

Tommy looked up, surprise flickering in his tired eyes. Warmth spread in his chest.

His face was lined like an old tree, every crease telling a story, but right now it felt like cool water had started running through him, washing some of the weight away.

Steven smiled quietly.

He’d always known Tess had this way about her–honoring the work and the people who did it right.

“Thank you, Ms. Ember,” Tommy said.

“Alright. Let’s eat,” Tess replied.