Imprisoned While Pregnant, She's Back for Payback novel Chapter 355

Chapter 355 The Plan Begins

Shannon’s eyes gleamed with quiet satisfaction as she watched the two figures fade into the dark. A thought crossed her mind, sharp and fleeting. She reached for her phone, typed out a message with quick fingers, and then deleted it before it could leave her screen.

“Check, please.”

At the next table, Abel snapped his fingers with careless flair. The sound cracked through the air as if it belonged to him, his whole posture dripping with smug delight.

Tess kept her eyes fixed on the path Nadine had taken, her focus unshaken. Abel, however, let his

gaze slide across her with an ease that carried both curiosity and boldness.

They paid their bill and stepped into the night. At the front desk, Tess asked the clerk for directions to the nearest movie theater, sending them walking in the opposite direction from Nadine.

Once their figures disappeared, Henry and Shannon seemed to release the breath they had been holding. Their bodies relaxed, the tension slipping from their shoulders as though a heavy burden had finally been lifted.

But unseen by them, Tess and Abel doubled back. They moved in silence, circling until they caught the trail that Nadine had taken.

“Follow them,” Tess whispered, her voice low and edged with steel.

She grabbed Abel’s wrist and pulled him into stride.

Abel gave no resistance. He fell in behind her, keeping close, staying only half a step away from her.

His eyes dropped to where her hand gripped his arm.

Her fingers clutched him tightly. Every time she pulled him forward, her touch pressed against his skin, leaving heat in its wake.

His thoughts stirred with a restless energy, and excitement lit his expression. No matter how hard he tried, he could not hide the thrill that flickered in his eyes.

He cleared his throat, his voice breaking the silence. “The Royal Hotel is right there. That’s where they went.”

Her eyes met his in confusion, but she caught his meaning at once. She tugged him along with

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Chapter 355 The Plan Begins.

determined steps.

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Abel followed, his lips curled with pride, the smile of a man who felt he had already won.

When they reached the entrance of the Royal Hotel, two attendants were preparing to close for the night.

Tess strode forward and blocked their way. “Did a man and a woman just come in here? The man was drunk.”

The attendants froze. Surprise flickered across their faces, betraying them for an instant.

They blinked fast, then tried to cover their unease. “May we ask who you are? We cannot give out guest information.”

Their words sounded firm, but Tess caught the strain in their voices. She saw the nervous glint in their eyes and knew better.

“I’m here on official business. I need your cooperation.”

Her tone turned sharp, edged with command, as she slid out her identification. It was the badge Lyra had told her never to leave behind.

The attendants stiffened. A judge from the District Court, standing in front of them?

They shared a look, their expressions hardening with the weight of what they saw.

Before they could respond, Abel tossed a sleek black card onto the counter. His voice was cold and certain. “The man inside is my uncle, Finn. The woman who took him here has foul intentions for the man. I have every right to go in and help him.”

He stared them down, his presence heavy with arrogance and wealth. The attendants faltered beneath his gaze, trembling under its weight. One risked a glance at his face and saw it, the clear resemblance to Finn.

The black card sealed it. That rare diamond edition was carried by only one man in Aetheris— Finn Lock himself. If Abel had one, then he was not bluffing.

And his face was already familiar. They had seen it online, clear as day. There was no mistaking him.

Still, it had been Nadine who had entered minutes earlier. Nadine, who had hovered around Finn in whispers and headlines for over a year. Now that Finn’s divorce filled every page, people expected her to be Finn’s next wife. That was why the hotel granted her a private buyout at such a low cost.

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Chapter 355 The Plan Begins

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So why did his nephew carry such obvious disdain for her?

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“The young lady paid us to close the floor. She insisted we turn away every other guest tonight.” One of them chewed his lip, then steadied himself. “But if you insist, I will take you to the suite.”

This attendant carried himself with control, clearly the leader among

Tess gave a firm nod. “Show us the way.”

them.

They walked together, their footsteps echoing through a long corridor. At last the attendant stopped before a private suite and placed a hand on the door.

“This is the room.”

“I’ll handle it if she tries to come after you,” Abel said as he tapped the attendant’s shoulder. He dismissed her with the easy wave of a man used to being obeyed.

Relieved to be spared the risk, she vanished down the hall.

Abel and Tess exchanged a sharp glance, silent but certain.

Inside, Nadine stood unaware, her cheeks flushed with color, her eyes bright with feigned shyness as she stared at the man on the bed.

Finn’s gaze met hers, clouded and hazy, the alcohol blurring his vision.

“T… Tess…

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The word left his lips, dry and broken. It was barely more than a whisper. His eyes unfocused until Nadine’s form blurred into the figure he longed for most.

The night air swept in through the open window, catching the edge of her white dress and lifting it into gentle waves. To him, it looked like a vision torn from a dream he had chased again and again in his sleep.

He tried to rise, but the liquor weighed heavy at his body. His limbs gave out, leaving him half- sprawled across the bed, his eyes locked on her without a single blink.

Finn wondered if this was only a dream.

“Finn.”

Nadine leaned down, her lips brushing his ear as she spoke his name in a tender murmur.

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He gazed at her with longing, but even then, in his haze, he spoke another woman’s name.

Her heart burned with loathing for Tess, yet she swallowed it whole.

So he’s fallen in love with Tess.

Her nails dug deep into her palms as she forced herself to mimic Tess, copying her gestures, her tone, her every move, because losing was not an option.