Imprisoned While Pregnant, She's Back for Payback novel Chapter 434

Chapter 434 Lyra’s Discovery

Lyra’s eyes widened as the realization struck her. She smacked Lachlan lightly on the back, her tone sharp with urgency.

“You’re the piano master here. Hurry up and help us. Check these sheets, see if Splendor Sonata is among them!”

“Splendor Sonata?” Lachlan frowned, his voice laced with doubt and confusion. “Why are you searching for that piece?”

Lyra leaned closer, speaking fast, her words rushing out.

“We already have the first original. That’s why we believe the rest could be here. Splendor Sonata is famous all over the world. The manuscript itself is worth a fortune!”

“So the first one is in your hands.” Lachlan’s reply was soft, almost careless.

But Lyra caught a strange tone beneath his words. She lifted her head, her gaze narrowing.

Lachlan’s fingers moved with deliberate calm. He held a book small enough to fit in one hand. His long pale fingers turned the pages slowly, one after another. Every sheet carried the score of Splendor Sonata. Only the very first page lay blank.

Lyra’s lips parted, her breath trapped in her throat.

“So this is what you’ve been looking for?” Lachlan’s smile was faint. He pressed the entire book into Tess’s arms.

Far away, inside the sleek towers of Lock Group, Zane finally received the address he had been waiting for.

A message glowed on his phone. His eyes lit with triumph. He snapped his laptop shut, grabbed his briefcase, and carried a polished steel lockbox as he strode out of the office.

The address brought him to a quiet park.

His brows furrowed. A park was the last place he had expected. But then he saw her.

A woman sat alone in a pavilion, her outfit matching the description he had been given. His steps carried him straight to her.

“You must be Tania?” Zane’s voice sliced through the hush.

Tania flinched, startled. Her fingers twisted together as she nodded in a rush.

“Yes… I’m Tania. You’re from Lock Group, aren’t you?”

Her eyes lifted, cautious and quick. She studied his tailored suit, the shine of his shoes, the steady air he carried.

He looked exactly like the kind of man who belonged to a powerful company like Lock Group.

The thought only made her chest tighter.

“You don’t need to be afraid.” Zane’s voice softened. He noticed her unease and eased himself into the seat across from her.

He tapped the suitcase in his hand.

“This is the money we agreed on. It’s the deposit. Twenty percent. You can count it yourself.”

The lockbox gleamed, its edges reflecting the light. Tania couldn’t help but stare.

Twenty percent. That meant two hundred thousand.

Her hands shook. She balled them into fists to steady herself.

“What … what do you want to ask me?” Her voice trembled, but her eyes shone with excitement.

Zane’s smile was calm and measured.

“I only want to know one thing. The woman you spoke of on the phone. The boss’s wife. Is it

this woman?”

He slid a photograph across the table.

It was Shannon.

“Yes. That’s her!” Tania blurted.

Her head bobbed in fast nods.

She knew that face. She would know it anywhere. And now she wanted to vent.

She had worked as a nanny in that home for only a few days, yet every moment had been

Shannon had crushed her spirit.

Her memory flared, sharp and hot. Shannon had gone to Henry with lies, and then had cut her pay in half. Half her wages stolen.

That money had been meant to save her child.

They had shown her no kindness. She would show them none.

“She’s at an apartment on Windflower Avenue in Aetheris. It’s where young, single people live. If you want to go, I can take you right now,” Tania said, her teeth grinding with rage.

Zane studied her face, seeing the bitterness that burned there.

He could guess Shannon had broken her down.

“No. I don’t need you to come. Just send me the exact address.” He lifted one hand, cutting her off. He pushed the lockbox across the table. “It’s yours. Open it.”

He tilted his chin, urging her forward.

Her heart pounded. She slid her fingers across the lock. The click echoed sharp and clear.

She lifted the lid. Her eyes filled with green.

Stacks of cash.

Her chest heaved. Her pulse thundered so fast she thought it might burst.

Two hundred thousand. Enough to save her child.

Tania’s vision blurred with tears.

She clutched the suitcase tight against her chest.

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”

Zane waved her off with a steady hand.

“No thanks are needed. But remember. I’ll have more questions for you later. And I’ll need your full cooperation.”

“Yes. I’ll do everything you ask!” Tania cried.

Inside the Aetheris apartment, Shannon rushed forward as Henry stepped through the door.

“Well? Tell me. Did the Larsons get the wedding dress? How did they react?”

“They got it.” Henry peeled off his jacket and tossed it carelessly at Tania.

She caught it fast. Her head stayed low, hiding the flicker of thought deep in her eyes.

Henry sank onto the couch, smug satisfaction etched across his face.

“After all these years, they still care that much about Kylie. Who would’ve thought?”