Imprisoned While Pregnant, She's Back for Payback novel Chapter 524

“Finn, is this project urgent?”

“Very. He needs to get back to Kingsland as soon as possible to handle the coordination.”

Finn lied smoothly without blinking.

“Finn, we agreed to everything you asked before, but this time… we can’t.”

Gideon sounded uneasy. It was the first time he’d ever turned Finn down.

Finn frowned. “Why not?”

“Abel didn’t go to Aetheris completely by choice,” Miranda explained carefully. “It was part of our collaboration with the Larsons. Benjamin and Olivia personally asked him to go.”

“Benjamin and Olivia, huh?” Finn raised a brow, clearly surprised.

From what he knew, Benjamin and Olivia rarely showed themselves anymore. Though they still technically held power, it was Violet who managed most affairs. The two had not appeared in public for a long time.

“Yes,” Miranda said patiently. “They specifically requested Abel accompany them to Aetheris.”

“Got it.”

Finn hung up immediately.

Since the Larsons themselves had made the request, Abel couldn’t possibly leave before they did.

Finn rubbed his temples, irritation creeping in.

His mind kept flashing back to the way Tess and Abel interacted—the small glances, the teasing, the subtle touches.

He remembered the way Tess glared at Abel in mock annoyance, the way Abel leaned in close to whisper something near her neck. What looked like harmless flirting carried an undercurrent of intimacy so thick that it almost suffocated him.

His hands curled into fists. For the first time, he admitted his jealousy and cowardice.

Because of his own mistakes, he couldn’t face Tess. Instead, he resorted to underhanded,

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manipulative ways to force her and Abel apart.

He hated how pathetic it made him look–but deep down, all he wanted was for Tess to look at him again, even if it was just once.

Abel, that latecomer, had gained her attention so effortlessly. How could Finn not feel jealous?

He let out a long, heavy sigh.

But he had forgotten–it was he who had pushed her away in the first place.

Evermount Heights.

“Tess, I was too emotional the other day. Please don’t blame me. Since you’ve come back to the Embers, why don’t you stay here instead of living outside? I really want to make it up to you. Nadine heard you’re coming home, so she rushed to finish her hospital discharge. I even cooked myself to celebrate our family reunion.”

Kylie’s voice on the phone was deliberately gentle, warm, and loving, the perfect picture of a caring mother.

But Tess, listening on the other end, didn’t react. Her expression was blank, and she subtly leaned away from the phone.

“Tess?”

When there was no response, Kylie called out again, her tone slipping with irritation she couldn’t fully hide.

Henry frowned and shot her a look, silently telling her to calm down.

Kylie caught herself and forced her tone back into something patient and tender.

“Sweetheart, I know you’ve been on your own all this time. When you were little, I wasn’t a good mother, and as you grew up, we drifted apart. We haven’t even spent proper time together for years. Please … give me a chance to make it up to you, okay?”

She tried again, sounding almost pleading.

Across the room, Raven sat beside Tess, exaggerating a pout and silently mouthing, “Please give me a chance, boo–hoo.”

She shaped her lips into an over–the–top O and blinked dramatically, the expression both mocking and funny.

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Lyra glanced at her, amused, but didn’t stop her.

After all, she felt the same way–neither of them believed this sudden burst of motherly affection was genuine.

“Don’t go,” Lyra mouthed silently to Tess, echoing Raven’s skepticism.

Tess looked utterly uninterested in talking to Kylie, but when her eyes flicked toward Lyra and Raven, a faint smile appeared.

“Alright.”

Her quiet answer broke the long silence, and on the other end, Kylie froze in surprise. She turned quickly to Henry, who nodded encouragingly.

“Good! Then come home tonight, Tess. I’ll be waiting for you.”

Kylie rushed out the words as if afraid Tess would change her mind.

“Got it,” Tess said softly before hanging up.

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