Imprisoned While Pregnant, She's Back for Payback novel Chapter 230

Chapter 230 The Meal

Chapter 230 The Meal

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Steven felt the tension case, and a small smile crept onto his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Tess again, and the smile deepened.

This was the Tess he remembered.

Gentle, yet brimming with quiet strength.

She even carried a sharper edge now compared t gave him a strange sense of comfort.

the reserved Tess from before, and that

Lunch had been warm and lively, but Tess was the first to stand. “If you need to reach me, you’ve got my number. Let me know once the trial date’s set.”

She handed her contact to Tommy.

Steven didn’t try to stop her. He just gave a small nod.

They had already spent plenty of time together over lunch, and the work waiting for him back at his lab was piling up. He needed to head out.

He had barely taken a few steps before Tess waved him off, insisting he didn’t need to walk her

out.

He didn’t look away until she disappeared into the distance.

Tommy kept his eyes on her for a moment too before speaking, his tone full of respect. “She’s even more impressive in person.”

Steven didn’t confirm or deny it. “She won’t let you down.”

They exchanged a brief look, a silent understanding passing between them.

Tess, unaware of their thoughts, was already in the back of a cab.

She had been so caught up in small tasks all day that she had nearly forgotten something important. Seeing Nadine earlier had jolted her memory.

How had her design sketches ended up with Nadine?

The thought hit her like a punch, and her brows drew tight.

This wasn’t a small problem.

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Chapter 230 The Meal

She had never taken those designs out of her studio. Someone had leaked them.

Her expression hardened.

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Her studio was a private workspace now, and only Bessie and Wanda helped her keep it running.

Which meant the leak could only have come from one of them.

Tess pressed her lips together.

Her first instinct wasn’t to dig for proof. It was to avoid the answer.

She didn’t want either of them to be guilty.

Bessie had stepped in to help her and Layla during their hardest times.

Wanda had been under her protection, and when Tess left, Wanda had paid a heavy price to help her.

How could either of them betray her?

Tess’s fists tightened, but logic slowly took control.

She lowered her head and sent a message to both women–one to buy fabrics, the other to pick up tools and accessories.

She included the lists and told them she’d stop by that evening to check the supplies.

“Drop me off a few hundred feet before you arrive at the destination,” Tess told the driver.

He nodded, and soon she spotted the studio’s locked front door.

She stopped and tried the handle, making sure it was locked.

Once she was certain no one was inside, she unlocked it and stepped in.

As she expected, everything was spotless and empty.

Her gaze rose to the small bump above the doorway. Her eyes darkened.

A hidden camera.

She walked to her desk, sat down, and powered on the computer to access the footage.

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Chapter 230 The Meal

She would never let someone with an agenda stay in her circle.

She swore it silently, though her hand on the mouse trembled.

She prayed it wasn’t either of them.

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Her teeth pressed hard together as she clicked on the date she had worked on the designs.

She played the video at double speed, scanning every moment.

Then Wanda’s figure appeared on the screen.

Wanda glanced toward Bessie’s spot, waited for her to leave, then moved to Tess’s desk.

Her movements were quick, but her eyes darted around nervously as she flipped through the sketches and snapped photos.

Tess sank back into her chair like the air had been sucked from her lungs.

It was Wanda.

She couldn’t put the feeling into words, but the ache in her chest was sharp and deep.

If it had been Bessie, she could have found a reason.

Bessie had always cared for her and Layla, and she owed her much.

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