Imprisoned While Pregnant, She's Back for Payback novel Chapter 261

Chapter 261 A Shift in the Wind

Chapter 261 A Shift in the Wind

414

+20 Free Coins

Tess had no idea Nadine was falling apart at that very moment. She was glued to the news feeds, watching public opinion flip in real time. The tag had changed from Tess Ember Conspired with Lyra Bell‘ to “Truth Revealed–Tess Ember Was Innocent All Along!

She blinked, stunned by how fast things had turned.

“Was this you?” She muttered, then sent a quick message to Steven.

It was almost midnight, yet Steven replied instantly.

“Nope.”

Just one word.

Tess gripped her phone tighter.

Lyra had influence, sure, but the wave of lawyers speaking up for her couldn’t be random.

If it wasn’t Steven, then who?

Abel?

His reckless, cocky face flashed in her mind. She shook her head. No, it couldn’t be him.

She had guessed Abel was someone with an extraordinary background, but this was Aetheris. Abel seemed like he had slipped into this city without permission.

Confusion sank in, leaving her restless.

Meanwhile, only a few doors away, the light in the study still glowed.

Finn leaned on the edge of his desk, his face hard and cold.

“Mr. Lock, we’re doing everything possible to manage the noise. Most of the talk online about Mrs. Lock is now positive.”

Finn rubbed his temples and gave a faint grunt in reply.

Hearing the chill in his tone, Zane quickly found an excuse to end the call.

The screen went dark. Finn set his phone aside without a thought.

1/4

19:19 Mon, Oct 13

Chapter 261 A Shift in the Wind

+20 Free Coins

He had promised Nadine earlier that he would pressure Zack, but he never expected it would drag Tess into even deeper trouble. Almost at once, he had sent Zane to collect evidence and try to fix the mess.

The way things had turned out was precisely what he expected.

Still …

He frowned, and the sharp lines of his face fell into heavy shadows.

His thoughts were a blur, filled with the image of Tess glaring at him with those cold, furious

eyes.

He was a man of high rank, proud and untouchable in most things.

But when it came to her, he had no power at all.

Finn let out a long sigh. The smoke from his cigarette curled into the air, fading in the room.

At that same moment, Nadine stood frozen with her phone pressed tight in her hand.

Max’s voice spilled through the line, sharp with mockery and a chilling edge. “Nadine, you really are pathetic.”

Her fingers trembled.

She finally realized Tess’s sudden change in public opinion couldn’t be that simple.

But what stunned her most was finding out who had stepped in.

It was Finn. How could it be Finn?

How could it possibly be him?

4

Nadine’s hands wouldn’t stop shaking. Max’s voice kept buzzing in her ear, fanning the flames.

“Nadine, you keep saying how much Finn cares for you, but the moment Tess walked out of prison, all his attention went straight to her.

“Compared to Tess, you’re nothing. No–you don’t even deserve to be compared.”

“That’s not true!”

The sound of breaking objects echoed on Nadine’s end. Max chuckled darkly, his voice wrapping around her like a cruel whisper she couldn’t escape.

2/4

19:19 Mon, Oct 13

Chapter 261 A Shift in the Wind

:

A D‘

+20 Free Coins

When he declared she had lost to Tess, that statement hit Nadine like a storm, soaking every last bit of her pride.

“Beep beep-”

The call ended with a sharp beep.

On the glowing screen, Max’s name flashed like a slap across her face, hot and humiliating.

“Tess? How could I possibly lose to Tess?”

Nadine clenched her phone so tightly her sharp nails dug into her palm, carving red marks across her skin.

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify