Imprisoned While Pregnant, She's Back for Payback novel Chapter 3

Ten minutes passed.

Maria collapsed to the ground. "I've told you everything I know. Please, don't hurt Mrs. Lock. She's already been through enough. She—"

"She's been through enough?" Finn's voice dripped with scorn. "With her status as Mrs. Lock, she still wasn't satisfied. She's playing this little game of cat and mouse with me. Does she really think she can win?"

With a cold sneer, he turned on his heel and strode off.

Behind him, the sea of security guards quietly dispersed, vanishing like a receding tide.

Maria remained on the cold floor, guilt eating away at her.

She muttered to herself, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Lock. This is as far as I can help you. I told them almost everything, except for the one thing that matters most."

In the study.

"Mr. Lock, do you want us to bring Mrs. Lock back?"

Finn's gaze was dark and sinister.

He waved it off.

"No. If she wants to run, let her. Freeze all her assets—every property and every penny under her name. Let's see how long she can last out there with nothing to her name. She'll come crawling back eventually."

As he spoke, the fountain pen in his hand snapped clean in half.

His assistant shivered at his scheme.

"But Maria said Mrs. Lock is desperate for money. Are you sure we should leave her with nothing? Where will she even sleep tonight? How will she feed herself?"

Finn shot him a withering look. "What, feeling sorry for her? Let her sleep on the streets and drink from the gutters. It's her choice. Are you pitying a felon now? Zane, are you serious?"

Zane Black quickly shook his head and explained, "I'm not pitying her, Mr. Lock. But isn't this a little cruel?"

"Cruel?" Finn's eyes darkened. "Did she think about that when she sold me out to my biggest rival? If you ask me, she brought this on herself."

He flung the broken pen across the room.

Black ink spattered across the rug and the wall. A storm was churning in Finn's eyes.

Zane hung his head low and sighed softly.

Deep down, he knew that Mr. Lock had once truly loved his wife. What a shame!

...

"Ma'am, we're at Evermount Heights."

The rideshare car slowed to a stop in front of a luxury condominium.

It was past midnight, and Layla, who was in her arms, squirmed restlessly.

She reached down and touched Layla's diaper. It was soaked.

If she didn't change it now, it would soak through her clothes.

It was freezing outside. Tess couldn't even bear to imagine what would happen if Layla caught a cold—or worse, came down with a fever. What would she do then?

Before leaving the house, she realized that the last pack of diapers she had brought from the prison was gone.

There was still some formula left, but it was barely enough to last them three or four days.

Before heading inside the complex, she turned toward a baby supplies store by the gate.

The shop assistant saw her walk in with a restless baby in her arms and rushed over.

"Oh goodness, Ms. Ember! What brings you out this late in the cold? Please, let me help. What do you need? I'll pack it up and deliver it to your door."

The shop assistant remembered seeing Tess earlier that day entering Evermount Heights—one of the city's most exclusive high-rises.

Anyone who lived there was either rich, influential, or, at the very least, a standout in their field.

At the time, Tess had been in old clothes, holding a baby. The shop assistant's coworker had quietly gossiped, figuring she was someone's mistress here to claim a place at the table.

But Tess had introduced herself as Ms. Ember, owner of a unit in Tower C.

Tower C—the crown jewel of the entire property.

She never would've guessed it. This woman in shabby clothes, all alone with a baby in her arms, was actually the owner of a unit in Tower C?

Her respect for Tess shifted in an instant as she watched the security guard swipe her in with utmost courtesy. She found herself stealing a second look, then a third.

And suddenly, she felt ashamed of the gossip she and her coworker had exchanged earlier.

Even behind the mask, Tess was striking—slim frame, delicate features, and, most of all, those large, clear, and expressive eyes. Like the moon, they were still and luminous—quietly beautiful.

"I'll take three packs of diapers, size 3," Tess said.

"And two cases of this Infant Formula, and another two cases of the Follow-On from the same brand.

"These baby clothes, cotton, size 3 to 6 months. This whole row, wrap it all up.

Tess continued grabbing baby essentials, piling them high.

Then, finally, she turned to the young woman, who stood frozen with wide eyes.

"Sorry, is this too much?" Tess asked.

There was so much stuff, so it would take multiple trips just to carry it all. Tess hesitated, a flicker of discomfort creeping in.

Was she troubling this young woman?

She never used to think this way. But after what she went through in prison, she'd started to understand just how hard life could be for people at the bottom.

Back inside, she'd been at the lowest rung of the prison hierarchy. And because Finn had made a point to personally see to it she was well taken care of, that made her a target. Everyone had taken a turn stepping on her.

Now, she did her best not to bother anyone. She avoided attention. She didn't want to owe anything to anyone.

Doesn't she live in a unit at Tower C? How could this be?

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