Chapter 47 Finn, What Do You Really Want?
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She had just run into Finn, and Finn had threatened her, telling her he would make her give in–then right after that, Charles got mmed with this huge debt.
How could these two things not be connected?
Tess had seen that contract with her own eyes. Her gut told her Finn had been nning this for a long time.
When had it started?
Had he already set things up the moment Charles took her in?
Back then, when she was at her lowest, it was Charles who had given her and La a roof over their heads. Finn had not shown up then, but now he would not even let Charles off the hook.
Her hands trembled with anger. She bit down so hard she tasted blood.
Finn had to have known for ages that she was living at Charles’s ce.
Now he was holding Charles’s entire future hostage just to force her to bow her head.
All for Nadine. He really went all in.
Tess’s fists clenched tighter, but then a chill crawled up her spine.
How did Finn find her, anyway?
She took a deep breath and made herself think clearly. After sorting through the tangled mess in her mind, she realized that Max was the only one who knew. Could he have feelings for Nadine, so he tipped Finn off on purpose to lure Nadine back?
That meant she had gotten Charles caught up in this.
The guilt weighed heavy on her chest, but the next thought that hit her made her whole body go stiff.
If Finn knew where she was, did he also know about La?
Her heart almost stopped.
Tess’s eyes dropped stiffly to the little one in her arms. At some point, La had dozed off,<fndefe> Newest update provided by ?ovelFind</fndefe>
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Chapter 47 Finn, What Do You Really Want?
her tiny pink lips puckered in the cutest way.
In that instant, a wave of calm washed over Tess.
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If Finn did know about La, with the way he operated, he would have shown up already.
However, he was just using Charles to force her to apologize to Nadine.
To put it bluntly, it was just his way of breaking her in or punishing her.
So maybe… just maybe… he did not know about La yet.
Her heart finally settled for a second, and then immediately dropped like a stone into her
gut.
Why couldn’t Finn just let her be?
Tess closed her eyes, so tired she felt hollow.
Why wouldn’t he just leave her alone? Why?
She was not the Ember family’s precious daughter anymore. She could not be that brilliant, unstoppablewyer either. Now she was mopping floors, taking any tough job she could just to get by. She had already let go of so much, so why was she still stuck in his trap?
When she opened her eyes again, a thin crescent moon had already climbed up outside. Its cold light was spilling through the trees, and their shadows were stacked like a pack of silent wolves.
Tess’s heartbeat sped up.
Was her quiet life really over now?
She did not know how long she stayed frozen by that window, staring at nothing, until La’s soft cries snapped her back to the real world.
She jolted awake, scooped La into her arms, and carried her to bed, gently patting her back until she fell asleep again.
La was always such an angel and she drifted off in seconds, her tiny lips curling into a sweet little smile like she was dreaming of something nice.
Tess looked at her daughter’s face, and for the first time in so long, her heart did not feel so empty. A bit of warmth slipped in, enough to steady her nerves.
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Chapter 47 Finn, What Do You Really Want?
She lowered her head, pressed her forehead to La’s, and shut her eyes.
She prayed quietly.
She prayed La would grow up safe, happy, and untouched by all this ugliness.
She prayed Charles would get through this mess unharmed <i>too</i>.
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When night fell, Tess finally drifted off, but sleep dragged her into a thick, endless dream.
shes from her childhood flickered by like old photos.
Her mother’s punishments, the teachers‘ harsh eyes, ssmates pointing andughing …
And behind all that, always standing in the light was Nadine.
Unlike the yelling and beatings Tess always got, Nadine got their mom’s loving hugs, teachers‘ kind praise, and ssmates gathering around her, voices full of envy and admiration that drowned everything else out.
Tess walked by herself through that cold, pitch–ck hallway, while far ahead, Nadine shone like a star on a pedestal.
All those tiny scars tangled into the nightmare that would not let her go.
When morning came, Tess jerked awake.
She could not even remember what she had dreamed, but her forehead was damp with cold
sweat.
She clutched her chest but all she felt was an endless pit in her heart.
Knock! Knock!
A knock at the door pulled her back.
She opened it to find Charles, looking about as drained as she felt.
He forced a grin. “I’m heading to the office. Might be a long day. Just call me if you need anything, okay?”
He shook his phone like it was nothing.
Tess’s chest tightened with guilt, but seeing him act so bright, she bit back the words she wanted to say and just nodded hard.
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Chapter 47 Finn, What Do You Really Want?
Once he left, Tess stepped into the living room.
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On the couch sat the divorce papers she brought to Lock Group yesterday–papers that had not done a damn thing.
They told her Finn wasn’t there, but right after, Charles got dragged in and hit with that so- called penalty.
Tess’s hands curled into tight fists.
Finn, what <i>do </i><i>you </i><i>really </i><i>want</i><i>? </i>
The top floor of Lock Group.