Chapter 54 A Silent Ultimatum
At the same time, Tess found her way to Charles’s hospital room.
It was a double room, but for now, Charles was its only upant.
Hey there weak and pale, an oxygen line tucked under his nose.
The only sound in the room was the steady hiss of the machine helping him breathe.
Tess tiptoed closer and sat down on the empty bed across from him.
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A few feet apart, she gazed at his unconscious form, guilt crashing down on her like waves.
CO–HN’S
If he hadn’t stepped in to help her, he wouldn’t have ended up like this.
Tess bowed her head. Her heart twisted in pain.
“Ms. Ember? Ms. Ember?”
A soft voice called out.
Tess wiped her face and looked toward the door, which had been pushed open a crack. The
stood at the threshold. young nurse she’d seen earli
ncing once at the unresponsive man in the bed, Tess quietly stepped outside.
“What’s the matter?” she asked.
“Mr. ck asked me to give you this,” the nurse replied.
The moment she brought up that name, Tess’s fingers twitched violently as she reached out.
The nurse, startled by her intense reaction, gave her a look.
“What is it?” Tess asked again, her voice low and trembling.
“I didn’t read it,” the nurse said. “I don’t know.”
Back in the room, Tess sat down, her fingers clenching the small, crumpled slip of paper as though it might fly away.
Under the dim glow of the bedsidemp, she smoothed out the paper, even though it had already been crumpled from the force of her grip.
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Chapter 54 A Silent Ultimatum
“Tomorrow 10 a.m. Lock Group.”
Just five words. But to Tess, they struck like a hammer to the chest.
<b>+5 </b>Free Coins
She closed her eyes in anguish, the throbbing vein on her temple betraying the war inside
her.
The night passed in a hollow silence.
At home, Tessy in bed holding La in her arms, staring nkly at the ceiling until the morning light crept in.
At sunrise, she called Bessie and asked her to help take care of La for the day.
Once she had handed La off in person, she made her way to the hospital.
The nurse told her Charles still hadn’t woken up. She consulted the doctor, who said he’d regained consciousness but needed rest. The news gave her a shred offort–however small.
Charles’s phone buzzed non–stop on the bedside table. Texts and voicemails poured in, one after another.
**
Tess couldn’t help ncing at the screen. They were all from Jackman Legal.
“Mr. Jackman, several of our clients have pulled their contracts. We’re hanging by a thread…
“Mr. Jackman, please return to the office as soon as possible. We need you to take the lead.”
“Mr. Jackman, our major clients refused to pay the remaining bnces! We’re on the brink of a financial copse!”
“Mr. Jackman …”
“Mr. Jackman, Southshore Legal is offering a buyout.”
On and on it went. Bad news, one after another, flooded his inbox like a tsunami,
Each message
drove home the same brutal truth: bankruptcy was inevitable,
Then came onest message. Tess caught it just before the screen dimmed.
“Mr. Jackman, if Ms. Ember is willing to beg Mr. Lock, the firm might still have a chance.
“After all, it was Ms. Ember who got you into this mess.
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Chapter 54 A Silent Ultimatum
“You’ve done more than enough for her. Haven’t you paid off your debt by now?”
Tess closed her eyes. Her face was drained of color, a ghost of what it had once been.
She looked again at the note in her hand.<fna8d7> This update is avable on Find~Novel</fna8d7>
Ten o’clock. Lock Group’s headquarters.
With a trembling hand, she threw the note into the trash. It was no longer white–it had turned yellowish under the night’s crushing weight.
She told the nurse to keep a close eye on Charles. Then she left the hospital and hailed a cab.
“Lock Group’s headquarters, please.“/
Her lips were bloodless, her entire body swaying as she stood by the open car door.
But then, she resolutely climbed in the vehicle.
“Let’s go,” she said.
The Lock Group building rose like a monument of power, towering above the city.
Beneath its shadow, every pedestrian seemed small—insignificant.
Tess stood at the entrance she once knew like the back of her hand. The scorching sun beat down on her face, and the building felt both familiar and foreign, as if it belonged to another life.
Now, she was just one of the many strangers who passed through these ss doors.
She lowered her eyes, letting her hair shield her face from the blinding sunlight, and walked straight to the front desk.
This time, the receptionist didn’t ask for her name or ID. Instead, she handed over an ess card without hesitation.
Her gaze wasced with something between surprise and respect. “Ms. Ember, please use the employee elevator. Mr. Lock is waiting for you on the top floor.”
Tess nodded softly, stepping into the elevator she once took every day.
As the doors closed behind her, the receptionist watched her go, murmuring to herself in disbelief.
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Chapter 54 A Silent Ultimatum
<i>So </i><i>she </i><i>really </i><i>is </i><i>Mrs. </i><i>Lock</i><i>–</i><i>the </i><i>once </i><i>famous </i><i>attorney</i>, <i>Tess </i><i>Ember</i><i>? </i>
Ding!
The elevator chimed, halting at the top floor.
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Tess walked forward on instinct, following the familiar path straight into Finn’s office.
The leather chair behind the desk was empty. Zane was tidying up some documents. When he noticed Tess, he paused and looked up.
“Mrs. Lock.”
He gave a polite nod.
Tess didn’t bother with niceties. Her voice was cold. “Where’s Finn?”
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