Keepsake 514_Imprisoned While Pregnant, She's Back For Payback

So it turns out I was wrong all along.

 Tess… I really wronged her. 

 Finn felt like someone was carving a knife through his chest. At that moment, he almost wished he’d been the one locked up for a year instead.

 He had seen the surveince videos from the time Tess spent in prison–freezing nights, a cell with barely any warmth, her belly swelling with pregnancy while she endured endless humiliation and istion from everyone around her.

 All of it…

 Just thinking about it made Finn’s heart ache painfully.

 He trusted the wrong people. No wonder–no wonder Tess hates me so much. 

 If only I had believed her, even a little, would things have turned out differently? 

 He pressed a hand against his chest, his whole body sinking as if the strength had drained right out of him.

 Zane watched the grief written all over Finn’s face, his own brows tightening. The sight made him feel sick inside.

 He had helped arrange Tess’s imprisonment back then–following Finn’s orders, of course. But still, he had been part of it.

 And to think it had all been one big misunderstanding.

 But that “misunderstanding” had ruined Tess’s best years. She’d gone to prison when she was at the height of her career. That one year had crushed her, and even after getting out, she’d never returned to her former glory.

 Zane’s mind drifted to the memory of her back then–Tess, the topwyer at Lock Group, always in her sleek zer and heels, walking through the halls with that sharp confidence that made everyone step aside. She had been unstoppable.

 But after that, he never saw Tess in her work clothes again. She never set foot in that courtroom battlefield as awyer, not even once.

 Zane let out a soft sigh, a mix of regret and admiration. Tess had survived the unthinkable,

 and she was still standing. That alone was something to respect.

 “Mr. Lock, should I send all this to Mrs. Lock right away?” he asked carefully.

 Finn didn’t lift his head. His elbows rested on the desk, face buried in his hands.

 Send them? What right do I have to send her anything?

 He bit back the bitterness rising in his throat. “No. Send it to Lyra. She’s awyer too.”

 Then his voice hardened. “Keep digging into Nadine and Max. I want every move they make reported to me. Every single detail.”

 Zane nodded quickly.

 Finn paused for a second, his gaze turning sharp. “And about Hunt Group–they’ve been leeching off Lock Group long enough. It’s time to tighten our control.”

 A dangerous glint shed in his eyes as he spoke.

 Zane immediately agreed and slipped out before Finn could say another word.

 If he stayed any longer, he might end up the next target of that icy fury.

 He closed the office door as quietly as possible, then bolted straight for his own office.

 After sending the files to Lyra, his phone rang almost immediately.

 “What the hell is this supposed to mean?” Lyra’s voice was clipped and tense, her tone sharp.

 Zane had expected the call. He set down his mouse and spoke carefully, “We’ve reopened Ms. Tess’s case from a year ago. We’ve found evidence that clears her name.”

 “Clear her name?” Lyra’s voice trembled with anger. “She already spent a year in prison, Zane. And now you’re telling me she’s ‘cleared‘? If she was only suspected back then, why was she thrown behind bars?”

 Her eyes burned into theputer screen, her whole body shaking.

 They had finally uncovered the truth, yet all she felt was rage and heartbreak.

 A whole year in prison, all because she was framed, set up, and ndered.

 As Tess’s friend, Lyra’s first reaction was pure anger.

 012

 Zane stayed silent for a moment, lips pressed together. There wasn’t much he could say to defend himself or thepany.

 Finally, he spoke in a low, steady tone. “On behalf of Lock Group and Mr. Lock, I want to personally apologize to Ms. Tess. We’ll make an official statement on every tform to clear her name. She was innocent, and thepany intends topensate for everything she lost —her career, her license, her reputation–and for all the suffering she endured in prison. We’ll make it right, in every way we can.”

 His voice was solemn, sincere.

 He knew how much Tess meant to Finn now. But more than that, he understood what that one year had done to her–how deeply it must have scarred someone who had been innocent all along.

 “Hah.” Lyra gave a short, coldugh. “Zane, you tell Finn he can apologize to her himself.”

 With that, she hung up.

 Zane stood frozen for a second, still holding the phone to his ear. All he could hear was the dull, repeating beep of a disconnected line.

 He looked up instinctively toward Finn’s office across the hall, but the door was tightly shut.

 Zane tightened his grip, debating whether to pass Lyra’s words on to Finn.

 After a long moment, he finally stood up.

 Evermount Heights.

 “Tess!”

 Lyra had spent the entire night going through the files Zane sent. By the time dawn broke, she was already on her way to Evermount Heights.

 Usually, thepany wasn’t even open at this hour.

 Sara Lili

 Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icyndscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of d’s breathtaking cold.

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Keepsake 514