Chapter 735 A Trapped Cicada
What <i>exactly </i>was <i>going </i><i>on </i><i>here</i><i>? </i>
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The server holding the coffee and small cakes stood a short distance away and exchanged a nce with a coworker, hesitating over whether to approach.
Just then, Max noticed them and smiled, waving them over.
The server had no choice but to step forward. “Your coffee and desserts.”
After setting everything down, the two of them hurried away as if escaping.
“Look at that,” Max said with a sigh, smiling warmly as he slowly stirred his coffee. “Even the staff are scared off by your cold aura. Couldn’t you speak to me a little more kindly? Like before.”
Tess let out a cold snort. “Before? Wasn’t I kind enough to you back then? And what did I get in return?”
She blew gently on her coffee and took a small sip, avoiding Max’s direct gaze.
Hearing this, Max’s faint smile vanished, reced by a serious and earnest expression.
“That was back then. Since it’s you, I don’t want to lie anymore. The Hunt Group needed a chance to rise higher, and it was nothing more than a straightforward business battle. It was just that Finn lost to me by a step, and you were dragged into it for no reason.”
As he spoke, his throat moved, and he even reached a hand toward Tess. “Tess, things are stable now. I promise something like this won’t happen again. Maybe you could start considering the man who’s been standing behind you all this time?”
“Considering?”
Tess looked as if she’d heard something ridiculous. The coffee she had just swallowed caught in her throat, making her cough several times before she could recover.
Her clouded, misty eyes glistened slightly, but the emotion inside them was nothing but cold mockery.
“Max, was I really dragged into it for no reason? When you nned every step so carefully, did you truly never consider me?”
These words, as expected, made him fall silent.
Max’s expression darkened, though he still pressed his lips together, trying to argue.
Chapter 735 A Trapped Cicada
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Tess raised a hand to cut him off, making it clear she didn’t want to hear more. “You said it yourself—we knew each other well back then. I knew exactly what kind of person you were. So just like you said, there’s no need to lie to me anymore. I can see it clearly.
“I was the sacrifice in your so–called business wan When it came down to a choice between me spending a year in prison and the Hunt Group rising higher, you buried your conscience and chose thetter. And now you actually have the nerve to ask for my forgiveness?”
Tess smiled and lightly pped her hands, every movement filled with contempt for Max.
At some point, the man across from her lowered his head. “This is something I truly owe you for. It’s only right that you’re angry.”
Tess threw her head back andughed out loud. Crocodile tears? You’re still ying that card?”
No matter how Max changed his approach, Tess remained unmoved. Without realizing it, his eyes darkened, and his expression grew especially grim.
“Tess, you keep saying you don’t want anything to do with me because of what I did. But <i>what </i>about Finn? I said you were dragged into it, but if he had found even a bit of evidence or believed you just a little, he could’ve protected you. You wouldn’t have had to suffer <i>that </i><i>year </i>in prison. By that logic, didn’t he treat you even worse? Shouldn’t you hate him more than me? But why is it that every time I ask you out, you always look so disgusted, yet you’re still so attached to him?”
Max frowned deeply, his face full of displeasure, his tone carrying resentment and unwillingness.
Tess looked at him and almostughed with anger.
“Max, you keep saying you love me, that you want to take care of me, that you hope I’ll let go of the past and consider you.” She raised an eyebrow, the corners of her eyes curving. She was no longer cold like before–she was sharper instead. “You only see that I still have ties with Finn, but you don’t see me rejecting him. Every single one of you has hurt me. So what right do you have to force me to choose between you? What’s even more ridiculous is that you and Finn are no better than each other, yet you still feel resentful towards him.”
She curled her lips, her words full of scorn.
Max had always cared deeply about appearances but now his face shifted rapidly, turning a deep, ugly shade.
“Enough. I don’t want to waste time talking nonsense with you.” Tess brought the conversation back to the point. “I don’t care how well you managed to keep that man quiet. The police couldn’t get anything out of him. Bu in Kingnd, in this age of big data, there will always be traces left behind. The police and the Larsons have always been working
Chapter 735 A Trapped Cicada
together.”
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As she spoke, Max’s expression softened slightly, only to darken again the moment he heard her words.
He could no longer maintain his surface calm. He lifted his head sharply. “What do you mean by that?”
Tess’s lips curved into a faint smile. Every movement was calm and measured, as if she had everything under control. In contrast, Max looked like a trapped cicada, struggling with every
move.
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<strong>Olivia Harris</strong> is an emerging author celebrated for her captivating romantic and steamy novels. With a talent for crafting deep emotional connections and fiery chemistry between her characters, Olivia’s stories offer readers an escape into worlds filled with passion, intrigue, and heart-stopping drama.