Chapter 767 Mercy Comes at a Cost


    Chapter 767 Mercy Comes at a Cost


    +20 Free Coins


    Tess acted like she didn’t hear a thing. Wanda panicked even more. She begged even harder. “Ms. Ember! If you’re angry, hit me, yell at me–anything! I just can’t go to jail! I have family to take care of. You know that. Please have mercy!”


    Tess looked down at her coldly.


    Wanda was a mess. Tears and snot covered her face. She looked desperate, broken.


    Tess’s face showed nothing, like a statue sitting high in a church. But inside her sleeves, her fingers were curled tight.


    Right now, Wanda looked a lot like Tess did a year ago.


    Back then, Tess had been too disappointed in Finn. When she saw his heartless face, she didn’t even want to say one more word.


    A mix of emotions rose in her chest. Still, she knew she couldn’t soft.


    go


    She had been wrongly used back then. But Wanda? The evidence was clear. There was no


    way to argue.


    “Have you considered the consequences when you betrayed me?”


    Tess slowly crouched down and looked her in the eye.


    Wanda’s face was soaked with tears. She didn’t even look like herself anymore.


    The police were losing patience. They had seen this kind of regret too many times before people got locked up.


    “Take her away,” the lead officer said. He turned away and was ready to leave.


    Two officers stepped forward to take Wanda. The moment they touched her, she snapped. She started screaming like she’d lost her mind.


    Tess frowned. She stood up and took a few steps back, putting distance between them.


    Lyra looked both confused and disgusted.


    “You don’t want to go to jail?” Tess asked.


    She raised a hand, stopping the officers.


    “No! I don’t! I don’t want to!” Wanda shouted.


    Her words gave Wanda a tiny bit of hope. She nodded so hard it looked like her neck might


    snap.


    Tess pressed her lips together and looked down at her.


    She hesitated.


    Not because she pitied her. But because, looking at Wanda, she saw herself.


    People say that if you’ve stood in the rain, you’ll want to hold an umbre for someone else.


    She knew that pain. How could she just watch someone else go through it?


    Her fingers tightened. Her chest ached.


    She took a deep breath, then looked at the officer who had turned back. “Is there another way to settle this?”


    The officer studied her face, then nodded. “Yes. If you both agree to settle, you withdraw the report.”


    “Okay,” Tess said quietly.


    That simple reply stunned Wanda. She looked up at Tess in disbelief.


    Tess wasn’t getting revenge? Even after knowing she had betrayed her?


    Wanda felt a knot in her chest. She lowered her head, too ashamed to meet Tess’s eyes.


    “I can sign a settlement agreement,” Tess said, her voice calm and distant. “Under one condition.”


    Hearing that, Wanda finally rxed a little and dared to look up again.


    She had gone down the wrong path for money. She wasn’t evil to the core. Tess’s forgiveness made her feel ashamed. But having a condition made it easier to ept.


    “Please, go ahead,” Wanda said.


    “The design you stole had hurt my reputation and caused serious losses for Cavrielle. The damage is over a million dors.”


    Tess paused, giving Wanda a moment to process.


    Chapter 767 Mercy Comes at a Cost


    +20 Free Coins


    “You need to pay for those losses. I won’t make it too hard for you. Just pay me back 1 million dors.”


    As soon as she finished, Tess pulled out paper and a pen and quickly wrote up the agreement.


    When she shoved it into Wanda’s hands, Wanda was still in shock. Her eyes were wide.


    Her fingers trembled as she looked down. When she saw the long string of zeros at the bottom, her vision went dark. She almost fainted.


    Lyra reacted fast and grabbed her by the cor, pulling her back up.


    “I can give you time to pay me back,” Tess said. “Or you can refuse and


    go with them.”


    She pointed to the police waiting at the door.


    Wanda’s face turned pale. She felt like her soul had left her body.


    She was older now. How could she survive prison?


    Even Tess–who had once lived afortable life–came out of jail looking thin as paper. Her face had no color, and that long scar was terrifying.


    She couldn’t survive the jail.


    Wanda shivered.


    “I’ll do it!” she said through gritted teeth. “I’ll pay!”


    Tess tilted her chin slightly and tossed the pen in front of her.


    “Sign it.”


    Wanda’s arm shook as she picked it up. She leaned over the coffee table and signed her name on that crushing agreement.


    The moment she finished, all her strength left her. She copsed onto the floor.


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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.