Imprisoned While Pregnant, She's Back for Payback novel Chapter 515

Chapter 515 The Knock on the Door

Lyra had just knocked when the door swung open from the inside.

Tess looked at Lyra’s anxious face, a little stunned.

After all, in her memory, Lyra had always been the calm and collected type–the kind of person who wouldn’t flinch even if the sky were falling.

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

She led Lyra inside, shut the door, and gently patted her arm to calm her down.

Lyra didn’t speak until she sat down and caught her breath.

Then she pulled a tablet from her briefcase, turned it on, and showed Tess the files Zane had sent her.

“There’s an update on the case from a year ago–the one where you were accused of stealing Lock Group’s confidential info.”

Tess’s eyes tightened, her fingers curling slightly.

Lyra scrolled quickly through the tablet, and Tess’s expression grew more serious by the second.

“Where did you get this?” Tess asked, her brow furrowing.

“Finn’s been digging into it all this time. He finally found something. Zane gave me these,” Lyra explained honestly.

Tess bit her lip and sighed.

“It’s been a year, and only now there’s a result. But what good does it do?”

She pressed the power button and gestured for Lyra to put the tablet away.

Lyra hesitated, and the words were caught in her throat. Her gaze lingered on Tess’s face before she stepped forward and lightly patted her shoulder.

“Tess, I know how much you suffered back then. I’m glad you’ve finally built a good life for yourself. But time can’t be reversed, and the people who framed you are still walking free.”

Tess stopped pacing and lowered her eyes.

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“I know,” she said quietly. “And I’m not letting them off the hook.”

Her voice was cold and steady.

Lyra frowned slightly. “If that’s the case, and you understand that, why don’t you seem happy? This means your name can finally be cleared.”

Tess gave a faint smile, her eyes distant.

“I spent a whole year in prison, and not once did I hear any update about the case. I was framed and locked up within a single day.”

Her tone dripped with irony.

“And now Finn suddenly wants to dig up the past–what’s his real reason?”

Lyra froze for a second, slowly realizing what Tess was implying. “You mean-”

Before she could finish, the doorbell rang.

Tess and Lyra exchanged a look, one filled with icy calm, the other with tense uncertainty.

“Who is it?”

Lyra stepped forward to open the door.

Zane stood there, looking a little apologetic and surprised to see her. “Ms. Bell?”

“Is Ms. Tess here?” he asked, peering carefully inside.

That small movement gave Lyra a clear view of the man standing behind him.

Finn. Tall, broad–shouldered, and intimidating even when he wasn’t trying to be.

But today, there was something different about him—a quiet heaviness in his eyes.

Lyra met his gaze over Zane’s shoulder.

“Sorry to bother you,” he said, giving her a polite nod.

Bang!

Lyra slammed the door shut so hard that it echoed through the apartment.

Zane stumbled back in shock, eyes wide. Another second slower, and his nose might’ve been

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broken.

He blinked, stunned by Lyra’s rare burst of aggression.

Lyra turned around, still fuming, and met Tess’s surprised eyes.

Realizing how intense her reaction had been, Lyra coughed awkwardly.

“Don’t see them,” she said firmly, her face hardening again.

If Tess hadn’t reminded her earlier, she probably would’ve let them in out of habit.

Sure, Finn had helped investigate the case recently, but she wasn’t naïve.

They were here to apologize for what happened a year ago—and that wasn’t something a simple sorry could fix.

“Tess.” Finn’s voice came from outside the door. “I’m here to make things right.”

Tess didn’t move, but Lyra’s face twisted in disgust.

“I’m calling Raven,” she muttered. “She can back us up if this turns ugly.”

Tess couldn’t help but laugh softly at Lyra’s defensive stance.

But she didn’t stop her. She simply waited.

After all, she was no longer that foolish woman who once threw away a top law firm’s offer just to join Lock Group for the sake of love.

That love had long expired. And compared to that, friends mattered a whole lot more.

“What?! He actually has the nerve to show up?”

Raven’s voice exploded through the phone after Lyra quickly explained the situation.

“Don’t open the door! I’m coming over right now!”

With that, Raven hung up abruptly.

Tess could clearly hear the jingle of car keys just before the call disconnected.