Imprisoned While Pregnant, She's Back for Payback novel Chapter 538

**Keepsake 538**
**Chapter 538: Eight Million Dollars for a Bedroom?!**

The sales clerk stood frozen for a brief moment, her eyes wide with disbelief. Then, as if jolted from a trance, she quickly grabbed her tablet and inquired, “Ms. Ember! Excuse me, but should I charge this to…?”

Her gaze darted nervously between Abel and Henry, clearly uncertain about whom to address in this peculiar situation.

Tess raised an eyebrow, her attention now firmly fixed on Henry.

“Of course, it’s me,” Henry declared, his voice bright and confident as he stepped forward, eager to take charge. “I’m doing this to redecorate my daughter’s room, after all!”

He took the tablet from the clerk’s hands, but as he glanced at the total, his heart sank.

Eight million dollars?!

What kind of bedroom could possibly warrant a price tag like that?

Panic gripped him, tightening his chest like a vice, yet he forced himself to maintain a facade of calm.

“Are you certain this isn’t a mistake?” he inquired, his voice strained, wearing a smile that felt more like a grimace.

The clerk shook her head with unwavering confidence. “No mistake, Mr. Ember. Ms. Tess specifically requested our most luxurious pieces. I’ve double-checked everything.”

Henry’s hands quivered slightly as he clutched the tablet.

Eight million dollars? The Ember Group has changed hands, and all I have left is a small secret factory still churning out products. That amount is half a year’s revenue, just for a bedroom that hardly matters!

It felt as though his heart was bleeding out.

“Mr. Ember, you don’t look so good. Would you like me to handle it instead?” Abel interjected smoothly, his tone feigning kindness.

But to Henry, those words felt like a slap in the face.

Isn’t this just a public humiliation? I said I wanted to help Tess decorate. If I back out now, everyone will see me as a liar, and Tess…

Henry felt torn, a conflict raging within him.

“No, no, I couldn’t possibly let you pay. I promised Tess I’d take care of it,” he replied, forcing a stiff smile, his hands trembling as he fished out a credit card from his suit pocket.

“Charge it,” he said weakly, the words barely escaping his lips.

As he handed over the card, a sense of despair washed over him.

That was his last safety net.

Henry’s complexion shifted from pale to crimson and back to pale again in a matter of moments. He quickly plastered on a smile, covering her hand with his. “Kylie, what are you saying? The company might be struggling, but I still have some savings.”

He shot her a desperate look, silently pleading for her to drop the subject.

But Kylie’s eyes widened, a look of betrayal flickering across her face.

“You told me before—”

“—That was before,” Henry interrupted, his laughter nervous and strained. “The company changed hands, remember? I sold off a few shares, and I’ve been selling some things around the house. That’s where it came from.”

He tried to keep his tone warm and gentle, hoping to soothe her rising suspicions.

Yet Kylie remained unconvinced, her expression a mixture of disbelief and hurt.

Sensing the tension escalating, Nadine quickly jumped in to diffuse the situation. “Mom, Dad’s not lying. Selling the house stuff was just temporary. When things get better, he did buy a lot of it back, remember?”

She tugged lightly at Kylie’s sleeve, hoping to calm her down, but Kylie bit her lip, torn between anger and disbelief.

Back then, Henry had told her that the family was on the brink of collapse, even suggesting they might have to sell their beloved mansion. That was why she had forgiven him for pawning off her clothes and jewelry—some of which were vintage pieces from the Larson Estate, cherished dresses that had been with her for years.

In the past few weeks, Henry had been staying elsewhere, leaving Nadine to visit her for only brief moments each day. Most of the time, Kylie found herself alone in the vast Ember Residence, wandering aimlessly through empty rooms that echoed with memories. Sometimes, she would open old boxes, touch her treasured dresses and jewelry, and allow those memories to comfort her—because that was all she had left.