Chapter 124 Humiliation Is Fuel

+8 Pearls

“No matter what you think… I know you hate me, and I don’t have any excuse for the way I treated you before, but I’m not doing this to earn forgiveness. I’m doing this because I want to. Tilda, I just need to know–are you hurt?” Wade said, his voice tight.

Call him whatever she wanted. A hypocrite. A piece of trash. Someone faking concern to ease his own guilt. Wade didn’t care.

This was the one thing he genuinely wanted–to make sure Tilda was okay.

Maybe she was right. Maybe he was just trying to patch up the guilt eating away at him, guilt for the way he’d hurt her. Guilt for all the lines he’d crossed. Guilt for the things he could never take back.

Wade no longer hoped she would understand that it was normal for a brother to worry about his sister.

Not after all the crap he’d done. He’d already torn her heart to pieces. He didn’t even deserve to call himself her brother, let alone ask for her understanding.

“Instead of pretending to care… Wade, don’t you think someone else is missing? Don’t be so sure the blood on my shoes is mine.” She tilted her head slightly, her tone ice-cold.

Wade froze.

Just then, Tilda’s phone buzzed. She glanced at the caller ID. Without another word, she answered the call and walked right past him–face unreadable.

“Yeah… Andy, ran into some trash. Treated it like a warm-up. I’m good. I’ll meet you guys in a minute.” Her voice faded as she disappeared down the street.

Only when she was gone did Wade finally snap out of it, and then he bolted into the alley.

No way. It couldn’t be…

Howard was a world wrestling champion, he was a beast in the ring. Everyone knew how strong he was. Even if Howard had been ambushed by a gang of violent thugs, as long as they didn’t have guns or weapons, he should’ve been able to take them down easily. He’d done it before, and he’d even received a public commendation for stepping in during a street robbery.

Chapter 124 Humiliation Is Fuel +8 Pearls

With that kind of skill, how could someone like Tilda–a girl, seemingly fragile–possibly be the one to do this to him?

But then Wade saw it. Howard–face covered in blood–slumped against the wall, completely unable to move.

“Howard!” Wade couldn’t stop himself from shouting. He rushed over, practically diving to his side. “Oh my god… What the hell happened to you? Are you okay? I’m calling an ambulance right now.”

“Wait… Wade, hold on …” Howard forced the words out between shallow breaths. He paused, catching what little strength he had left, and grabbed Wade’s arm weakly. “I don’t want the family to know about this… I don’t want to worry them. Just take me to a private hospital. I’ll get treated there first.”

“Okay. Yeah. Let me help you out of here. We’ll get you to the car.” Wade carefully lifted Howard up, one arm around his back as they started to move, but the pain was written all over Howard’s face.

Every few steps, he winced hard, sucking in air through clenched teeth. Wade finally broke the silence. “Howard … was it Tilda who did this to you?”

He still couldn’t wrap his head around it. But who else could it have been?

“Yeah, it was Tilda. She’s way stronger than we ever imagined—not just some hacker. Her fighting skills are elite. Like, next-level elite. She used some technique I don’t even understand and wrecked me.” Howard’s voice was bitter, low, and ashamed. Saying it out loud made Howard feel even worse.

This wasn’t just about keeping the family from worrying. He couldn’t bear the thought of them knowing the truth that he’d been completely beaten down by Tilda.

It was humiliating.

Wade stayed silent. He was too stunned to say a single word.

“When I recover from this, I’m going to challenge Tilda to a proper fight. Next time, I won’t underestimate her,” Howard said through gritted teeth.

Tilda had lit a fire in him. His competitive drive had been completely awakened. He didn’t care about family grudges anymore, this wasn’t about the Jensons.

+8 Pearls

This was about him–Howard–a fighter who had always dreamed of becoming the best in the world, issuing a challenge to someone who had utterly crushed his pride. He’d been beaten badly by Tilda, and if he didn’t take that dignity back, then he wasn’t Howard anymore.

Next time, he wouldn’t take her lightly. Next time, he’d go all out.

“Damn… that hurts… ” he hissed.

After dropping Una off at home, Tilda finally told Andy what had happened with Howard and Wade showing up to cause trouble. She didn’t bother mentioning Wade’s fake concern, didn’t think it was even worth bringing up. Instead, she casually explained how she’d beaten the hell out of Howard.

“God, finally! You should’ve wrecked those two ages ago. Just hearing about it feels so satisfying.” Andy had never seen Tilda fight before, not in person, anyway.

Up until now, their connection had only been through encrypted dark web channels and hidden IPs. But in that world? If you didn’t learn how to protect yourself, you were already dead. Danger was never optional, and when it came for you, it didn’t knock first.

Sure, stealth and hacking kept you alive on paper. But when things got physical, the basics were non-negotiable–hand-to-hand combat, firearms, precision, speed.

As the Queen of the dark web, Tilda had just as many admirers as she had people who wanted her dead.