Chapter 143 Tilda in the Rain
When Jody saw how wrecked Dominic looked, he was startled. “Dominic… what happened to you?!”
Was this really the same Dominic he knew—the guy who was a total neat freak, always sharp and handsome, never a hair out of place?
Dominic’s expensive custom suit, worth hundreds of thousands, was soaked through from the rain, completely ruined.
His hair was a tangled mess, with several strands stuck to his forehead, smeared with dirty water and leaves.
His once striking face looked like he’d been punched hard, pale as a ghost, lips drained of color.
His eyes were bloodshot, missing the usual calm, clever spark that always saw through everything.
“I’m fine.” Dominic shook his head, glancing instinctively at the spot where Tilda had sat earlier. Just as he expected, Tilda was long gone. The seat was spotless, not a trace left behind.
“Mr. Jenson, were you looking for the lady who had a latte there today? I checked for you–after you left, she only stayed about six or seven minutes before heading out.”
Dominic recognized the staff member who’d checked on him earlier in the afternoon. His eyes flickered with guilt. “Sorry, I was really out of it then and accidentally shoved you. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Mr. Jenson. But you…" The employee hesitated. They’d never seen Dominic so out of control, so defeated. What on earth had happened? But as just a worker, it wasn’t their place to ask.
“Dominic, come inside and clean up. You look… pretty rough. Take a shower, change your clothes, and have some coffee. You walked here in the rain, didn’t you?” Jody patted Dominic’s shoulder, clearing his throat.
Honestly, Jody was sugarcoating it. Dominic was clearly dealing with something serious. Jody had never seen him so shaken up.
“Before that… Jody, there’s something I need to ask you.”
After hearing Dominic out, Jody fell silent and nodded. Outside, the rain started up again, with bursts of wild wind and flashes of lightning splitting the sky. Jody led Dominic to the security room. The cameras showed every corner of the café in crisp detail. Dominic focused on the footage from two o’clock that afternoon.
Tilda walked into Cornerstone Café, ordered a coffee, and sat in the window-side corner. Her expression was calm and collected.
“Dominic, isn’t that your sister Tilda? The one you found after she’d been missing for 19 years?”
Jody and Dominic were like brothers, and after everything that had happened, Jody definitely remembered what Tilda looked like.
“You’re this shaken up because Tilda came to Cornerstone Cafe?” Even as he said it, Jody could barely believe it. Sure, Tilda had cut ties with the Jensons and then betrayed them, but with Dominic’s skills, he could handle whatever fallout was left. Even if he and Tilda were now enemies, Dominic shouldn’t be this torn up.
“Yeah…”
“Jody, I don’t even know how to explain it. All I can say is, damn fate really knows how to mess with people. Today is the worst day of my life—nothing that’s ever happened before, or will happen after… could ever be as bad as today.” Dominic felt like his mouth was full of bitter melon, so bitter it made him want to cry.
How could he even begin to explain? How could he tell anyone what was really going on? Even Dominic himself felt completely lost.
Seeing Dominic like this, Jody sighed softly. “Looks like what you need isn’t coffee, but a drink. Let’s hit Nightingale Bar later–maybe it’ll help you feel a little better. But first, go take a shower and change–or you’ll catch a cold.”
A drink Dominic hadn’t had in ages. But tonight, the only thing that could heal his shattered heart was alcohol.
Nightingale Bar. It was already ten o’clock at night. Outside, a light rain was still falling, not too heavy. Jody and Dominic arrived in the evening, booking a private room. As they passed the second floor, Dominic spotted someone sitting out on the terrace.
His eyes widened in shock. It was—Tilda!
Because of the rain, almost no one was sitting outside. Everyone had moved to the private rooms or the main bar inside. That made Tilda stand out even more, impossible to miss.
The staff couldn’t do anything about it. The customer is always king, and this particular “king” was someone the owner, Maurice, had specifically told them to treat with extra care. Whatever she wanted, they had to provide. So they set up a big umbrella for her. The light rain wasn’t enough to soak her, but the wind by the river was strong, especially at night, with fall settling in. It whipped around Tilda, mixing with the chilly, stinging raindrops.