Out of the Shadows: Tilda’s Brilliant Second Life
Chapter 171 Feast for a King
With a snap of her fingers, a parade of delicious food appeared on the table.
Kaleb was so nervous. All he could manage was to take a sip of his wine.
But it went down the wrong way, and he started coughing hard.
Noticing how flustered Kaleb was, Tilda couldn’t help but tease him. “Relax, Mr. Burn. That wine you just tasted costs tens of thousands of dollars per sip. You really should savor it.”
“What–what did you say?” Kaleb thought he must’ve misheard.
“That’s a 1870 Château Mouton Rothschild. There are only about 20 bottles left in the world. This one alone is worth five million.”
Kaleb nearly dropped his glass.
A single bottle of wine that costs five million dollars?
Just one sip and tens of thousands of dollars are gone?
Wow.
Is this really how the rich live?
He suddenly dared not take another sip.
“I’m treating you with complete respect,” Tilda said. “I want you to see that I’m truly serious about working with your research group.”
“You’ve probably checked my background. I’m a pure-blooded Cetherlander. I love my country. Since I’m blessed with these talents and skills, I feel it’s my duty to do what I can for the nation.”
Kaleb stared at Tilda in awe.
She didn’t rush him. Her eyes, calm and clear, looked right into his.
“Uh… sorry, Queen. I kind of lost my cool for a moment because of what you just said. Honestly, I really didn’t expect it.”
Kaleb snapped back to reality. He felt a little embarrassed and scratched the back of his head.
Tilda said, “Most people wouldn’t say something like that, I know. But I just wanted to be honest, or else I wouldn’t have chosen to meet you and work with your group.”
“I understand, Queen. I believe you. When Professor Kerrigan hadn’t come to help, our group was stuck with plenty of projects. If it weren’t for you stepping in, we never would’ve made so much progress.”
“Our country is growing fast right now. We really need talented people like you, Queen. If you could join us, we’d be beyond excited!”
Kaleb’s honest smile softened Tilda’s gaze a little.
Joining this research group and finding out Dane’s identity wouldn’t take as much time as she thought.
After dinner, she said goodbye to Kaleb. Before they parted, Tilda left him with one last message.
“I know it’s probably hard for you or your boss to trust me or to arrange a meeting with Professor Kerrigan. But could you please pass a message to Professor Kerrigan for me?"
“Ask him if he has a relative with the last name Kerrigan, around 50 or 60 years old, with incredible ability. That old man has a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead.”
This was Tilda’s only memory of her mentor.
She didn’t even know if “Kerrigan” was his real last name.
All she remembered was that unforgettable lightning scar.
By all logic, not many people would have a scar like that.
With her skills, it should’ve been easy to find him.
But even after becoming the top hacker on the dark web and trying every trick she knew, Tilda never found a single trace of her mentor.
“I got it, Queen. I swear, I’ll pass your message to Professor Kerrigan,” Kaleb promised.
“Then you’ll know for sure if he’s the one you’re looking for."
“Thank you, Kaleb.”
Tilda gave Kaleb a smile that came straight from the heart.
For a split second, it was as bright as fireworks in his eyes.
Kaleb’s face turned bright red, and his heart started pounding.
“Well, I’ll go report all this right away,” he stammered.
“Please,” Tilda said, “no matter how Professor Kerrigan responds, let me know as soon as possible.”
“You have my word!” Kaleb replied.
After they parted, Kaleb returned to his hotel.
He barely loosened his tie before calling his boss to report every detail of his meeting with Tilda.
On the other end of the line, an older man was sitting on a couch in a research lab.
His hair was streaked with gray. His eyes looked a little tired, but they were still sharp and full of life. Even though he was past sixty, he looked no older than fifty, with a strong build from years of discipline.
His military uniform was covered with a dazzling array of medals. All of them were Manfred Parker’s pride.
“You did well, Kaleb. Someone as gifted as Queen is precisely the kind of person our team and our country have been searching for,” Manfred said.
“But we need to be careful. Even if Queen has helped us out a lot in the past, it’s a big risk to bring in a hacker from the dark web. We have to make sure nothing goes wrong.”
He stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. Manfred’s eyes were deep and unreadable.
Even though Tilda was a Cetherlander through and through–and had once helped defend the country by breaking into foreign security firewalls and saving its reputation–Manfred knew they couldn’t take any risks. Not with something this important.