Chapter 364: I Ran Into Kyla
“One day, you’re going to regret this…”
At that moment, Nathan looked every bit the predator, his desire to hunt fully awakened. He found himself more fascinated with Tilda than ever. He had never cared about things that came too easily. It was always the hard-to-get ones that felt like a real challenge. That was the only way to feel satisfied, the only way to really feel alive. That was how life was for the rich—with nothing left to wish for, they looked for fun in every way imaginable. All they wanted was to find new thrills, no matter how much effort it took.
Just then, Nathan’s phone rang. It was Marcus calling.
“Dad? What’s up?”
“We have news. Ryan went to Hetsa and caught Rebecca. Right now, he’s secretly bringing her back to Slosa. I figure, now that Rebecca’s fallen into Ryan’s hands, she’s in big trouble. Even though she’s his only daughter, after everything she’s pulled, she’s in for a world of hurt. Your grandpa said we’ll deal with Rebecca’s mess after the New Year. Given Ryan’s personality, he’ll do whatever it takes to protect his own interests and that precious son of his. In the end, Ryan is sure to hand Rebecca over and let your grandpa decide her fate.”
Nathan raised his brows. “Oh? So what’s your plan, Dad? Are you thinking about protecting Uncle Ryan’s family?”
“Even though Ryan and I aren’t close, now that Jude’s got a stranglehold on the Bells, this is the worst possible time for Ryan and his family to get into trouble. If he goes down, I lose my shield. Nathan, things might change soon, so you’d better get ready.”
Marcus stood in his study, looking out at the bright moon, his eyes narrowed with the usual calculating glint. He knew better than anyone how dangerous Jude could be. So, whatever happened, Ryan’s family couldn’t go down now. At least, not yet.
“I got it, Dad. Oh, by the way, I ran into Jarrett today—and Tilda too, you know, that world champion. That woman’s actually pretty interesting. If we could get her on our side, it might not be a bad idea.”
Marcus chuckled. “Well, you’re almost 30, and you’ve finally figured it out. Settle down, find a good woman, and give me a grandson—sounds perfect. Tilda, huh… she’s a bit young. Let her win a few more world championships before she’s really worthy of joining the Bells as my daughter-in-law. I heard she’s close to Andy. You should try starting as friends with her, and if you can, get on Andy’s good side, too. Just don’t be like your useless brother—lose yourself chasing after women!”
Tilda had no idea about the storm brewing behind the scenes with the Bells. She had just gotten back to her apartment and checked her phone. A notification from the Comet Squad group chat caught her eye. Someone had tagged her in the chat.
Astrid wrote, “Queen, Rebecca’s been caught.”
“Oh, I see.”
That was all Tilda replied. If Howard hadn’t helped Rebecca hide, there’s no way she would have lasted this long. Tilda had figured out where Rebecca was hiding long ago. She’d told the Comet Squad to keep watch. They were to report to her the moment anything happened. She just hadn’t expected it would take so long to catch Rebecca. Ryan’s family was beyond hopeless. They were just a bunch of paper tigers. Clearly, among the Bells, Marcus’s side was Jude’s biggest threat. Tilda figured Jude must have heard about all this by now. Maybe he hadn’t reached out because he didn’t want Tilda dragged into this mess.
She replied, “Forget about her. How’s your homework? Send it to me so I can check.”
Zach jumped in first. “Already done, Queen.”
Theo quickly added, “Same here.”
Astrid replied, “All finished, Queen.”
Just then, Jarrett chimed in, “Ahem. Guess what? I saw Queen today—and we even had Cajun boil together! Are you jealous?” He followed up with a flood of selfies.
Tilda couldn’t help but give a small smile. No wonder that kid kept sneaking photos at dinner. He is such a baby.
Zach said, “Ugh! You brat, why didn’t you invite me? I wanted Cajun boil with Queen, too!”
Great, now there are two babies in the group. Tilda rubbed her forehead. Maybe this Comet Squad could go far…. Maybe.
“Oh, right, Queen, I found something pretty interesting.”
“You remember Kyla, don’t you?”
As she read Astrid’s message, Tilda frowned slightly. “What did she do this time?”
“Nothing bad… I just ran into her at a hospital when I was there for a meeting. She was all disguised, sneaking in for a checkup.”
After learning about Tilda’s experience with the Jensons, Astrid had used her hacker skills to dig up dirt on Ryan’s family. Anyone who’d spent time on the dark web had a talent for flying under the radar and picking up on details that others missed.