Chapter 413: Shame
Blair thought the only way to ease the crushing guilt in her chest was to thank Tilda and beg for forgiveness. If she didn’t, every memory of Tilda would haunt her, and that kind of life felt like torture. Blair felt that such a life would lose its color and become meaningless.
Tilda lowered her gaze. She stared at her so-called mother, who once carried herself like she was above everyone else, pretending she was being generous. Blair had given her nothing but insults, disgust, cold stares, distance, and endless misunderstandings. And now? She was apologizing, tossing away pride like trash, and pleading for mercy.
“Jenson, please don’t do this…” Genevieve stepped forward, trying to help her up, but Blair moved her aside.
“Ms. Lichtenstein, this is our family matter. I know you mean well, but please stay out of it.”
Hearing how firm Blair sounded, Genevieve felt even more uneasy. Damn it! Did my plan just fall apart? Not only had Tilda nailed Genevieve for plagiarism, but now even Blair wasn’t as warm as before. It was backfiring hard.
“Family matter? Blair, when did you get this shameless? Seriously, do you even know what shame is? You used to walk around acting high and mighty, humiliating people with that face. That’s the Blair I remember.”
“Tilda, no matter how harsh you get, I’ll take it. I’m the one who did you wrong.” Blair kept her head down, her reddened eyes brimming until tears spilled over. It was her fault to atone for. If it eased Tilda’s pain even a little, maybe Blair could finally breathe easier.
“Did you wrong me? Not really. And besides…” Tilda leaned down close, whispering so only Blair could hear, her voice low and teasing.
“Truth is, when that squad saved you, I had told them to arrange an accident to wipe you and Dominic out. Did you truly think I wanted to save you? What a joke–I prayed you’d both rot in hell. I don’t know what went wrong, but you sure got lucky.”
“You… what did you just say?!” Blair looked up in disbelief, like she’d just heard the devil’s whispers. It didn’t even sound like words Tilda would say.
“Believe me or not, that’s up to you.” Tilda hated saying things that made her look bad, but just looking at Blair made her sick to her stomach. If Blair kept pestering Tilda because she thought Tilda gave them hope, it was only wasting Tilda’s time.
Catching the hopeless look in Blair’s eyes, Tilda sneered inwardly. So that was how it was. Even though Blair went on about owing Tilda and saying she was in the wrong, she never trusted Tilda, not even once. That was the real nasty side of the Jensons!
“Blair, the real payback isn’t from me. Just wait till Kyla’s mask comes off and the Jenson Group crashes. That’s when you’ll finally get what you deserve!”
With that, Tilda pushed Blair aside and walked away. The truth hit Blair so hard that she couldn’t even stop Tilda. She staggered and nearly fell.
“Mrs. Jenson!” Genevieve caught her just in time. “Are you alright?”
“She does hate me that much.” Blair’s face went pale as she forced out a bitter, self-mocking smile. If Tilda had wanted Blair and Dominic dead in that accident, it wouldn’t have been strange. She never owed the Jensons anything, and honestly, she had every reason to hate them. Blair just didn’t expect hearing Tilda admit it straight out would hurt that much.
Tilda, you’re so ruthless. You can just throw away your family like we’re nothing?
Meanwhile, Russell and Justin were still at their seats. Russell glanced at his watch, starting to worry. “She’s been gone too long. Why isn’t she back yet? What’s happening?”
Justin tried to calm him down. “Dad, chill. This is Starlight Dining. Mom will be fine.”
“No, I’ve got a bad feeling. I’m going to find her!” Once bitten, twice shy. After what happened before, Blair’s safety mattered most to him. If she hadn’t gone to the restroom, he never would’ve let her leave alone.
“Dad, wait… Mom?” Justin suddenly spotted Blair walking over with Genevieve. He jumped up and rushed over. “Mom, why are you with Ms. Lichtenstein?”
“It’s nothing. We just happened to meet in the restroom.”