Chapter 474: The End of Daphne
“Anyway, Jude, this is my prey. Don’t interfere. As for everything else, do whatever you want.”
“Fine.”
At that moment, Daphne had dozed off in the hospital. She still sat beside the bed of her daughter, who was in a coma.
Daphne had no idea her time was almost up. Her death was already closing in.
After finishing his chat with Tilda, Jude made a call.
“Sire, what are your orders?”
“Pass it down. Once Daphne is gone from this world, wipe out those scheming Kahlers. The innocent ones—leave them alone.”
“Yes, sire.”
By three in the afternoon, Tilda and Andy had taken Una to the airport.
“Oh my gosh! Why is there suddenly a problem with my thesis? It was fine before! I don’t know what to do now.”
Una looked like her whole world had collapsed. She had planned to spend a few fun days in Jeselton with Andy and Tilda. But that morning, right after she woke up, her professor called. Her thesis had issues. Una had to return to school immediately to fix it.
“Oh no!”
Tilda tried to cheer her up. “Just go back and study hard. We’ll be fine here.”
“Yeah. Once you finish fixing your paper, we’ll have plenty of time to hang out again.”
Una sniffled. “Sob, sob, sob. If only I had even one-tenth of Tilda’s brains. Why am I so dumb? It must be my family’s bad genes.”
After Tilda calmed her down again and again, Una finally boarded her plane in tears.
Andy leaned close and said, “I’ve already arranged people to watch over Una. She won’t notice anything strange when she gets back to Slosa.”
“Good,” Tilda nodded. “At least the danger came from Daphne’s order and not because my identity was exposed. Those hitmen don’t like stirring up extra trouble. They won’t waste time on people close to me.”
“Still, we’ve made all the preparations just in case,” Andy added.
Tilda smiled with relief. “Thank you, Andy. With your people protecting Una, I can relax.”
Andy pouted, annoyed. “Why are you thanking me? Come on, between us, you don’t need to say that. Forget it. Every time I bring it up, you mess it up anyway. I’m tired. So, you’re heading there next?”
Tilda spoke calmly. “Yeah. If I want to work with someone, I should show up with a gift, right?”
Andy paused. “With the bond between you, me, and him, you don’t need all that trouble. One word from you and he’d help.”
“Andy, you know I already turned him down,” Tilda said firmly. “When it comes to business, I don’t want to give him the wrong idea. That’s why I chose this plan. I trust how he does things, but I won’t give him false hope.”
“Fine. We’ll do it your way,” Andy sighed.
Then, out of nowhere, his throat tightened. He let out a few choked sounds, almost like he was about to cry.
Tilda frowned. “What are you doing?”
“I knew it! When I saw the way Jude looked at you, I could tell something was off. Now it’s clear. You rejected me because of that guy!”
Andy groaned. “I don’t get it. You and I click so well. What does that jerk have that I don’t?”
The thought of Jude getting to Tilda first made Andy’s chest ache with envy. He was the one who had met Tilda first and fell for her first. Why did some jerk that showed up later get the girl? Just because fate dropped him in at the right time? Was destiny really stronger than years of friendship?
By looks, skills, and power, Andy was no worse than Jude. In fact, he had known Tilda far longer. They were both dazzling in their ways. Andy, tall and pale, with sharp blond hair and piercing blue eyes, looked like a knight out of some gothic painting. Tilda, with long hair, hands in her pockets, and pale, smooth skin, carried an effortless cool that turned heads wherever she went.
So when Andy blurted things like “Why him and not me?” or “That’s why you turned me down?” it drew attention. People nearby couldn’t help eavesdropping, whispering, and pointing. Soon it looked like Tilda had dumped a handsome guy for someone else, making her seem heartless.
Even Tilda was speechless at the drama.
“Guess it’s fate,” Tilda said at last, unsure of her answer. She couldn’t really explain why she liked Jude. Tilda had turned down plenty of men before. Her heart was made of stone. She and Jude did share some similarities, sure. But compared to the easy comfort she had with Andy, being with Jude gave her something different. A sort of rush, that spark she never felt otherwise.
Maybe that was it.
Love was just love.