Chapter 580 Daggers in the Dark

Pests

Alfie didn’t even glance at Maurice. He said casually, “Nope. Just sent it to Tilda. She wouldn’t stop bugging me on WhatsApp for it.”

Maurice froze. Seriously? What the hell?

So that was it. Alfie had a girlfriend now. Meanwhile, Maurice was stuck looking like the third wheel.

Fine. He’d get himself a girlfriend, too. Then they’d all be off the market, and nobody could tease anybody.

Maurice kept hollering at Alfie, half annoyed, half jealous.

A black Bugatti Veyron rolled up to the hotel curb.

Two men stepped out. They were Russell and Wade.

“Looks like quite a crowd got invited this time.”

The moment they got out, their eyes fixed on Jude’s figure ahead.

Both companies were among the top in Slosa, but DY Group’s foundation was nowhere near strong enough to compete with the Jenson Group.

Slosa itself was divided among four great families: the Jensons, the Woodwards, the Rowses, and the Bells.

And among them, the Bell family towered above the rest.

The gap between them and the other three was a chasm, an unbridgeable rule everyone accepted.

The distance between them was hopelessly wide.

It wasn’t just because Abram had built a strong foundation for the Bells years ago.

The real reason was Jude. After facing him once, no rival–not even their heirs–believed they could ever stand against him.

“Dad, I remember… when you and Tilda went to court, wasn’t it Jude who helped her?"

“What’s the deal between them?” Wade asked in a low voice.

Pearls

“Who knows? Apart from that case, DY Group hasn’t had much direct conflict with the Jensons.

“Still… Jude being close to Tilda surprised me. It shows how little we really know about her.

“What I fear…” He paused, unease tugging at his words.

Wade leaned closer. “Fear what, Dad?”

Russell let out a slow sigh, speaking just loud enough for Wade to hear. “That Jude has feelings for her.”

Wade’s eyes flew wide. “What?! Dad, how’s that possible? Sure, Tilda’s smart and beautiful, but this is Jude Bell we’re talking about! He’s the head of the Bell family!”

If Jude really did get involved with Tilda, the Bells themselves would be the first to revolt. They’d claim she wasn’t worthy of him.

“Everyone has their own taste. When I married your mom, your grandparents fought it hard, but we pushed through anyway. The thing is, someone like Jude stands way too high. Being around him is risky, like standing too close to power that could crush you at any moment.

“What I fear most is that Tilda gets pulled into his world. Being Mrs. Bell isn’t a title. It’s a target. Countless eyes watching, arrows in the dark. You can dodge an open strike, but the hidden blade is the one that kills. I’m afraid this could put her life at risk.”

And the greatest danger might not even come from the Bells or outsiders. It came from Jude himself.

In the business world, his power over life and death was infamous. He was cold, ruthless, and more terrifying than a demon. They called him a mad dog. No one dared provoke him, terrified it would cost them everything.

Tilda had inherited his own stubborn streak. If she clashed with a man like Jude, the danger was beyond words.

Just imagining Tilda defying Jude, and how he might lash out, made Russell’s whole body shake uncontrollably.

Hearing him say it out loud, Wade finally felt just how dangerous this really was.

Tilda’s life was hanging by a thread.

They had to warn her, and fast.

But…

“Even if we try, Dad, what can we do? Tilda hasn’t forgiven us. She’s already cut ties with the Jenson family. If we go to her now, trying to talk sense into her, she’ll only push back harder. The more we warn her, the more determined she’ll be to stick with Jude.”

Wade’s eyes dimmed.

The truth was, they no longer had the standing–or the right–to say these things to Tilda.

The last time she came to the hospital to see Blair, it had only happened because Russell had begged for her to go.

“If it really comes to that, then I’ll throw away my pride if I have to. I’ll tear Tilda and Jude apart with my own hands.

“I made one mistake already. I can’t make the same one again. Even if she hates me for the rest of her life, I can’t just stand by and watch her walk straight into the Bell family’s wolves’ den.

“If it goes wrong, she could end up like your Daphne. She’ll die. I’d rather have her alive and hating me forever than be gone from this world for good.”

Russell’s fist curled tight at his side.

He knew what he’d been back then–a hypocrite of a father, exactly as Tilda had once said. Stubborn, blind, and so wrapped up in his own pride that he’d hurt her again and again. He had trusted Kyla instead, humiliated and slandered Tilda again and again, clinging to his pride in senseless quarrels–shameless beyond redemption.