Out of the Shadows: Tilda’s Brilliant Second Life

Chapter 595: A Stage of Glory

In that moment, Tilda understood everything clearly.

Dane began his speech. “Today, I would like to give special thanks to my teammates and to my mentors, Mystro, Liam, and Tilda. They gave me guidance and incredible support throughout this project. Because of their help and cooperation, I was able to reach this point and successfully create the 4–nanometer chip lithography machine. The journey was brutal. Years of hard work nearly collapsed at the very last step. Just one mistake, and the entire project would have ended in failure.”

Dane had written those words himself.

He mentioned the names of all of his juniors. At first, Tilda and the others didn’t want him to mention them in his speech. It would be enough for him to bring up their mentor. But once they left, Dane added their names in his draft anyway. Those words came straight from his heart.

He wanted the whole world to know. Even though they preferred to stay humble, refusing to take credit, at least through this speech people would understand—these people truly played a role in the research. This was their honor. He couldn’t take that away from them.

When the speech ended, Tilda bowed once more toward the cameras. Then she stepped back and left with Dane. The audience burst into loud applause. Countless people praised her speech.

“That young woman has a bright future. She can’t be more than twenty, right? If she keeps growing, who knows what she’ll achieve? Look at this–Professor Kerrigan let Tilda speak in front of the entire world, live on broadcast. That’s how much he values his junior. He’s lifting her up, sharing his glory with her.”

“Are you kidding me? You think this is just some personal speech? This is the keynote address for the successful creation of a lithography machine! It’s about national pride. No way Professor Kerrigan would make decisions lightly about who speaks here.”

“This speech must have been written by Professor Kerrigan himself and reviewed by the top leaders. That means it’s real? Did Tilda actually play a role in the research?”

“If that’s true, then this girl is incredible. I’m blown away! I always thought those top scientists were either from overseas or already old. Who would’ve guessed that someone as young as Professor Kerrigan could pull this off? It’s a blessing for our nation; the new generation has outshone the old!”

“No kidding! And don’t forget, she’s the biological daughter of Russell Jenson, the chairman of Jenson Group. Goes to show–like father, like daughter.”

“Exactly. Remember, her parents started from nothing and built Jenson Group into one of the biggest companies in Slosa, even famous worldwide. That’s impressive enough. But Tilda? She’s outshining them all! If I were her parents, I’d die of pride.”

“Yeah, but they let that precious gem slip right through their fingers. I bet they’re regretting it now, probably racking their brains for a way to bring Tilda back into the family.”

“Even so, Jenson Group is just a corporation. Compared to Professor Kerrigan’s favorite junior and the rising star of science, they don’t stand a chance. Do you think she even cares about the Jensons anymore? Not likely.”

After all, a company couldn’t compare with a scientist valued by the nation. Dane was the project leader of the country’s first 4–nanometer chip lithography machine. That achievement alone was enough to put his name into history books, both at home and abroad. Behind the scenes, countless countries were already reaching out to him, all of them hoping to lure away this once–in–a–generation genius. Power, money, status–if Dane wanted them, all he had to do was lift a finger, and they’d come pouring in. As Dane’s prized junior, Tilda certainly wouldn’t bother with the Jensons, who had once despised her.

The mocking voices came from every corner, sharp and merciless. Wade and Russell pretended not to hear, wearing calm faces, but their fists were clenched so tight their knuckles turned white.

They stared at the young woman standing proudly beside Dane on stage. She was radiant, untouchable, and forever beyond their reach now.

To say they didn’t regret it would be a lie. They realized now just how foolish they had been. Back then, they never saw Tilda’s talent. They thought she was nothing more than a quiet, invisible nobody–worthless. And in doing so, they lost a rare, priceless gem.

No–that wasn’t even the whole truth. They had chosen to ignore her. They never once tried to understand their own blood–her thoughts, her talent, her everything.

Now, every sneer and every insult thrown at them was what they deserved. They had to bear it. The memories of how they had treated Tilda cut Russell and Wade to the bone. Both of them wanted to slap themselves, over and over, until their faces burned.

Their stupidity made them want to cry.

“Next,” the announcer’s voice rang out, “we will showcase the chip produced by our nation’s very first 4–nanometer lithography machine!”