Chapter 140 Couldn’t Run From the Truth

At that exact moment, it felt like an invisible hand had grabbed Dominic’s heart and squeezed it tight. It was like a funeral bell ringing right next to his ear, one thump after another. It made his soul feel like it wanted to crawl out of his body. That tiny possibility he had once pushed aside came stabbing back, like a splinter in his heart. The tear split open again, spreading wider, turning into a massive scar, and then… blood rushed out.

Dominic had wondered if Tilda’s crazy hacking skills were connected to Queen. Tilda already knew Andy and Jude, but no one could say how deep those ties actually went. What if she were keeping other identities secret, with extra contacts and resources tucked away? Or maybe—maybe she is Queen herself.

The thought had crossed his mind once, but he immediately pushed it away. How could the legendary Queen of the dark web be a broke, homeless, 19-year-old college sophomore girl? It had to be a coincidence. He must be overthinking. Maybe Queen was already at the Cornerstone Café, and he just hadn’t noticed her. Or maybe she got busy and couldn’t make it.

Dominic repeated these thoughts to himself, over and over, just to calm down. Finally, he took out his phone. Even then, his finger shook as he touched the screen. It took him thirty seconds just to open the message from Queen on the dark web.

Queen wrote, “I give up, DJ. I guess we just weren’t meant to meet. I’ve been waiting for you at the Cornerstone Café for an hour now. Honestly, I hope you haven’t arrived yet, so I wouldn’t recognize you.”

Dominic’s eyes darted instinctively to Tilda. Then he typed back quickly, “Mentor, I’m already at the Cornerstone Café. Where are you?”

Ding!

The café buzzed around him, so he didn’t hear Tilda’s dark web notification. But the second he sent his message, her phone buzzed; Tilda’s phone lit up. She pulled it out. Her brow creased slightly when she saw DJ’s message. Then she started typing.

Thump, thump, thump! Dominic’s heart beat like crazy. The world around him melted into mist. All he could see was Tilda typing her reply. Everything else disappeared. Cold sweat ran down his face. Soon, he was drenched.

No way.

God, this can’t be real.

How could Tilda be Queen—his mentor, the person he admired like the sun? The little sister he once despised, wished would vanish, brushed off, and acted like she didn’t matter. She can’t be Queen! Absolutely not!

Inside, Dominic prayed like mad. He would give years of his life if it could undo this. Please, let this not be true!

But Tilda finished typing.

Ding!

That awful notification chimed again.

Dominic froze, his whole body going cold as he stared at the screen.

Queen wrote, “I’m by the window, corner seat. Hair’s kinda short. Brown trench coat, jeans, sneakers. Don’t freak, I’m only 19, lol.”

She couldn’t have made it clearer. As much as Dominic wanted to deny it, he couldn’t run from the truth. His eyes drifted from his phone to Tilda, sitting by the window.

With sunlight spilling over her, Tilda’s eyebrows lifted just a little. Her bare, pale face caught the autumn glow, giving her an almost untouchable, angelic look. Her lips, soft and red, curved into a small smile. Her lowered eyes seemed to hold layers of emotion, and her lashes were long and curled. The hair she had cut off because of something Wade said was slowly growing back. Wade wasn’t kidding. Tilda really did look incredible with long hair. It was full, smooth, glossy, and jet black—way nicer than Kyla’s.

A bit of unease crept over Tilda. She casually glanced around the room. And there was Dominic, phone in hand, looking at her with an expression she couldn’t read. She froze for a moment.

What now?

All she wanted was to march over and dump her coffee on him. Why was this weirdo staring at her like that? He was killing her vibe. If she didn’t care about DJ not being able to find her, she would have walked out already.