Chapter 159 Going Back to the Old Tilda

“What? Hmm… yeah.”

Tilda’s words left Una speechless.

Tilda didn’t even look at Clive again.

She just took Una by the arm and walked away.

Clive took a while to snap out of it.

He let out a long sigh.

“How strange,” he muttered. “Tilda didn’t snap back at me? Seriously, these people’s moods changed faster than the weather. I’m going to lose my mind.”

“Tilda, are you sure you’re not mad?” Una asked.

“Nope. Let him look all he wants. It’s not like it hurts me. I don’t want to get mad over the Jensons anymore,” Tilda replied.

Una could tell Tilda seemed different. She wasn’t confused or upset like in the morning. Una reached out to touch Tilda’s forehead, just to check.

“Relax, Una. I’m fine. Seriously,” Tilda said.

“Sorry, Tilda. I thought you were coming down with something. I’m just glad you’re okay. Right now, it feels like… hmm… you’ve just leveled up,” Una said with a smile.

Una thought Tilda looked a lot more mature and confident than before.

“I just found my way back to myself,” Tilda said. “It’s time to pull myself out of this pit of hate. If I stay stuck like this forever, what’s the point?”

What is the point of coming back to life if nothing changes?

If I didn’t let go of the past, how is this life different from before? The path might have changed, but it would end up the same way.

“Una, your dream is to open an esports club, right? Run your own business, play as a pro, and compete all around the world for the S-Championship?” Tilda said suddenly.

When Tilda brought that up, Una nodded quickly. “Yep! But, Tilda, don’t make fun of me. I really mean it!”

Tilda playfully messed up Una’s hair. “Why would I make fun of you? That’s an amazing dream! And now, it’s my turn to start over, too.”

Una was curious. “You’ve never told me your dream. What is it? I don’t think I’ve ever heard it from you."

“It’s a secret. Someday, you’ll know,” Tilda teased.

“Ugh, Tilda, you’re so annoying! Now I’m mad at you,” Una huffed.

After Clive hung up the phone, Wade found himself wandering out of Hopewell Hospital without really knowing why.

He sat in his Porsche 911 outside, not daring to go in.

So he stayed outside, standing across the street, hiding in the shadows of an alley.

He watched from far away, feeling silly.

Wade knew he looked ridiculous.

If Tilda saw him, she’d definitely give him a hard time.

But he just couldn’t help it.

He couldn’t let go of his little sister.

Now that he knew where she was, he just had to do something. Even something as silly as standing here, watching her from a distance.

The birthday party had ended.

People started coming out, one after another–including Tilda.

She didn’t rush to get her car.

Tilda pulled out her phone, probably calling someone. Her face lit up with a big, happy smile.

Wade recognized that smile right away. It was the same smile Tilda used to show only to him.

Now, that smile would never belong to him again.

She’d only show that smile to others.

Just thinking about it made Wade’s chest ache. He felt like a giant invisible hand was squeezing his heart.

Jealousy, regret, even self-loathing. Those bad feelings weighed on him like a ton of bricks.

Before he knew it, Wade started following Tilda.

She was on the phone with Andy.

“Tilda! Why are you calling me now? Weren’t you at Una’s mom’s birthday party?” Andy asked.

“The party’s over,” Tilda said. “Andy, I need a favor. Can you help me find any programming jobs in Cetherland that nobody else can solve?”

After thinking it over, Tilda decided it was time to get back to what she was best at.

She knew Andy was well-connected. Some secret research group in Cetherland used to ask him to post mysterious jobs on the dark web.

Most of those jobs were about Cetherland’s future.

After all, the dark web is full of talented people. Sometimes, that’s the only way to fix urgent problems.

Of course, the dark web is a mixed bag.

People could only contact Andy. He acted as the go-between, posting jobs that needed someone tough and smart.

Most jobs were long and tough, paid peanuts, and were always ignored.

Only the old Tilda–whenever she had time, she would take on these jobs through Andy. She became friendly with Cetherland’s underground organizations through those jobs.

Later, to find her family, Tilda had given up a lot–she’d even forgotten her dream.

Blair claimed her; DNA tests proved she was a Jenson. After everything that happened, Tilda lost herself.

Now, she wanted her old self back.

“Why are you suddenly bringing this up?” Andy asked.

“Andy, do you remember when we first met? You saw my profile. And you told me I was too naive and beyond saving?” Tilda said.

“Oh, I remember,” Andy replied, with a crooked smile.

“You called yourself a hacker on the dark web, but you always insisted you’d never threaten national security. You said you’d never turn against regular people, never hurt anyone innocent, and never work for the bad guys.”