Chapter 417 The Truth
"Important to you? Please. Getting dragged into your family’s drama is the last thing I want. What a complete waste of time."
"Also, I didn’t learn that piece from anyone—it’s mine! That copycat Genevieve stole it and pretended to be me!"
Justin felt like lightning had cracked right through his brain. His head spun so hard that he could barely process it.
Tilda didn’t care how stunned he looked. She just turned and left. She had no idea that the very video she posted years ago was what saved Justin’s life. Genevieve stole her work just to worm her way close to the Jensons’ power. If Tilda had known, maybe things would’ve been different.
But there was no turning back. By the time Blair and Russell’s voices snapped him out of it, Tilda was already gone.
“Justin, what’s going on? Are you alright? Why did you run out after Tilda? You didn’t look good.”
“Dad, Mom… I may have… misunderstood something important…” Bitterness filled him. His eyes were full of despair. How could he mistake the girl who once saved his life? How could he say he’d missed Tilda all these years? Fate sure had a cruel sense of humor. Why did it have to be Tilda? That piano piece wasn’t just anyone’s—it was his sister’s! That was the darkest moment in Justin’s life.
Not only had he been lied to, but now the one person he’d been searching for his whole life felt unreachable.
At Jenson Villa, Russell and Blair basically dragged Justin inside. He looked spaced out. They kept asking what happened on the way back, but he stayed silent. He looked half-dead, like all the life had been drained out of him. His parents were freaking out with worry.
As soon as Justin got home, he went straight upstairs and slammed his door. He even brushed past Kyla, who tried to greet him in the hallway. Her heart jumped. Out of everyone in the family, Justin had always spoiled her the most. She’d been looking forward to Starlight Dining. After all, it was the second branch of Sky Dining, still in trial runs, sitting right in the middle of the lake at Slosa’s biggest park. Justin had promised to take her after he went with their parents. He’d even patted her head and said something sweet before they left. Why did he come home acting like a stranger, ignoring her completely? Did something happen at Starlight Dining? If even Justin was ignoring her, Kyla felt she had no place in this family.
Downstairs, Blair and Russell sat in silence, worry written all over their faces.
“Honey, do you know what’s wrong with Justin?"
"Why did he rush after Tilda after hearing her play piano? And now he’s like this?”
Blair was so upset that she completely forgot about her run-in with Tilda at Starlight Dining. She wasn’t about to tell anyone either. Just let me bear the pain of being hurt by my daughter alone. She couldn’t let anyone in the Jensons, especially Dominic, know what Tilda had said. If Dominic found out Tilda not only turned her back on them but even wanted them dead in that accident, he’d lose it.
“I… I don’t know either.”
“It’s always the same. Every time Tilda shows up, one of the kids ends up a mess.”
Russell let out a heavy sigh. This time, there was no anger, no hate toward Tilda—only regret. Ever since meeting her again six months ago, he’d been replaying everything he did to her. Now, all he felt was guilt. And the investigators he hired had already told him the scandal was most likely cooked up by Kyla herself. If he’d dropped his bias against Tilda and his blind favoritism toward Kyla, he should’ve seen the truth a mile away. Back then, Tilda had cleared her name. Who had the most to gain from those staged photos? It was Kyla. But Russell refused to see it and chose to protect her anyway. Even after he realized the truth, he still treated Tilda unfairly while standing by Kyla. Nobody would have guessed the sweet, gentle girl they treated as their real daughter could do such a thing.