Chapter 425 Surprised Tilda
Does Alfie like…
Tilda, as her closest friend, could not stop worrying about what kind of man Una might end up with.
The thought of Alfie, the heir to the Woodward Group, becoming that man made her uneasy. She believed he was far from the right choice.
Still, she held herself back. Breaking them apart now felt wrong. It was better to watch quietly and see how things turned out.
Besides, with Una’s cluelessness in love, she probably had no idea how close she already seemed…with Alfie.
Alfie’s voice carried a steady authority.
“No one usually tries to stir up trouble in the Nightingale Bar, since everyone knows it belongs to me. But these people did it anyway, so they’ll pay for it. Preston, especially.”
But the one Preston had crossed was Tilda.
Alfie didn’t need to lift a hand.
All he had to do was make sure Jude knew about this.
One word to Jude was enough to seal Preston’s fate.
Una scrunched her lips, her tone sharp and annoyed. “Alfie, don’t think this makes everything fine. You ruined my night. I don’t even want to drink anymore.”
Alfie tilted his head, his eyes gleaming with mischief. “Then I’ll make it up to you. How about I take both of you somewhere fun another day?”
He’s taking us on a ride…
Una wanted to reject him, to sound firm, but the thought of where Alfie could take them made her falter. Those places were not open to ordinary people. She turned to Tilda. “Tilda, what do you think?”
Tilda closed her eyes for a moment, reading his intent. Then, “If it’s not worth it, I’m not going.”
“It will be worth it,” Alfie promised, his smile carrying quiet mystery.
Chapter 425 Surprised Tilda
He reached out again, ruffling Una’s hair.
Una huffed and swatted at his hand. “Stop it. I’m not some little animal for you to pet!”
She tried to shove him off, but at five foot five she looked laughably small against Alfie’s six foot three frame.
She really did resemble a little kitten trapped in the grip of a giant.
Alfie’s smile softened without him realizing it. “Your hair feels nice, Una.”
“God, I told you to stop, and you still won’t! Tilda, do something!”
Tilda stared at them with wide eyes.
Am I being forced to watch PDA here?
Oh my God.
After seeing Una and Tilda off, Alfie pulled out his phone and called Jude.
“Jude, are you busy?”
“Not really. What’s going on?”
It wasn’t Alfie’s imagination.
Ever since Jude had grown closer to Tilda, something had shifted in him.
The man who had once been frozen solid seemed to thaw, showing signs of warmth like he was learning to be human again.
To Alfie, it was a good sign.
Even though Alfie still spent time with Jude and Maurice, there were moments when Jude’s life looked unbearably cold.
He had been raised inside the Bells by Abram himself. The man carried the blame of his mother’s death, was abandoned by his father, and was forced to lead the Bells at a young age.
Now that Tilda was in his life, Jude finally had a chance at warmth.
If she became Jude’s wife one day, they would all feel at ease.
Alfie told him what had happened at the Nightingale Bar.
At once, the phone seemed to freeze in his hand. A chill sharper than steel slid through the line.
The weight of Jude’s silence was suffocating, filled with killing intent so strong Alfie’s own chest tightened.
“I know you can deal with this, so I’ll stay out of it,” Alfie said quickly, already trying to cut the call short.
Even after years of friendship, Jude’s fury still felt like the end of the world.
Not even Maurice, as reckless as he was, dared to act out when Jude was like this.
It had been a long time since Alfie felt this kind of raw, merciless rage from him.
Of course, it was because the one harmed had been Tilda.
No matter how badly Preston had been beaten, Jude’s vengeance would be far worse.
“I will handle this,” Jude said, each word slow and cold, like the tolling of a funeral bell.
Alfie ended the call in a rush, finally free of that suffocating weight pressing through the phone.
It wasn’t his problem.
He had no plans to let Preston drag him down too.
When Daphne and Ryan heard the news, they rushed to the hospital.
Preston’s head had been stitched and bandaged, his body laid in the best care money could buy.
He had sobered up, though his skull still pounded. He remembered what had happened.
“Son!”
Daphne hurried to his side, clutching his hand with trembling fingers. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she choked out, “You’re safe. Thank God. What happened? How could something like this happen? You nearly scared me to death.”
“Mom… I’m sorry. I’m fine,” Preston muttered, his voice low and guilty.
He remembered drinking, losing control, and laying hands on Tilda before passing out. He didn’t even dare to raise his voice.
Ryan’s face was hard and shadowed as he growled, “What exactly happened? I went to the Nightingale Bar and asked for the surveillance footage. They refused to give me anything.”
Chapter 425 Surprised Tilda
“Ryan, don’t talk to him like that…”
“Shut your mouth!” Ryan snapped, his glare sharp enough to cut.
Daphne flinched, silenced instantly. She stroked Preston’s hand instead, her touch filled with aching affection.
“I’m sorry, Dad,” Preston whispered, his voice small. “I was drunk… and I got into this whole mess.”