Chapter 101 This Ride Is Costing Me a Fortune
"Just the usual stuff with you and Mr. Astor. He tried to get me to spill more, but I wasn't having it, and he didn't push."
Ryan was getting nosy now. He knew what Samuel was fishing for. But it was just a surface-level thing, not like he was trying to get in good with them.
Seemed like he was just doing his job.
Tristan's eyes got all serious as he thought of something. "Anything not about Katniss, you can tell him."
"Got it," Ryan said quickly.
Nicholas grinned, finally waiting for their chat to wrap up. He wanted to gossip but saw Tristan leaning back with his eyes shut, looking like he was resting.
Clearly, he wasn't in the mood for any BS.
Nicholas wisely zipped it and stared out the window, bored out of his mind.
There were hardly any cars on the road this late, just the last bus of the night with a few stragglers on board.
So, Nicholas easily spotted Katniss by the window.
Her long hair was down, and the bus lights made her tired face stand out.
He glanced at Tristan, who seemed to be out cold.
"Stop at the next bus stop," Nicholas said, tapping Ryan's shoulder.
Ryan thought he wanted to get off, so he pulled over at the bus stop after the light.
"Wait here for me," Nicholas said, hopping out and heading for the bus that was pulling up.
From the rearview mirror, Ryan watched him walk toward the bus. He frowned, clueless about what Nicholas was up to, while Tristan in the back seemed to be really asleep. He just waited.
The bus stopped, and as the doors opened, Nicholas climbed up and called out, "Katniss."
Katniss looked over, surprised. "Mr. Kennedy, what are you doing here?"
'No way he's here to catch the bus,' Katniss thought.
"Come on down," Nicholas motioned to her.
The driver and the other two passengers were waiting, so Katniss grabbed her bag, apologized to the driver, and followed Nicholas off the bus.
"Come on, we'll give you a ride home," Nicholas said, opening the car door and motioning for Katniss to get in, then took the front passenger seat.
Katniss immediately recognized the Synergy Global Corporation's business car. The "we" Nicholas mentioned definitely included Tristan.
She took a few steps forward and, sure enough, saw Tristan inside; his eyes were half-open, giving her a quick glance.
Already strapped in up front, Nicholas buckled his seatbelt and said, "It's late; don't just stand there. Get in and let's get you home!"
Katniss nodded at Tristan in greeting, then hopped into the car and shut the door. The car cruised smoothly down the empty road.
Nicholas changed the GPS to Oakwood Hills and then looked back at Katniss.
"Where you working now?" He ignored Tristan's warning look and kept digging into Katniss's situation.
"At Grand Era Mall," Katniss said, not hiding it since Nicholas had always treated her as a friend would.
Nicholas looked surprised for a second, then said, "Grand Era Mall? That's a hike. You bus it every day? What are you, a VP or Manager? They don't give you a car?"
Clearly, he thought Katniss was more important to Tristan than she was.
Katniss glanced at Tristan instinctively. His long fingers were pinching the bridge of his nose, his head was tilting against the window, and his expression was unreadable.
He seemed to be tuning them out.
"An attendant in the formal wear section," she said, lowering her head, feeling a bit bitter.
Tristan was probably still pissed about the extortion thing, hence the job transfer.
"What?" Nicholas's eyes nearly popped out. "A frontline attendant?"
He went quiet, turning around, lost in thought, occasionally shaking his head and sighing.
The car stopped at Oakwood Hills, and Katniss got out, seeing Tristan still resting with his eyes closed.
She could only say to Nicholas, "Thanks, Mr. Kennedy."
Then she turned and left.
Inside the car, Tristan's eyes suddenly opened, watching Katniss walk into the community through the window.
'Isn't this my car? Why thank Nicholas?' he thought.
Ryan started the engine, ready to leave, but Nicholas stopped him.
Nicholas turned to Tristan and asked, "Aren't you getting out?"
"Get lost!" Tristan snapped, clearly annoyed.
Nicholas laughed, signaling Ryan to drive, but he sighed. "Man, some people are so heartless, sticking her in the crappiest job, making her take the bus during rush hour. I heard there are a lot of creeps on the bus. She's so pretty; if one of them targets her, she could be in trouble."
"If you keep quiet, no one will think you're mute," Tristan said, his voice dripping with irritation and barely contained anger.
"But she had it coming. Who told her to team up with Rupert to shake you down? You probably kept her around just to mess with her, right? I got some ideas on how to make her life hell. You could hand her over to Bella or Grandma Forbes. Either of them would make Katniss's life a nightmare and get your revenge." Nicholas spoke so plausibly and volubly that Tristan's face turned pale.
Ryan, who was driving, was freaking out. Was this something he should be hearing for free? He had just started this job, and they were spilling all this private stuff like he wasn't even there.
The car stopped at Serenity Estate, and Ryan got out to open the door.
Tristan sat there, staring at Nicholas, deep in thought.
Nicholas squirmed under Tristan's gaze and asked, "Tristan, you're not gonna make me walk home from here, are you?"
His phone was dead, and getting a cab would mean walking miles!
"Depends on how you behave," Tristan said with a half-smile.
"What do you want me to do?" Nicholas got the hint. "Just tell me next time. Threats aren't good for our friendship."
Tristan raised an eyebrow, questioning if what Nicholas had just said wasn't already damaging their friendship.
After a long pause, Nicholas sighed and patted the seat. "I get it. Have your driver take me home, and I'll sort everything out for you by tomorrow."
"Take Mr. Kennedy home," Tristan said, closing the car door and walking away with one hand in his pocket, looking both lazy and classy.
Ryan got back in the car and set the GPS to Nicholas's place, listening to Nicholas grumble the whole way, "This ride is costing me a fortune!"
At nine sharp, Brenda and Cynthia walked into the store and saw Katniss, already in her uniform, organizing clothes.
The magenta uniform looked basic, but on Katniss, it was stunning.
Brenda and Cynthia exchanged glances, put down their bags, and walked over to Katniss.
"Katniss, don't just stand there. Go mop the floor," Brenda said.
"The floor's already mopped." Katniss pointed to a still-drying spot. "I finished it five minutes ago."
Brenda was momentarily speechless.
Cynthia said, "Then go to the back..."
"The dresses that customers pre-ordered have all been ironed and hung up. You can check which ones belong to your clients." Katniss interrupted with a smile.
She had come prepared, waking up at five in the morning, taking the bus at six, and arriving at the store by eight.
Based on last week's experience, she had done all the necessary tasks.
Cynthia and Brenda went to the back and saw several dresses perfectly ironed and displayed on mannequins.
"We underestimated her!" Cynthia scoffed. "Last week, she was just putting on a show for us. She's not easy to boss around!"
They peeked through the door at Katniss, who was standing at the entrance, ready to greet customers, with a wary look in their eyes.
Brenda crossed her arms and said, "We can't handle her between the two of us? Let's just find something to keep her busy. Come on."
They walked out and stood next to Katniss.
"Katniss, I didn't have breakfast. Go get me some," Brenda said, nudging Cynthia.
Cynthia quickly added, "I woke up really early and I'm quite tired. Bring me a coffee to perk me up."
After the coffee, there would be various drinks and snacks to keep Katniss busy.
Last week, whenever Katniss had a moment to herself, they would boss her around like this.
But this time, Katniss firmly refused. "Sorry, buying breakfast and coffee is not part of my job description. If you really want them, you can get them yourselves."
She brushed past them and stood on the other side, her slender frame straight, smiling professionally at every customer who passed by.
Cynthia and Brenda wanted to say more, but the store manager, Laura, arrived, and they had to keep quiet.
Laura had noticed their behavior and was surprised that Katniss was already standing up to them.
"Katniss, come here for a moment," Laura said, putting down her bag and calling Katniss to the counter, handing her a document.
"I'll be transferring in two months. Although you're here as an intern, with your qualifications, you can compete for the store manager position. Look over these materials related to the store; they'll help you in the competition."
It was a set of essential conditions and information related to the store.
Katniss thanked her. "Thank you, Laura."
She went to the back to put the materials in her locker, then returned to her post.
She didn't use work hours to read the materials, which surprised Laura, who assumed Katniss wanted to focus on the competition.
Laura frowned, thinking Katniss, like Cynthia and Brenda, believed that serving more customers and earning more commissions would increase her chances of becoming the store manager. She shook her head in regret.
Meanwhile, at the entrance of Grand Era Mall, Bella got out of the car, arms crossed, looking at the large mall in front of her. She asked the person next to her, "Are you sure Katniss works here?"
"Yes, Miss Astor. I followed her from home and saw her enter Grand Era Mall. But the mall wasn't open yet, so I don't know which department she's in," the driver replied.
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