Chapter 103 Nothing Beats Money as a Gift
Katniss couldn't keep eye contact with Tristan and broke the silence first, "Mr. Kennedy said his friend's house needs someone to watch it, so he asked me to do him a solid."
"Mm." Tristan grunted, leaning his tall frame against the doorframe, watching Nicholas on a call.
After a few words, Nicholas hung up and waved him over. "Let's roll."
Katniss grabbed her suitcase, locked the door, and stepped out. She hesitated when she saw Nicholas and Tristan by their cars.
"Don't sweat it. You think I can't read the room?" Nicholas teased with a smirk, told Tristan to follow his car, and then hopped into his ride.
Seeing this, Katniss lowered her head and walked to Tristan's car. She tossed her luggage in the back seat and was about to get in when Tristan suddenly said, "Sit up front."
She pulled her foot back, shut the door, and moved to the passenger seat.
The east side of the city used to be a ghost town, but ever since the Grand Era Mall popped up, a bunch of fancy apartments sprang up around it, turning it into the "rich zone" of Velvet City.
The sleek Range Rover cruised smoothly down the road, with thick trees on both sides blocking the morning light.
Katniss stole glances at Tristan, who was driving. His face was stone-cold, and his jaw was tight. At a traffic light, she saw Nicholas gun it through a yellow light at the last second.
Tristan's frown deepened, and he stopped the car smoothly. Within seconds, his phone rang—it was Nicholas.
He glanced at Katniss, disconnected the Bluetooth in the car, and put the phone to his left ear.
"I snagged this house overnight for twenty mil. How's that for a score?"
Katniss could vaguely hear Nicholas's loud voice but couldn't catch the words.
Tristan's lips barely moved. "Cut to the chase."
"Pay me back, or..." Nicholas threatened, then floored it, daring Tristan to keep up.
With a light chuckle, Tristan hung up and casually placed the phone on the armrest, but it slipped into the seat gap.
The light turned green, and he frowned as he hit the gas, glancing at the phone stuck in the gap.
Suddenly, a small hand reached into the gap but couldn't grab the phone due to the angle.
So Katniss leaned over, her head close to his side, and tried again.
Her faint scent drifted into his nose, making his Adam's apple bob, and his eyes darkened.
"Got it." Katniss placed the phone in the storage box and sighed in relief.
She got nothing but silence in return.
From a distance, Katniss saw Nicholas's car speeding ahead, but their ride was faster, closing the gap in no time.
The two cars raced, but Nicholas was clearly outmatched. They pulled up in front of a swanky duplex, and Katniss suddenly remembered a question.
Nicholas's friend must be loaded.
The place had two floors, decked out in a simple yet classy style, with each floor covering nearly three thousand square feet.
"Such a sweet pad, and they're just letting someone else look after it?" she couldn't help but ask Nicholas. Any piece of furniture or decoration here was worth a fortune.
Nicholas replied like it was no big deal, "That's why they asked me to find someone trustworthy. You're that person. Just chill and stay here. Here's the key."
He handed a set of keys to Katniss and pointed to a drawer in the foyer. "There are over ten rooms, and the keys to each one are in that drawer."
"Okay." Katniss was cool with playing house-sitter. She turned around and suddenly saw Tristan coming down from upstairs with one hand in his pocket.
Tristan's deep eyes scanned every corner of the house until they landed on her. "The room on the second floor to the right has the best lighting. Stay there."
Without thinking, Katniss replied, "That doesn't seem right. That must be the owner's bedroom. I'll just find a room on the first floor. I won't go to the second floor."
Seeing her like this, Tristan said nothing and glanced at Nicholas.
Nicholas quickly chimed in, "My friend plans to sell this house. He'll sell it when he gets back from abroad. Stay wherever you like."
He then smiled sheepishly; thinking up a reason on the spot was quite a task.
Seeing Katniss still hesitating, he added, "Stay on the second floor. Maybe it's for Tristan's convenience when he comes over."
This made Katniss's ears turn red. There was no need to hide their relationship in front of Nicholas.
What made her feel less awkward was Nicholas's tone, which made it seem like she and Tristan were a couple, not just because of a transaction.
At Nicholas's insistence, they were to have lunch together in the "new home."
He even suggested that Tristan buy her a housewarming gift.
Tristan, however, handed her a card directly, his voice flat. "For her, nothing beats money as a gift."
If it was meant to be sarcastic, his expression was calm.
If it was sincere, the tone didn't match.
Katniss looked at the card between his fingers, feeling a bit down, but she still forced a smile and took it.
Without looking up, she muttered, "Thanks, Mr. Forbes. Maybe we should do lunch another day. There’s nothing here to cook, and it’s already too late to go shopping."
It was almost noon.
Hearing this, Tristan shot her a glance, got up, and walked out. Nicholas quickly followed him.
Throwing an arm around Tristan's shoulder, Nicholas teased, "You treat Katniss like gold in private but roast her in person. What's the deal?"
"It's the truth," Tristan said coldly.
Katniss just loved his money.
At the Astor Corporation, Samuel had just stepped out of the elevator when he saw Bella heading his way. Instinctively, he retracted his foot and was about to press the close button.
Bella called out, "Samuel, come here."
He could only smile and walk out as if he had just noticed her. "Miss Astor, you're at the office."
"I asked you to find out which department Katniss works in at Grand Era Mall. Why haven't you found out yet?" Bella had been waiting for two days without a word from Samuel.
Samuel's face tightened, and he quickly said, "Sorry, Miss Astor, I've already checked, but I forgot to inform you."
He pulled out his phone, opened the chat with the manager of Grand Era Mall, and handed it to Bella. "The manager couldn't find anyone named Katniss among the office staff."
Bella glanced at it and handed the phone back to Samuel. "If she's not among the office staff, check other departments. Don't you know that?"
"Well..." Samuel hesitated for a few seconds, "Katniss is a special assistant. How could she be a service worker? There are tons of service workers at Grand Era Mall, and I didn't want to bug the manager to check them all, so I didn't ask him to continue."
Bella realized the issue after his reminder. If Katniss had really gone to Grand Era Mall, could she have become a low-end service worker?
'A dignified special assistant turned into a service worker?' Bella pondered.
She spoke up. "Check and see if she is..."
"Mr. Astor." Samuel's gaze fell behind Bella, and he respectfully greeted.
Bella turned to see Michael standing there.
"Michael," she called softly, walking over to him. "I'm just curious about where Katniss went."
Michael's face didn't look good. He told Samuel, "You can go now."
Then he pulled Bella into his office. As soon as they entered, he said in a deep voice, "Are you still upset, or do you still suspect that Katniss and Tristan are entangled?"
"Both." Since she had been caught, Bella decided to be straightforward. "Even if she and Tristan have broken up, I can't stand her disappearing unscathed! If they haven't broken up, I need to find her even more!"
Michael, hands on his hips, glared at her. "Do you want to go after Katniss, or do you want to be with Tristan?"
"Of course, I want to be with Tristan!" Bella shot back without hesitation.
"Marrying Tristan is the best way to show up Katniss. Instead of targeting her, you should focus on making Tristan care more about you and marry you faster," Michael said.
Bella got Michael's point, but she couldn't shake the urge to see Katniss suffer.
Michael, still fuming, saw she wasn't backing down and added, "If you keep being stubborn, don't come to me for help anymore."
"Oh, come on!" Bella quickly clung to Michael's arm. "Michael, I'll listen to you, okay? I'll go find Tristan now and stick with him every day."
Michael's eyes softened with a hint of pity, and his anger faded. How could she know that she no longer had a place in Tristan's heart? If she didn't win him back, everything he had done would be in vain!
On the first night in the new home, Katniss couldn't sleep.
The air was filled with unfamiliar scents, and the ceiling light above her head cast a warm glow, enveloping her. The empty house made her feel inexplicably uneasy.
She turned to look at the card Tristan had given her, feeling both anxious and cold. She picked up the card, her clean fingers gently rubbing it.
In the early winter season, the howling wind outside was loud, and the doorbell sounded particularly piercing amidst the noise.
It took her a moment to realize someone was knocking. She quickly threw on a thick, plush cardigan and went downstairs to open the door.
Outside, snow was falling heavily, and Tristan's tall figure was reflected in her surprised eyes.
"Mr. Forbes, what are you doing here?" Katniss asked.
She stepped aside, and the cold air from Tristan's body seeped through her thin pajamas under the cardigan. She couldn't help but shiver, closed the door, and walked inside.
"Tomorrow, go buy some of my things," Tristan said, taking off his coat and hanging it in the foyer. He frowned at the ill-fitting slippers and changed into them.
Katniss's body stiffened, and she said nothing.
'Does he mean he is going to stay here?' Katniss wondered.
Even if not every day, at least occasionally. She suddenly couldn't understand. He clearly looked down on her and was angry with her because of Rupert. Why did he still want to be involved?
Suddenly, he stopped, turned around, and loomed over her. The light above her head dimmed, and when she looked up, she could only see Tristan's increasingly intense face in the shadow.
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