Chapter 119 Don't Pry into Mr. Forbes' Business
"Katniss, what's takin' you so long with that invoice? The food's gettin' cold here!" Matilda griped over the phone.
Katniss smirked and shot back, "It's done, I'm on my way. Y'all go ahead and eat without me."
There was a faint grumble from the other end, but Matilda brushed it off and said, "Anyway, tomorrow's Friday, and we gotta hit the hospital to see Mom in the evening. Doc said chattin' with her might help her wake up faster. Don't be late tomorrow!"
"Got it," Katniss agreed, hanging up and gazing at the city lights flickering on. Her mind wandered back to the figure she spotted from the private room earlier.
She'd often think of Tristan outta nowhere, maybe 'cause of a familiar face or a similar voice.
Or even a piece of clothing that looked like his.
But her life now was chill and smooth. The targeted drug that could cure Sophia was ready, just waiting for Sophia to wake up to start the treatment.
What more could she want?
Shaking her head, she tucked her windblown hair behind her ear and strolled off in a certain direction.
Upstairs in the private room, a tall figure stood by the window, a cigarette slowly burning between his fingers, his deep gaze locked on her fading silhouette.
Until Daniel walked over and said, "Mr. Forbes, you've been smokin' for a while. If you don't come to the table soon, the food's gonna get cold."
Tristan stubbed out the cigarette, pulled his gaze back, turned around, and headed to the table, casually asking, "Who was that just now?"
"She's the tutor I hired for my daughter, came to drop off an invoice. Sorry for interruptin' our talk, my bad. I'll drink a glass as a penalty." Daniel grabbed his glass, ready to chug it.
A hand on his wrist stopped him; it was Tristan. Daniel looked at him, confused.
"Is she reliable?" Tristan asked.
Daniel blinked a few times, then said, "Yeah, she's solid. I checked her out. She's definitely a good tutor."
Tristan raised an eyebrow, leaning back lazily in his chair, and said, "Gimme her contact info. Might need it."
"Huh?" Daniel was momentarily stunned but then handed over Katniss's number to Tristan. He couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Forbes, you got kids?"
"Why you askin' so many questions?" someone nearby snapped, "Don't pry into Mr. Forbes's business!"
The room instantly buzzed with gossip, and everyone started whispering and joking around.
Tristan's lips curled into a sly grin, his deep eyes unreadable, reflecting the digits Daniel had just sent him.
'Great, she even switched up her number?' Tristan thought.
He had been haunted by her calling him "playboy" in the past year, yet she seemed to be doing just fine here.
Friday afternoon, Katniss wrapped up recording an online course. Just as she stretched, Matilda came running over. "Katniss, Daniel just called. He's sending a client our way. They'll be here soon."
Katniss checked the time; it was almost quitting time. She quickly gathered her stuff. "Alright, get a welcome gift ready for Mr. Wilson. I'll tidy up and come down."
She turned to place her materials on the bookshelf, straightened her clothes, and headed downstairs with her phone.
A sleek, luxurious G-Wagon was parked out front. Daniel got out first, followed by a kid around fifteen or sixteen.
With green-dyed hair, obsidian earrings, and a rebellious vibe, his eyes, enhanced by colored contacts, swept disdainfully over Katniss and the others.
"Ms. Grey," Daniel smiled at Katniss and then introduced, "This is Aaron Savoy."
"Hey, Aaron," Katniss smiled slightly, ignoring Aaron's disdain, and asked Daniel, "Didn't his parents come?"
Daniel glanced at the car behind him, then turned back and smiled, "I'll take him inside for a tour."
The G-Wagon's windows were closed, but you could faintly see someone inside. Katniss's eyes lingered there, feeling a strange sensation.
She frowned slightly, then smiled and said, "Alright, let's head in."
In the car, Ryan, sitting in the driver's seat, watched them go inside and casually asked, "Mr. Forbes, aren't we gonna say hi to Miss Grey?"
In the back, Tristan sat with his legs crossed, sunlight streaming through the window, casting a golden glow from his chin to his waist.
His deep eyes moved from Katniss, who had entered the building, to Ryan.
Ryan immediately felt a chill down his spine and quickly shut his mouth.
About twenty minutes later, Daniel came out with Aaron, holding an invoice from the institution, and got back into the car.
The car drove off, and after passing two intersections, Daniel got out. The car then merged back into traffic.
Aaron, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up, "I don't want a tutor."
"That's your sister's call," Tristan said coldly, fiddling with his phone.
"My sister? How is she my sister? She grew up in the Forbes Family. I've never even met her. What right does she have to mess with my studies?" Aaron, like an angry wolf cub, spoke with extreme resentment.
Tristan didn't even flinch, eyes glued to his phone, but the slight furrow in his brow showed his patience was running thin.
"She..." Aaron started to say more, but one icy look from Tristan shut him up. His eyes still defiant, he glanced at the door handle. When no one was paying attention, he yanked it open and jumped out!
Ryan slammed on the brakes, but it was too late. Aaron had already bailed, though luckily, the car wasn't going fast in the city traffic.
Aaron only twisted his ankle and, after a few steps, crumpled to the ground in pain, unable to get up.
Cars around them screeched to a halt, and drivers angrily yelled at Aaron through their windows.
Ryan got out, apologized to everyone, and helped Aaron back into the car.
This time, Ryan locked the doors and, following Tristan's orders, headed straight to the hospital.
Tristan put away his phone, turned slightly to look at Aaron, and said, "Getting you a tutor was Eudora's idea. I've done my part. If you don't want the lessons, you can take it up with the tutor and get rid of them yourself. I won't interfere, but if you pull a stunt like this again..."
He didn't finish, but the warning was clear. Aaron, too scared to act out again, obediently went to the hospital to get his ankle checked.
In the hospital's VIP room, with Matilda's chatter filling the air, Katniss and Matilda appeared in Sophia's room.
"Katniss, the client Mr. Wilson introduced was super straightforward, paid right away." Matilda had been going on about it the whole way, making Katniss smile. She placed her bag on the bedside table and said softly, "You get happy whenever money's involved, but don't forget, starting next week, I'll be tutoring Aaron on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings from 7 to 9 PM. So, I won't be able to come to the hospital until after 9 PM on Fridays. Also, remember, if anyone else asks for one-on-one tutoring, don't accept it. I don't have the time."
"Got it!" Matilda agreed, then sat down next to Sophia. "Mom, Katniss is amazing..."
Listening to Matilda's usual chatter, Katniss wasn't surprised. She stood by the bed, looking at Sophia for a while, then turned and left the room.
"Excuse me, is Dr. Perez not in his office?" She went to Sophia's attending doctor's office but found it empty.
A nurse outside said, "Dr. Perez accidentally hurt his hand and went to the trauma department for treatment. But I saw him take his bag when he left, so he might be getting off work."
Hearing this, Katniss quickly headed to the trauma department. Dr. Perez didn't work weekends, so her only shot at getting an update on Sophia was Friday evening.
If Daniel hadn't brought Aaron for that surprise visit, they would've been here earlier and caught Dr. Perez before he left.
The trauma department wasn't too busy, and Katniss found Dr. Perez in a treatment room.
He had a cut on his hand from a scalpel and needed a few stitches. A surgeon was stitching him up, and the sight made Katniss a bit uneasy.
She asked a few concerned questions, then got straight to the point. "Dr. Perez, last week you mentioned that if my mom's indicators were all up to standard, you could use electrotherapy to stimulate her nerves and wake her up. Are her indicators up to standard this week?"
Terry Perez, who had turned his head away from the stitching, started talking to her, "There's still one indicator that's not up to standard. We need to wait a bit longer. I'll keep a close eye on it, and when it's up to standard..."
The treatment room had several beds, each separated by white curtains. Suddenly, a painful scream interrupted him, "It hurts, it hurts!"
Katniss was startled and looked over, vaguely seeing a few figures standing by a bed, with the screams coming from the person on the bed.
"A young boy, in his rebellious phase, jumped out of a car and twisted his ankle. The doctor is setting his bone," the surgeon stitching Terry's hand said. "He didn't mind the pain of jumping out of the car, but can't handle the bone setting. Kids these days..."
The continuous screams disrupted Terry and Katniss's conversation, so Terry said, "Katniss, wait for me outside."
"Okay." Katniss agreed and left. The screams were much quieter outside the door.
The trauma department had a stronger smell of disinfectant, which she couldn't stand, so she went to the window at the end of the hallway, where the smell was less intense.
Inside the room, Tristan's narrow eyes followed Katniss as she walked out. His phone suddenly rang, and he signaled Ryan to keep an eye on Aaron before stepping out with his phone.
"Hello, Eudora." His deep voice was particularly clear in the hallway, his deep eyes catching sight of the slender figure at the end of the hall.
He curled his lips and walked toward her, her figure gradually enlarging in his view.
"How's Aaron? That kid is really a handful." A slightly worried voice came from the other end.
Tristan replied softly, "He's fine, just twisted his ankle. I've found him a tutor, but his attitude isn't great. Whether he can actually learn remains to be seen."
The figure in his eyes grew closer.
Hearing the familiar voice, Katniss's body instantly tensed, and she quickly turned around.
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