Chapter 120 Have You Been to Velvet City?
It was the end of the workday, and the hallway was packed with doctors and nurses in their white coats. Katniss just caught a glimpse of a black figure disappearing around the corner.
She couldn't even tell if it was a guy or a girl, but judging by the height, it was probably a dude.
That voice sounded just like Tristan's. Her eyes went wide, and she instinctively started to chase after him.
"Katniss, where you headed?" Terry, who had just finished patching someone up, stepped out of the surgical clinic.
She stopped dead in her tracks, pulled herself together, and flashed Terry a smile. "Thought I saw someone I knew, but I guess I was wrong."
She switched directions and walked over to Terry, chatting about Sophia's condition while they left the hospital together.
At the end of the corner was a staircase. Tristan was leaning against the railing, still on a call.
"Can you look after Aaron for a bit? Your folks are still pissed you took off to Nightfall City. Synergy Global Corporation's got a ton going on, and you just bailed. Now I can't leave either. You're off the hook, but I'm stuck here getting nagged about getting married. I can't even catch a break," Eudora griped.
Tristan raised an eyebrow. "You could run away too."
"You've got the Forbes blood, but I'm just adopted. I don't have your guts," Eudora said, knowing her place.
Her complaints got a few laughs out of Tristan. "And yet you bragged about being the big sis who'd protect me from everything?"
Eudora snorted. "I'm done talking to you. I've got a ton of work."
Before Tristan could reply, she hung up.
Tristan let out a long sigh, watching Katniss and Terry as they walked out of the hospital.
She still had that delicate, elegant look, with a touch of sophistication that hadn't changed much in a year.
She even looked a bit fuller in the face and body.
His eyes darkened as he turned and headed back to the surgical clinic.
Most of Katniss's one-on-one tutoring sessions were in the evenings from Monday to Friday, with a couple of online classes on Saturdays that she had pre-recorded.
She could handle some minor tasks at the hospital, so she usually spent her weekends there with Matilda.
She got back to the ward and saw Matilda holding Sophia's hand, wiping away tears. Usually, Matilda kept her sadness in check when Katniss was around.
She must've hit her breaking point. Katniss waited until Matilda calmed down before stepping in.
Matilda quickly wiped her tears and avoided her gaze. "What did Dr. Perez say?"
"There's still one thing that's not quite right. We gotta wait a bit longer, but it should be soon," Katniss said, acting like she didn't notice Matilda's distress.
She fixed up the bed for the caregiver, letting Matilda crash there while she took the sofa.
As night fell, the room was dark, with neon lights sneaking through the window, casting a faint glow on everything inside.
Katniss's phone buzzed with a Facebook friend request. The profile pic showed interlocked fingers.
The guy's hand was well-defined, and the girl's hand was slender, tightly clasped together.
She accepted the request and sent: [Hello.]
[Aaron.]
The other party just replied with a name. Katniss wasn't sure if it was Aaron himself or a parent.
She hesitated for a few seconds before saving the contact as 'Aaron.'
Katniss: [First class is at 7 PM on Monday.]
The reply came quick with an address, located in the villa area on the east side of Nightfall City, a three-story duplex villa.
Katniss had been there a few times before; it was where the rich folks lived.
She confirmed the schedule and replied: [Cool. You can hit me up on Facebook about your study stuff beforehand to save class time.]
Aaron: [If you don't wanna waste class time, come half an hour early on Monday night.]
The tone was firm and kinda rude, but remembering the first time she met Aaron, she wasn't surprised.
She agreed and then turned off her phone.
There was still a faint light in the room from Matilda's phone, reflecting on her face, showing her pursed lips and worried expression.
It must've been a message from George. Matilda had always been in touch with George, but it was always George who reached out first.
A few times, George called saying he was passing through Nightfall City and wanted to visit, but Matilda always turned him down.
She was avoiding George. Katniss had asked twice why, but Matilda wouldn't spill.
Katniss's gaze fell on Sophia. The tubes that had once covered her body were mostly gone, leaving just an oxygen tank.
Her hair had started to grow back, and she looked like she was just peacefully sleeping, but when she'd wake up was still a mystery.
Now, with the money Katniss and Matilda earned from the education gig, they had more than enough to cover Sophia's medical bills.
But for some reason, Katniss had been feeling uneasy these past few days.
On the Saturday night, Katniss and Matilda left the hospital and drove home in a car worth over a hundred grand.
The food was already prepped at home, and Matilda exclaimed, "Miss Stuart, you can cook?"
"You just figured that out?" Saskia came out of the kitchen in her loungewear, still rocking her short, neat hair and black-framed glasses.
Katniss had only been in Nightfall City for a few days when Saskia showed up, dropping the bomb that Bella was in closed treatment for depression.
The Stuart Family had hoped to get in good with the Astor Family through Bella, but that plan went down the drain, so they wanted her to marry into another family.
She had bolted.
She had threw some cash into Katniss's education gig and waited at home every day for her cut.
Matilda and Saskia took turns cooking, often clashing and bickering, which Katniss had gotten used to.
Katniss plopped down in the dining room, grabbed her utensils, and started eating, noticing that Matilda and Saskia seemed ready to continue their spat.
She mumbled, "If you two keep arguing, I'll finish all the food. I still need to prep for tomorrow's class and won't have time to play referee."
Hearing this, Matilda and Saskia finally sat down, glared at each other, and started eating.
"Don't wait for me for dinner tomorrow night," Katniss said, finishing her meal and putting down her utensils. "After teaching Daniel's daughter at four, I gotta go teach Aaron. I'll just grab something on the way."
"Aaron?" Saskia paused with her food halfway to her mouth. "A new student?"
Katniss stood up with her phone. "Yeah, one-on-one tutoring. Tomorrow's the first class. He seems like a tough nut, a bit of a headache."
She said this while picking up her notebook from the sofa, waving to the two of them as she headed to the study.
Saskia, still eating, had a faint smile on her lips. She placed a piece of meat from her plate into Matilda's bowl. "Eat up, you'll need the energy for the show."
"What show?" Matilda asked, puzzled.
"You'll find out soon enough," Saskia replied.
The next morning, Katniss took Matilda to the education center. Besides the two of them, there were a bunch of professional teachers, each with their own classes and students, totaling about twenty people.
Matilda handled a few elementary school kids and took care of promotion and reception during her free time.
Katniss was always swamped, recording a week's worth of online lessons and tutoring several middle and high school students, making her the busiest bee in the hive.
Another hectic day flew by. After finishing tutoring Daniel's daughter, she packed up and left the Wilson mansion.
Daniel, who was particularly pleased, saw her out. "My daughter just told me she really likes you. She said your explanations are super easy to get."
"That's great. The most important thing is that she gets what I'm teaching. Her foundation is solid, and she shouldn't have any problems with the entrance exams for a top high school," Katniss said, changing her shoes and carrying her bag out the door.
She turned back to Daniel, who was about to follow her out, and said, "No need to see me off."
But Daniel still followed her out, asking, "Miss Grey, have you ever been to Velvet City?"
Katniss paused on the stairs and turned back, asking, "Why?"
"Just curious," Daniel said with a smile, waving his hand. He thought to himself that Tristan specifically requesting Katniss to tutor Aaron must be a coincidence.
After saying goodbye again, Katniss descended a few more steps, got into her car, and headed straight for the east side of the city.
As she approached the east side, the traffic thinned out, and the setting sun cast its glow on Katniss, forcing her to wear sunglasses.
Following the navigation, she arrived at Celestial Villas. The security guard at the entrance wouldn't let her in, so she had to park outside and walk in.
It was only then that she realized Aaron hadn't told her which house it was, so she had to ask.
Aaron replied: [Building 1, the door has a keypad lock. The code is 348686. Slippers are in the left cabinet. Come to the first room on the left on the second floor.]
Katniss looked up and saw Building 1, right next to the community gate.
But to give her the house code, was that too much trust?
She stood at the door, hesitating for a while before entering the code.
The door opened, and the house was silent. She pushed the door open, took out a pair of slippers from the cabinet, and put them on.
The modern decor came into view, with a grand, sparkling crystal chandelier about 9 feet high, illuminating the house brightly.
The spiral staircase had black handrails, and the walls on the left side were adorned with famous paintings.
Some of them she had seen before at charity galas with Tristan, in a style she liked. She didn't expect to see them here.
Reaching the second floor, she stood in front of the first room on the left. The door was ajar, and the room was dimly lit. Out of courtesy, she knocked.
But there was no response. She pressed her ear to the door, hearing nothing inside.
After a moment, she took a deep breath and knocked again. "Aaron?"
There was a slight sound inside, indicating someone was there. Given Aaron's rebellious nature, he was probably ignoring her on purpose.
She pushed the door open and entered. The room was dark, with the curtains drawn.
She could vaguely see a shadow behind the curtains.
Frowning, she walked toward the curtains. "Aaron, as your tutor, I think you should show me some respect. If you're in the room, you should respond instead of hiding."
She reached out and pulled the curtains open.
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