Chapter 123 But I'm a Playboy With a Bad Rep
Ryan sighed, "Alright, let's roll. I'll set up a meet with her at the tutoring center."
Tristan's face got all serious, then he smirked, "Her attitude's gotten worse. Go grab the receipts from their place."
"Mr. Forbes, what's the game plan here?" Ryan couldn't help but ask. "Are you just messing with Katniss?"
"What's wrong?" Tristan leaned back, giving Ryan a cold stare.
Ryan said, "Sorry if I'm outta line, but Katniss didn't do anything wrong when she left. She didn't screw over the company. Isn't this a bit..."
Too much?
Tristan sneered, raising an eyebrow. "She didn't piss me off, but I'm a playboy with a bad rep."
Ryan went off to find the receipts and handed them to Tristan.
Later that evening, Katniss headed to Daniel's place for tutoring.
Seeing her sneezing and with a runny nose, Daniel asked the servant to bring some water. "It's not even cold out. How'd you catch a cold?"
"Yesterday, while I arrived at Aaron's place, he dumped a bucket of ice water on me," Katniss said bluntly. "Don't worry, it won't mess with the class. Plus, I'm wearing a mask to keep it from spreading."
She hadn't taken off her mask since she walked in.
Daniel was shocked and frowned. "That kid's a real troublemaker. You probably won't feel any better tomorrow. If it gets worse, take a day off. I have a business meeting with his sister's friend at the club tomorrow night. I can ask for you; I'm sure they'll let you take a break."
"Thanks a lot, Mr. Wilson. I've already talked to the person you mentioned, and we've paused Aaron's lessons for now. We'll pick up once we can sit down and talk it out."
Katniss was grateful and exchanged a few polite words with Daniel before heading upstairs.
She thought that by postponing Aaron's lessons, she could go to the hospital with Matilda on Friday night.
But before she could head to the hospital, she got a call from Ryan.
"Miss Grey, our boss is having a business meeting at Serenity Club today. Can you come over and talk about Aaron's situation too?"
"Don't people drink at business meetings? How can we talk about Aaron if he's been drinking?" Katniss shot back. "Let's wait until he's sober and set up a time next week at the tutoring center."
Ryan paused and said, "The receipt you gave clearly states that if the student's grades don't show significant improvement within a month, you'll give a full refund."
And now a week had flown by, and Katniss hadn't taught Aaron a single thing.
"Except for unforeseen stuff," Katniss reminded.
Ryan shot back, "But that ain't on the receipt."
A straight-up threat. After a year off, getting back into the groove was tough, let alone making big improvements in a month. It'd take full-on cooperation.
"Ms. Grey, our boss will be at the club from eight to eleven. You can decide whether to come before or after." With that, Ryan hung up.
Seemed like she had no choice but to go, but since they were clearly making it hard, Katniss needed to be ready.
She called Daniel to check if they were really meeting at Serenity Club that night and the exact time.
"Yeah, it's at Serenity Club, in the 888 private room on the top floor. We agreed on seven, but who knows when we'll finish. If the drinks are flowing, we might be there till dawn," Daniel spilled all the details.
Given Katniss's nature, she'd definitely go before their meeting to sort things out before they started drinking.
But clearly, they agreed on seven, and Ryan told her eight, just to make her wait.
She used to think they didn't care about her, but now she seriously suspected they were just messing with her!
"Can you tell me who Aaron's sister's friend is?" she asked Daniel.
Daniel replied, "He's not from Nightfall City. He's here for a project and has a strong background. Even if I told you, you probably wouldn't know him. If you go tonight and have a good attitude, I'll put in a good word for you."
"Okay, thanks." After hanging up, Katniss mulled it over and still couldn't think of anyone with a strong background she might've pissed off.
'Could it just be some rich dude showing off?'
Thinking of the figure she saw that day, she pursed her lips, frowned for a few seconds, and then relaxed.
'Katniss, stop overthinking,' she thought to herself.
In the evening, she first took Matilda to the hospital and arrived at Serenity Club at six-thirty.
As the city lights flicked on, the club's tall building was lit up, casting colorful lights over half the street.
Katniss stepped out of the car, rocking a simple T-shirt and jeans, her long legs looking sleek and shapely.
Even in basic clothes, her great figure was undeniable. Her loose high ponytail had a few strands of hair falling on her shoulders.
Her delicate features had this mix of innocence and allure that just worked, and her clear eyes reflected the colorful lights.
At this hour, the nightlife downtown was just kicking off. Not many people around yet, but a few male attendants in uniforms stood at the entrance, eyeing her.
"Hey, I have a reservation," Katniss said. She'd never been here before, but she'd been to places like this plenty of times.
Knowing the drill, she dropped Daniel's name and nailed the room number.
"Why don't you wait here for Mr. Wilson? Without a VIP card, we can't let you in," the attendant said, looking a bit uneasy.
"Mr. Wilson's got a client meeting and asked me to come early. He got held up, and I forgot to ask for the VIP card. Please, make an exception. You know the guest he's meeting is a big deal. If Mr. Wilson doesn't show and the guest gets pissed, it won't be good for you either."
She'd seen this kind of reasoning work a lot while working with Tristan.
Sure enough, the mention of trouble made the attendant hesitate, then he let her in.
The 888 private room was still empty, with drinks, fruits, and snacks laid out on the table.
There was a pool table by the window and all sorts of entertainment options.
She plopped down in a corner of the sofa, waiting for the others to show up.
But after about ten minutes, she suddenly felt a warm flow from her lower abdomen.
Her body tensed up, and she quickly got up and headed to the restroom.
Since moving to Nightfall City, her menstrual cycle had been all over the place.
She rushed into the restroom, grabbed a spare sanitary pad from her bag, and changed. Still, there were small red spots on her pants.
Luckily, the room was dimly lit, and the stained area was well-hidden, so it shouldn't be noticeable.
She cleaned up as best she could and was about to leave.
Suddenly, she heard the door to the private room open, and a man's voice got closer, "Go make a call and hurry Daniel up."
Ryan followed in, nodding slightly. "Yes, Mr. Forbes."
Through the crack in the restroom door, she caught a glimpse of the tall figure.
Katniss instantly recognized him—it was Tristan!
Her hand on the doorknob froze, unable to open the door, and she stood there, stunned.
'Mr. Gray? Ryan!'
A fleeting, absurd thought she once had now became reality, and she couldn't believe it!
Ryan called Daniel, "Mr. Wilson, Mr. Forbes has arrived."
Daniel replied, "Sorry, I'm stuck in traffic. Let Mr. Forbes know I might be a bit late. Ms. Grey asked me about our meeting time earlier, so she should be arriving soon. Let Mr. Forbes discuss Aaron's tutoring with her first. I'll be there shortly."
The sound of honking cars came from Daniel's end. Each honk felt like a hammer to Katniss's heart. She bit her lip so hard it bled, the metallic taste spreading in her mouth.
She still couldn't figure out what to do next.
Ryan hung up and asked Tristan, "Mr. Forbes, Miss Grey is pretty sharp!"
Tristan's tall figure lounged lazily on the sofa, his long, slender fingers interlaced.
He suddenly tilted his head, his gaze sweeping past the restroom, and smirked. "She is indeed smart. Go wait for Daniel outside."
"Okay." Ryan responded and left.
The private room quieted down, and Katniss, hiding in the restroom, felt very nervous.
She wasn't thinking about how to deal with his difficulties now.
Instead, a complex, bitter emotion surged in her heart. She didn't know how to face Tristan.
A year ago, she had said those words with the intention of never seeing him again!
The private room door suddenly opened again, and footsteps approached. "Mr. Forbes, do you have any special requests for the drinks?"
"Fill my glass," Tristan's indifferent voice replied.
The attendant took a bottle opener and opened the wine Tristan had specified, first pouring it into a decanter.
After letting it settle for a moment, he poured it into the glass in front of Tristan.
But he accidentally knocked the empty wine bottle to the floor. The intricately patterned carpet made a muffled sound, and although it wasn't loud, the bottle broke in two.
The remaining wine splashed onto Tristan's shoes and pants.
That wasn't a big deal, but the nervous attendant then knocked over the glass of wine he had just poured.
The reddish-brown liquid arced through the air, spilling all over Tristan, staining his white shirt.
The attendant was immediately terrified. "I'm sorry, Mr. Forbes! I didn't mean to, I..."
"Why panic?" Tristan said calmly. "I'll just go to the restroom to clean up."
With that, footsteps approached the restroom.
Katniss suddenly realized she was in the restroom!
Hearing the approaching footsteps, she quickly hid behind the door, watching through the frosted glass as Tristan's hand reached for the doorknob.
The door opened.
He walked in slowly, his back appearing in her line of sight. He was slightly lowering his head, seemingly unbuttoning his shirt.
In the blink of an eye, he had taken off his shirt and, without looking back, closed the door behind him!
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