Chapter 126 I Have Nothing to Say to You
"Yo, Mr. Forbes, I gotta take back what I said about Ms. Grey being a good teacher for Aaron. She's been messing around with him," Ryan blurted out, unable to hold it in any longer.
Tristan barely lifted an eyelid and muttered, "Got nothing better to do, huh?"
Realizing he probably shouldn't have snitched on Katniss to Tristan, Ryan quickly mimed zipping his lips and stepped aside.
In the study, as soon as Ryan left, Katniss was quicker than Aaron to whip out her phone, which made Aaron super suspicious. "Are you here to tutor me or just to mess around?"
Without even looking up, Katniss replied, "If you don't wanna study, I'll let you slack off. Got a problem with that?"
Aaron was speechless. He didn't really have a problem, but it felt kinda off.
"Chill, I'll cover for you," Katniss assured him, signaling him to relax and keep playing.
She had just started watching a video when Aaron snatched her phone away.
"If you really wanna cover for me, then give me the tutoring cash and tell Tristan I'm studying at your center. Once I get there, let me sneak off," Aaron suggested mischievously.
Katniss shot him down immediately. "Refund? No way."
"That's shady!" Aaron fumed. "You're taking the money and just goofing off. How do you get away with that?"
"Isn't that exactly what's happening?" Katniss explained, "My education center is top-notch in Nightfall City. If I can't teach you, no one will risk their rep. So, I'm not worried your family will stop the tutoring 'cause you're not making progress."
Aaron felt trapped and rolled his eyes at her.
She handed him the game console, saying, "Don't waste time, keep playing. I can't stand wasting playtime. I make $2,000 an hour tutoring you, $4,000 a night. I get paid to play. Jealous? That's the perk of being highly educated and skilled."
Ignoring Aaron's thoughts, she continued playing.
Suddenly, Aaron covered her phone again and proposed, "How about we split the money? You get $2,000, and I get $2,000."
"No way. I can earn it all by myself. Why should I share with you?" Katniss pushed his hand away and shifted her position to play.
Aaron nodded angrily. "Fine, you asked for it. I won't let you make easy money. Just wait for next time!"
He turned around and continued playing with the game console.
An hour later, when the tutoring session ended, Katniss remembered the question Tristan had asked her to think about.
Maybe it was just a throwaway comment? She packed up her stuff and told Aaron she was bouncing.
Aaron didn't even look up.
But the second she left the study, he tossed the game console aside.
Quickly, he pulled out another phone from a hidden spot, turned it on, and started searching online.
Within minutes, he jotted down a number and dialed it. "Hey, is this Inspire Academy? No, I'm not looking for tutoring. I got dirt on your competitor's shady behavior. This could be useful for you!"
By nine o'clock, it was pitch dark outside, but the villa was lit up like a Christmas tree.
The fancy chandelier lit up the living room like it was daytime. Katniss walked down from the third floor, keeping an eye on the living room.
But as she passed the corner on the second floor, she suddenly heard a door creak open. Before she could react, she was yanked into a room on the left.
The world spun, and her back hit the wall. The room was dark, with just a sliver of light coming through the half-open door.
Her eyes widened as she looked up at Tristan's eyes, which had a dark, intense gleam in the dim light.
He placed one hand on her waist, and his cool, pleasant scent filled the air.
"Have you thought it over?" he asked.
Katniss slowly shook her head. "I got nothing to say to you."
"Really?" Tristan lifted her chin, forcing her to keep looking into his eyes. "Need a reminder?"
His grip was strong, making her chin ache. She used some force to turn her head away, annoyed. "I don't need your reminder. I got nothing to say to you!"
Tristan raised an eyebrow and sneered, "So, you're not planning to return my jacket?"
She had already packed Tristan's jacket, but she forgot to bring it when she came in the afternoon!
"Sorry, I forgot. I'll bring it next time," Katniss said.
Moonlight streamed in, casting a glow on her face. Her skin had a faint blush, and the warmth from her body seeped into his hand.
His breathing deepened, and he almost lost control of his grip several times, muttering a curse under his breath.
He turned away from her, his voice cold and barely holding back his emotions. "Get out!"
Katniss left his room, quickly went downstairs, changed her shoes, and left.
Every move he made triggered a primal response in her body, and her face was already flushed.
But his final cold "get out" snapped her back to reality.
Around nine o'clock, the roads were pretty empty. Katniss made it back home in just half an hour. She greeted Saskia and headed straight to her room.
Tuesday morning, she spent recording a high school course for Kieran. Even though Kieran had aced the entrance exam for a top-notch high school, Cedric still wasn't chill about it.
But the current tutoring setup was mostly online, so it didn't cost an arm and a leg.
In the afternoon, she prepped for a one-on-one tutoring session with Daniel's daughter at the Wilson Family's place that evening. The busy day flew by.
That evening, she showed up at the Wilson Family's place right on time. The moment she stepped through the door, she felt something was off.
Daniel's wife, Wren Kelly, who looked like she was in her thirties despite being in her forties, was home.
Daniel spoiled Wren, and she usually stayed out of the way when their kid was at school or getting tutored. But today, Wren was home and giving Katniss the once-over from the moment she walked in.
"Mrs. Wilson," Katniss greeted politely.
Wren responded with a disdainful snort. "You're so young. You don't seem experienced at all. Can you really teach well? And how did you know I'm Daniel's wife if you've never met me?"
Katniss explained, "There's a photo of you on Donna's desk. As for whether I can teach well, I think time will be the best proof."
She had only given Donna a few lessons, and the results weren't clear yet.
Facing Wren's skepticism, she couldn't provide any solid evidence.
Wren stood up, crossed her arms, and walked toward her. "Time? Who's gonna compensate us for the wasted time? What if Donna's grades don't improve? Who's taking the blame?"
"Mrs. Wilson, we have guarantees for grade improvement. Mr. Wilson has thoroughly checked the success rate of my students before hiring me as your daughter's tutor."
Katniss had already addressed similar concerns with Daniel and sensed that Wren's sudden interest had a reason. "Please rest assured. I have an agreement with Mr. Wilson. If your daughter's grades don't improve, I'll take responsibility," she said.
Wren found her good attitude unconvincing. "What do you mean by taking responsibility? In the end, it's always in your favor!" Her disdain was obvious.
Katniss straightforwardly asked, "What do you want then?"
Wren was momentarily speechless before saying, "I want you to guarantee that my daughter will pass the entrance exam for a top high school. If she doesn't, you should quit this profession!"
"Would a verbal promise reassure you?" Katniss countered, "If you don't trust my integrity, what difference does it make whether I promise or not?"
"Sharp-tongued! How can someone like you be a teacher?" Wren scoffed, "No wonder someone reported you for being unprofessional. You must have deceived many with that smooth talk!"
Reported? Katniss was stunned but quickly regained her composure. "If Mrs. Wilson doesn't trust me, you can evaluate me. And think about why someone chose you to report me to."
Students who had been with Katniss for a long time had all made progress, so their parents wouldn't believe such reports.
Only Wren, whose daughter had just started lessons, might be swayed.
"I don't need your reminder. They provided me with evidence. You won't be tutoring my daughter today. Whether you continue in the future will be decided after I discuss it with my husband!" Wren said and signaled the servant to open the door.
Katniss took out some materials from her bag and placed them on the table. "I'll wait for your decision. In the meantime, Donna can review these key points for 8th grade."
Without waiting for Wren's response, she turned and left.
Their education center wasn't very famous in the first half of the year, but after her dozen students achieved excellent results, it quickly gained a reputation.
'Is this jealousy at play? But what is the so-called evidence Wren mentioned?' Katniss pondered.
Puzzled, she returned home, startling Saskia with her early arrival.
"Weren't you supposed to be tutoring?" Saskia asked.
"I was reported, so I came back," Katniss said, taking off her coat and heading to the kitchen for a glass of water to calm her frustration.
Saskia jumped up from the sofa. "What did you do wrong?"
"I'd like to know that too," Katniss said, downing the water. Before she could discuss the issue further, her phone rang.
It was Matilda. She quickly answered.
Matilda said, "Katniss, clients who had appointments to pay tomorrow are calling to cancel, some even forfeiting their deposits. What's going on?"
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Katniss understood that the impact extended beyond just Wren.
"Just take care of Mom. I'll handle things here." She then inquired about Sophia's electrotherapy before ending the call.
Seeing her silence, Saskia said, "This is serious. Maybe you should ask Tristan for help."
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