Chapter 127 Mr. Forbes Only Did This One Thing
"Help?" Katniss shot that idea down faster than a speeding bullet. "No way, that's just nuts."
"What?" Saskia blinked, totally caught off guard. "You guys have been tight for years, always solving his messes. Isn't it normal to lend a hand?"
Katniss reached over, buttoning up Saskia's messy PJs and giving her cheek a gentle pat. "Go back to bed. I'll take care of the rest."
Before Saskia could even blink, Katniss was out the door.
It was a rare night for her to hit the sack early, but sleep was playing hard to get. She tossed and turned, her mind racing.
The fact that competitors were badmouthing her didn't faze her one bit. What really got her gears turning was where they dug up this so-called evidence.
Bright and early, she rolled into the educational center ahead of schedule. One by one, the other tutors trickled in.
At nine sharp, just minutes into the workday, Jesse, who was pinch-hitting for Matilda at the front desk, rushed over looking like a deer in headlights. "Ms. Grey, a bunch of parents of online students are suddenly demanding refunds."
Jesse was fresh out of college, just handling a beginner's class.
His workload was light, so Katniss had him cover for Matilda.
But he was he out of his depth and totally freaking out.
"Hand me your phone." Katniss grabbed his phone and scrolled through the chat history.
Jesse's replies to the parents' concerns about the online classes were as dry as toast: "Our teachers are very professional."
Katniss jumped in, asking the parents straight up why they wanted refunds. Their reasons were all the same: some tutors at their place were slacking off.
Seeing the pattern, Katniss added them to a group chat and started calming them down.
She then called out the situation, saying if so many folks thought they were slacking, someone had to be stirring the pot.
She promised them a solid explanation, and they agreed to give her two days.
Just as she put out that fire, another one flared up. The parents who had paid for offline tutoring a few days ago came storming in.
"Ms. Grey, we seriously doubt you have the responsibility a teacher should have. How can we trust you when you're playing on your phone during one-on-one sessions with our kids?"
"Your classes cost a fortune, hundreds of dollars a minute. You're just burning our hard-earned cash!"
Katniss didn't even blink. "My phone's always on silent during classes. I don't mess around on it. My family and friends can't even reach me for important stuff. Where'd you hear this nonsense?"
The parent whipped out their phone and showed a pic, a screenshot from a security cam.
There was Katniss, chilling in a chair, phone in hand, while Aaron was deep into a video game.
Another shot had Ryan bringing in some fruit, and the two of them were reading.
A bunch of screenshots, all timestamped, showing Katniss on her phone.
"Yeah, that's me in the pic, and that's Aaron, a new student of mine, but his case is special," Katniss admitted.
The second she owned up, the parents got even more riled up.
But she stayed cool. "Every kid's different, and I prep hard for each one. Aaron's a special case. Ask any other parents whose kids I've taught if they've seen anything like this. From yesterday to today, we've had a bunch of new parents, but not a single one whose kid's already taken my classes has complained. Only those who don't know the full story are getting misled."
"The proof's right here. If you won't admit it, what can we do? You've got our money. If you don't refund it, we're stuck!" the lead parent shot back, and the others chimed in.
People started gathering, whispering among themselves.
Katniss spotted a familiar face in the crowd. She squinted.
It was someone from Inspire Academy. She'd seen them around a few times. They locked eyes for a couple of seconds before the person quickly bailed.
Inspire Academy was miles away, so this wasn't a coincidence.
"Alright, everyone, if I can't give you a solid explanation for this photo in two days, I'll refund your tutoring fees in full."
Katniss raised her voice, drowning out the parents' grumbling. "If you don't believe me, go inside with Mr. Turner and sign an agreement."
She glanced at Jesse, who quickly invited the parents into the center.
Katniss took another look for the Inspire Academy person, but they were already gone. She pursed her lips and headed back inside.
After signing the agreement for a full refund if she couldn't explain things in two days, the parents were still grumbling. They left, saying they'd be back in two days and to have the money ready.
Jesse was freaking out. "Ms. Grey, what are we gonna do? Those pics must've been leaked by a parent. No matter the kid's situation, seeing you play with a student definitely ticked them off, which is why they shared the photos."
He didn't spell it out, but it was clear: he wanted Katniss to apologize to the parents.
"You're right. The parents are probably pissed. I'll go explain to them." Katniss grabbed her bag and called Ryan as soon as she stepped outside, asking where Tristan was.
"Mr. Forbes is in a meeting at the company. There's a big meeting this morning. Ms. Grey, is it urgent?" Ryan was whispering from the corner of the conference room, glancing at Tristan, who was at the head of the table.
Through the phone, she could faintly hear Tristan's deep, gravelly voice, confirming he was indeed in a meeting.
"I need to talk to him. I'm heading over now. Please find me a slot, even if it's during lunch."
As she spoke, Katniss started her car and hit the road.
Hearing the traffic sounds, Ryan knew she was serious and must have something important.
Half an hour later, Katniss pulled up at their company. Ryan must've given security a heads-up because they let her in without a hitch.
The receptionist led her to the top-floor guest room and even brought her a cup of coffee.
She had just taken a sip when the door to the guest room swung open.
Tristan walked in briskly, one hand in his pocket and the other holding a document.
He looked up, saw her, frowned slightly, and glanced at Ryan.
Ryan explained, "Ms. Grey said she had something urgent and was already on her way. I figured it must be important, so I pushed back your other appointments."
Katniss fell silent. She had rushed over to schedule a time, but she hadn't figured out how to confront Tristan yet.
If she came on too strong, Tristan would get pissed, and she couldn't afford that.
If she was too soft, she wouldn't get the answers she needed.
She thought she'd have more time to figure out what to say.
Tristan had already placed the document on the table and sat down, his tall frame leaning back in the chair.
He looked at her coolly. "What's up?"
Katniss took a deep breath and went straight for it. "We used to be colleagues. Even if I didn't achieve much, I worked hard. You shouldn't be targeting me like this."
Tristan's dark eyes deepened, and his brows furrowed slightly.
"Ms. Grey, what are you talking about?" Ryan looked surprised.
"I mean, he knows exactly what I mean. Aaron's situation is different from other kids, so I have to treat him specially. If you have any complaints, you can tell me directly, but you chose the most extreme way." Katniss's tone was dripping with resentment and accusation.
The moment Tristan walked in, she instinctively stood up. Even though she was taller than Tristan at that moment and her tone was questioning, she felt no sense of authority.
Tristan's face darkened, and his eyes narrowed. In a year, she had grown bolder. She even dared to speak to him with a straight back.
"Ms. Grey, is there some misunderstanding? Mr. Forbes has been swamped with work these past few days and hasn't done anything else," Ryan hesitated for a few seconds, then asked Tristan in a low voice, "Besides initially refusing to see Ms. Grey, you haven't done anything else, right?"
A dead silence spread from the guest room.
Tristan's gaze was as sharp as a knife on Ryan, who immediately clammed up and looked away, pretending he hadn't spoken.
After a moment, he turned back and quickly said to Katniss, "I assure you, Mr. Forbes has only done that one thing!"
"Speak plainly." Tristan's gaze fell on Katniss, his voice cold.
Katniss was stunned for a few seconds. Could it really be a misunderstanding?
She said, "Someone released surveillance screenshots of me and Aaron playing on our phones, severely damaging my clients' trust in me. Since yesterday, many people have come to complain and request refunds."
She carefully observed Tristan, not missing any subtle expressions on his face.
Tristan's chiseled features showed a hint of surprise, and his deep eyes met hers for two seconds.
She instantly understood something but quickly found it unbelievable. "That surveillance is from your house. Who else could have accessed it besides you?"
"I know," Ryan turned around and said softly, "Aaron is a computer genius. I looked into his background. He dropped out of school a year ago and survived on his skills."
In other words, Aaron had hacked into the home surveillance and captured the footage.
"Go handle the rest of the work." Tristan stood up, handed the document on the table to Ryan, and strode toward the door.
His well-defined hand opened the guest room door, and he glanced back at Katniss. "What are you standing there for? Come with me!"
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