Chapter 134 How Naive She Was
Under the black umbrella, you could see the veins popping on Tristan's forehead, and his chiseled features turned ice-cold in a heartbeat.
With his mocking stare, Katniss, fueled by anger, started spouting stuff she didn't really mean. "If it weren't for Aaron, I wouldn't even be dealing with you. But since we are, let's just keep it professional, like a normal tutor-parent thing."
Her red lips parted a bit, her face all wet, and her lashes clumped together.
Tristan let out a sneer, full of disdain and anger.
How naive could she be?
The rain was soaking her jacket and T-shirt, the cold creeping into her bones.
She shivered, her lips turning a bit purple.
Suddenly, his grip on her waist loosened, and Tristan's cool fingers grabbed her chin. His eyes, getting closer, reflected her delicate face.
"Whether we stay out of each other's way isn't up to you," Tristan said.
From the start, she never had a say in their relationship!
"I... mmph!"
As soon as she opened her mouth, he took the chance, kissing her like he wanted to devour her.
The long-lost sensation made her brain short-circuit, and the umbrella above her disappeared.
The light rain fell on both of them, his hand gripping her waist so hard it hurt, pressing her against the car.
A soft moan slipped out, fueling the fire in Tristan, almost making him lose control.
Ryan, who had already gotten back in the car, quickly looked away. 'Should I be seeing this without buying a ticket?'
He sighed. This wasn't about discussing Aaron's tutoring; Tristan just wanted to see Katniss. But he wouldn't admit it and wouldn't let him say it.
After what felt like forever, Tristan rested his forehead against hers, watching her chest rise and fall with her rapid breathing and her glossy red lips.
His throat tightened, and he irritably tugged at his tie. "Katniss, our relationship is never gonna be ordinary! Stay away from Jesse from now on!"
Bringing it up again, his hoarse voice was especially tempting in this moment.
"I..." Katniss started to speak out of instinct.
But he cut her off. "Say it again?"
A dangerous vibe radiated from his eyes, warning her that if she dared to be stubborn, the consequences would be more than just a kiss.
Frightened, Katniss clammed up real quick. His rough fingers gently rubbed her cheek, sometimes brushing her earlobe, sending shivers down her spine.
Then, just like that, he was gone. Katniss leaned against the car, watching him walk away through the drizzle, biting her lower lip hard.
Her eyes got all teary. She didn't know why, but seeing the G-Wagon vanish into the rain, she turned and got into her own car.
She leaned her head back against the seat, closing her eyes to chill for a bit.
No clue how long she sat there, but the rain outside got heavier, and then Saskia called.
"The weather forecast says there's gonna be a storm tonight. When are you coming back?" Saskia asked.
"Right away." Her voice was a bit raspy. She quickly hung up and started driving back.
The wipers were working overtime, barely letting her see the road. She drove slow, her brows furrowed the whole time.
Lost in thought, she didn't notice the G-Wagon parked at the corner as she left the street.
"Mr. Forbes, Ms. Grey is out," Ryan reminded.
"Follow her," Tristan said, his voice flat. He opened his eyes a bit, watching her car with a deep gaze.
After a while, he rubbed his thin lips with his thumb, a hint of a smile like he thought of something.
An hour later, Ryan stopped the car. "Mr. Forbes, Ms. Grey is home."
"Okay, let's head back," Tristan said softly.
The rain was coming down hard, visibility was crap, like less than six feet.
Ryan stopped the car and, seeing the downpour, didn't dare to drive. He looked back at Tristan and said, "Mr. Forbes, should we crash at Ms. Grey's place for the night?"
Katniss was home safe, but he couldn't guarantee they'd make it back.
Tristan suddenly opened his eyes and snapped, "If you wanna go, you go."
"Get in the passenger seat," Tristan muttered after a bit, realizing he couldn't drive. He cursed under his breath.
Ryan scrambled to the passenger seat, while Tristan's tall frame awkwardly moved from the front seat gap to the driver's seat.
His confident vibe made Ryan feel small, but they made it home safe.
If Tristan's earlier appearance had little visible impact on Katniss, now it messed her up to the point of sleepless nights.
Sitting by the window, arms crossed, watching the pouring rain outside, Katniss's eyes were unfocused.
She occasionally bit her lip, thinking about the kiss that had totally scrambled her thoughts.
And sometimes, his cold words would snap her back to reality!
She sat there until dawn. The rain stopped, and the first ray of sunlight peeked through the window.
It stung her eyes, making her lower her gaze, still clueless about what Tristan really wanted.
After a long sigh, she got up, washed up, and dove into her busy day.
She kept tutoring Aaron day after day, but this time she was more on guard and saw through Aaron's little tricks.
With Katniss having the upper hand, Aaron's face was gloomy every day.
After spending two hours in Aaron's study on Wednesday, she was about to leave when Aaron suddenly spoke up, "On Friday night, I'll go to your tutoring center for lessons. Don't come here anymore."
Katniss looked him in the eye for a few seconds, frowning. "Why?"
Her gut told her Aaron was up to something.
"Skip the whys. Just tell me if it's okay or not!" Aaron demanded confidently.
After a moment, Katniss nodded. "Okay, I'll wait for you at the tutoring center on Friday night."
She packed her stuff and left, hurrying back to the tutoring center to teach Jesse.
After a few days of tutoring, Jesse's grades shot up.
Their relationship also got better, more like friends now, without the old awkwardness.
He'd sometimes bring two cups of coffee and some snacks.
Katniss took them calmly, worried Jesse might feel burdened.
Maybe because of her sleepless nights, Katniss dozed off while working late on Thursday night, her long hair spilling over the desk.
Her delicate features were makeup-free, and her lips were pouting because her arm was pressing against her cheek.
Hearing no movement from her, Jesse turned and saw her like that. He was stunned for a few seconds and, on a whim, snapped a photo of her with his phone.
Feeling it wasn't enough, he made a funny face and took a selfie with her.
Then he carefully put his phone down and seriously watched Katniss sleep. After a while, his heart suddenly skipped a beat.
It was like something had struck his heart.
The night breeze blew in through the half-open window. He hesitated for a few seconds and softly woke Katniss. "Ms. Grey."
"Hmm?" Katniss opened her sleepy eyes, realizing after a few seconds that she had fallen asleep. She quickly got up and rubbed her eyes. "Sorry, I haven't been sleeping well these past few days."
Jesse quickly shook his head. "You don't need to apologize to me. It's because of me that you've been working late these days. Otherwise, you'd be home sleeping by now. I think I've learned enough here. Let's call it a night."
Katniss took a deep breath, collected herself, and stood up to pack her things. "Alright, I'll come back tomorrow night to teach you some methods to help the kids understand the material better, and then we'll wrap up this course."
They packed their things, chatted briefly as they went downstairs, and each drove home.
Jesse drove a sleek black sports car that screamed money. Once in her car, Katniss suddenly remembered Tristan telling her to stay away from Jesse, probably because the Turner Family was loaded.
Did he think she wasn't good enough?
That thought stung, and she drove in the opposite direction of Jesse.
Half an hour later, Jesse got home and didn't forget to shoot Katniss a text to let her know he was safe.
He changed his shoes and walked into the house, spotting a figure in the living room. He quickly walked over. "Mom, didn't I tell you not to wait up for me?"
"Who else would I wait for?" Juliet stood up, giving him a look. "Wouldn't it be better if your dad got you a spot at the company? Why insist on working alone? You've been working late every day. How can I not worry?"
Jesse put his arm around Juliet's shoulders and led her upstairs. "Don't worry, I'm just gaining some experience. My boss is really nice to me. After working late tomorrow night, I won't have to work late anymore."
Juliet, feeling both concerned and unable to argue, urged Jesse to wash up and go to bed after seeing him to his room.
Seeing Jesse put his phone on the nightstand and head to the bathroom to shower, Juliet was about to leave.
But Jesse's phone suddenly chimed. Juliet hesitated for a few seconds, then returned to see a message from "Ms. Grey" on the screen: [I got home too. Rest early, good night.]
Juliet frowned and, without hesitation, opened Jesse's phone, scrolling through his chat history with Katniss. Finding nothing unusual, she returned to the home screen, where the photo gallery automatically displayed the first photo, catching Juliet's attention.
She quickly opened the photo. Seeing the person in the picture, her face darkened. "Is that Katniss? Ms. Grey?"
There were no other photos of Katniss on the phone, but these were enough to cause a significant shift in Juliet's emotions.
She quickly suppressed her feelings, quietly put the phone back, and left.
On Friday night, Katniss ordered two takeout meals at five o'clock and ate with Jesse.
"After we finish eating, I'll start the lesson. Aaron will come here for tutoring at seven, so we should be done by then. No need to stay up late tonight," Katniss said.
Jesse chatted casually for a bit, then sped up his eating. They didn't even go upstairs, starting the lesson right there in the reception area by the front desk.
As night fell, the two figures by the floor-to-ceiling window were close together, bathed in the warm light above.
This scene was seen by Juliet as she got out of her car, her face changing instantly. She stormed inside in a rage.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
