Chapter 138 How Will You Thank Me?
She didn't have time to wonder how Tristan knew she was stuck here or if Aaron had a clue he was sneaking her food.
She grabbed her dinner and started munching while it was still hot, finally easing some of that gnawing hunger.
Maybe Tristan saw her showdown with Aaron as some epic "life-or-death battle," so he decided to help her out on the sly.
As for why he helped, she didn't dwell on it. The main thing now was to get Aaron to sit through his lessons without a fuss.
Next morning, Aaron showed up again. She looked rough, probably 'cause she hadn't slept well.
Aaron thought she was starving. "You really gonna starve yourself to death? I'm a minor, so even if you kick the bucket, I won't be held responsible. So you better do what I say and refund the tutoring fees!"
Guess he really didn't know Tristan was sneaking her food.
"Fine, let me starve. My life's been crap anyway; better to die soon than suffer for long," Katniss said.
She said it all weak-like, turning her head away, looking like she was on her last legs.
Aaron got a bit freaked but remembered Tristan saying she wouldn't starve in just three days, so he started to leave.
"Hold up," Katniss suddenly called out, pulling a bead she had fixed from her bag. She walked over, all wobbly. "I fixed this for you."
Seeing the bead back to its original state, Aaron's eyes widened. He walked around to the small window and reached his hand in. "Let me see it!"
Katniss placed the bead in his hand. "I used some clear glue. The only downside is it can't move freely on the string anymore; the glue fixed it in place. But you can still wear it."
She had also cleaned up the excess glue, making it as smooth as before.
Aaron pursed his lips for a long time before looking up at her. "Don't think I'll let you go just 'cause of this!"
"I didn't expect you to let me go. I just thought I might die in this glass room, so I wanted to give this to you now. Otherwise, you might never get it." Katniss turned around and sat back down, moving weakly like she might collapse any second.
She didn't look at Aaron again but could sense he was getting anxious. Maybe she could get out of here today.
Then Aaron started coming up more often, not saying anything, just checking if she was "dead" yet.
This made it tough for Tristan to sneak food up. By the afternoon, Katniss was genuinely starving.
She was about to get up and stretch her legs when she tripped over the chair leg and hit the floor hard, smacking her leg painfully.
"Ouch!" she gasped.
Suddenly, the door flew open behind her, and Aaron rushed in. "You okay?"
He saw her lying there, not moving, and freaked out, thinking she had starved to death. His face went white as a sheet.
Remember, he was just a fifteen-year-old kid. He was about to squat down and pick her up when someone grabbed his arm.
Looking up, he saw Tristan squatting down, lifting Katniss off the floor.
"Go open the door," Tristan ordered.
Aaron scrambled to open the door. As Tristan carried her to the doorway, she suddenly reached out and grabbed the door frame tight.
A weak voice came from her, "I won't go out. If I leave, he won't attend his lessons."
Hearing this, Tristan turned his head, his eyes locking onto Aaron's face.
Aaron hesitated for a few seconds and then snapped, "Even now, you're thinking about that? Do you wanna die? I've never met a woman like you! Fine, I'll go to the lessons, okay?"
Katniss immediately let go of the door frame, even though her leg wasn't hurting anymore, and she could walk just fine.
But she decided to keep up the act, not wanting to bruise Aaron's ego and make him change his mind.
She let Tristan carry her downstairs, twisting and turning through the house until he laid her on a bed.
Sleeping on a chair for the past two days had really worn her out.
Her body hit the soft bed, and she couldn't help but stretch.
Opening her eyes, she suddenly saw Tristan sitting by the bed.
His mischievous eyes were locked on her. At some point, he had lit a cigarette, and his other hand was casually resting on his leg, letting the cigarette burn slowly.
The familiar scent hit her, and she suddenly realized that while she had dealt with Aaron, she had fallen into Tristan's hands.
Was it worth it?
Not sure how to feel, the smile on her lips faded, and her brows furrowed.
"Thanks, Mr. Forbes."
"How you gonna thank me?" Tristan asked, staring right at her. "You wouldn't just say it casually, would you?"
His tone was light but serious.
Her brows furrowed even more, and she said softly, "As his temporary guardian, it's your job to help me get him back on track and attending his lessons. Thanking you is just being polite; not thanking you is my right."
She struggled to get up, lifted the blanket, and got out of bed, walking around him.
He switched the cigarette to his other hand, putting some space between them. "Sharp-tongued."
"I learned it all from you," Katniss said seriously. Before leaving Synergy Global Corporation, she was already pretty capable.
After joining Synergy Global Corporation and spending a lot of time with Tristan, her speaking skills had leveled up big time.
Before, he was her boss, so she had to keep this side of herself in check. Now, they were on equal footing.
"Using my own tricks against me?" Tristan tugged at his tie, stood up, walked to the window, took a drag of his cigarette, and then looked back at her. "You've got some guts."
Katniss took it as a compliment, smiled, and nodded slightly. "Thanks for the compliment. If there's nothing else, I'll be heading out."
She turned to leave, but the door suddenly swung open.
Aaron rushed in with a bottle of milk and some bread. "Eat quickly..."
Seeing her standing there perfectly fine, no longer weak, he was stunned.
Tristan put out his cigarette and spoke before Aaron could blow up. "A bet's a bet."
This basically confirmed that Katniss had played him.
"Great, you two teamed up to trick me! You..." Aaron threw the bread and milk onto the bed.
Pointing at them angrily, he couldn't think of any curse words for a long time and finally blurted out, "Partners in crime! Scandalous couple!"
Katniss's mouth twitched.
Tristan's face darkened.
Realizing he had said something wrong, Aaron turned and bolted.
"Besides studying, it looks like he needs to learn some manners too," Tristan said in a deep voice.
"Alright, I'm outta here." Katniss turned and left Tristan's room, went to the glass conservatory to grab her stuff, and then bounced.
After two or three days, she finally breathed in the outside air and sorted out Aaron's study issues.
She walked out of the villa with a spring in her step, heading out of the neighborhood.
Tristan stood by the window, watching her with a smirk as she looked all triumphant.
'Does she think a simple thank you would suffice? She's definitely gotten bolder,' Tristan thought.
As evening rolled in, she went home to freshen up and change clothes, then headed back to the tutoring center to handle some stuff.
Even though it was Wednesday and she was supposed to tutor Aaron, she couldn't just go back to Celestial Villas right after leaving.
So she rescheduled Donna's lesson from yesterday to today.
She had arranged with Daniel in advance to go straight to the Wilson Family after finishing at the education center.
Daniel wasn't home; a servant opened the door. As she changed her shoes, she heard laughter coming from the living room.
"Is Mrs. Wilson home?" Katniss asked. She thought she had heard Wren's laughter.
"Yes," the servant replied with a smile. "Mrs. Wilson is playing cards with some friends."
Katniss smiled and walked into the living room, spotting an extra table by the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Four women were sitting there, playing cards.
The chandelier above cast a cool light, and the women were all graceful and elegant.
Among them, Juliet was probably the oldest, but she was well-maintained and didn't look much older than the others.
Juliet was the first to speak. "Someone's here?"
Wren looked back, feeling a bit awkward because of what happened last time, and nodded at Katniss.
She turned back to the other women and said, "It's nothing, just my daughter's tutor. Let's keep going."
Juliet snorted, glanced at Katniss with a half-smile, and then continued playing cards as if she didn't know her.
Seeing this, Katniss turned and went upstairs to tell Donna the good news that Aaron had agreed to the tutoring.
Donna was thrilled. "That's awesome, Ms. Grey. Do you have Aaron's Facebook?"
"Yeah," Katniss replied. "Why? You wanna add him?"
"Yes!" Donna nodded eagerly. "Give me his Facebook. If he has any questions about his studies in the future, I can help him."
Katniss gave Aaron's Facebook to Donna, who then sent a friend request.
But Katniss still gave Aaron a heads-up that a friend would be adding him on Facebook.
Then they started the lesson.
Downstairs, the women were still deep into their card game.
Juliet spoke nonchalantly. "Wren, your tutor is quite young and pretty."
Wren replied while handling her cards, "Yeah, my husband picked her. He said she helped several graduating students boost their grades big time last semester."
"There are plenty of capable teachers, but not every one of them is as young and pretty as your tutor. You should be more careful," Juliet reminded her.
Wren, who was about to play a card, finally caught the underlying meaning of Juliet's words and was stunned.
These women were most concerned about their family status, so Juliet's topic quickly resonated with them.
They couldn't even focus on their game anymore and started a heated discussion on the topic.
"Where did your husband find her? Was she recommended by someone, or did she contact your husband herself?" one of the women asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.
"Let me tell you," another chimed in, "all the maids in my house are over fifty, out of shape, and unattractive. I made sure of that!"
Someone said, "I didn't think much of it until you mentioned it. That tutor does seem quite young and pretty. I only saw her from the back, but she has a great figure. If she really tries to seduce a man, who could resist?"
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