Chapter 142 If You Want to Play with Women, Find Someone Else
"Just stay out of it," Jesse grumbled, moving forward, only to spot Katniss standing nearby.
He blurted out, "Ms. Grey, why are you here again?"
"Again?" Juliet quickly stepped in, positioning herself between them and glancing back and forth.
"I'm not at the hospital because of you," Katniss started to explain, but Juliet cut her off.
"Then who are you here for?" Juliet demanded, marching toward her. "Did you bring him to the hospital? Did he run away from home yesterday to find you? How did you let him get like this? The doctor said he was out in the rain all night. Do you know he has a weak body?"
Juliet's words hit Katniss like a gust of wind. Katniss stared back coldly.
Taking a deep breath, she replied icily, "He collapsed outside our tutoring center. I brought him to the hospital, paid the fees, and left. That's all I know."
It was quiet around the hospital at nine o'clock, but Juliet's outburst drew attention. Some patients peeked out their windows.
A few nurses gathered at the door, whispering and watching the scene unfold.
Katniss didn't want to cause a scene, especially since Sophia was hospitalized here. It wouldn't be good to stir up trouble.
But Juliet wasn't backing down. "Stop with the excuses! When I was discharging him, the nurse said you claimed to be his girlfriend!"
"The nurse assumed that. I never said it," Katniss replied, frowning.
"I don't want to hear your excuses! Katniss, you're not good enough for Jesse. I won't let you into our family! If you don't stay away from him, I'll make sure you can't stay in Nightfall City!"
Juliet, furious, threw her bag at Katniss.
Katniss easily dodged it, and the bag hit someone else's car, setting off the alarm.
"I don't care about getting into your family!" Her eyes were cold as ice. After making her stance clear to Juliet, she turned to Jesse, "If you really don't want to cause me trouble, then don't see me again. Your apologies only bring me more harm."
The words were harsh, but she had to make herself clear.
After speaking, she turned and walked into the inpatient department.
Jesse and Juliet stood there, staring as she went inside.
"What's she doing?" Juliet asked, dumbfounded.
Jesse suddenly realized something. "She has a sick mother in the hospital. She comes here every weekend."
So Katniss wasn't here to see him at all.
Jesse said, "So you haven't realized it yet? You misunderstood her!"
Juliet snapped back, "I don't care if I misunderstood. I just want you two to cut ties completely. If she stays out of your life, fine. If she doesn't, I'll make sure she regrets it!"
Jesse felt a headache coming on from Juliet's rudeness and angrily got into the car. He suddenly realized Katniss was right. Not seeking her out would indeed save her from more trouble.
Once in the car, he stayed silent, not wanting to argue anymore.
But Juliet's animosity toward Katniss wasn't just about him; it was mainly because of Michael's influence.
Katniss entered the ward, placed her bag on the sofa, and went straight to the bedside, taking Sophia's hand. "Mom, I'm here. If you can hear me, blink your eyes."
Sophia blinked, and that small response made Katniss smile with joy.
"Katniss, was that Mr. Turner downstairs just now?" Matilda asked, unsure.
"Yeah," Katniss replied, standing up to look at her. "But he's already left the agency."
The ward was quiet, but Juliet's harsh words still echoed in Katniss's ears.
Maybe because she was calm inside, she didn't show any emotion on her face.
Matilda, however, couldn't hold back and anxiously asked, "Was that Mr. Turner's mom yelling at you? Why did she treat you like that?"
"There was a little misunderstanding. We won't be seeing each other again, so it won't happen again," Katniss replied.
Katniss didn't think Jesse was particularly stubborn. After tonight's drama, he probably wouldn't insist on apologizing anymore.
As long as Jesse didn't come looking for her, Juliet wouldn't have a chance to cause trouble.
"Katniss, if you run into any problems, you have to tell me. Even if I can't protect you, maybe this old brain of mine can come up with something," Matilda said, worried Katniss would bear it alone.
Katniss smiled and said, "Okay, I'll definitely tell you."
The two stood on either side of the bed. Matilda suddenly let go of Sophia's hand, walked around the bed, and pulled Katniss to sit on a chair by the window.
"Why didn't you tell me Tristan came to Nightfall City?" Matilda asked.
"Hmm?" Katniss was stunned. "How did you know?"
Matilda snorted, "You tell me what's going on between you two first, then I'll tell you how I know."
What's going on between her and Tristan? This question really stumped Katniss.
She hesitated for a moment and said, "At most, we're old acquaintances. He might be mad that I called him a playboy before leaving Velvet City. He's being petty and causing me some harmless trouble. Once he leaves Nightfall City, there won't be any more issues."
"Did he give you a hard time?" Matilda asked, her heart tightening.
Katniss quickly shook her head. "Not really. He even helped me with a few things. Overall, we don't have much going on."
Talking about Tristan stirred up a lot of emotions in her, an indescribable feeling. She had to admit, her otherwise calm life had been disrupted now. She couldn't be completely indifferent toward Tristan. However, these emotions were destined to be deeply buried in her heart.
"That's good," Matilda sighed in relief, then added, "I ran into Saskia at the hospital today. She was with a man. I've seen him before; he was with Tristan. His name is..."
She hadn't seen Nicholas often, so she couldn't recall immediately.
Katniss guessed right away. "Nicholas?"
"Yes!" Matilda nodded repeatedly. "It was Nicholas. He mentioned that Tristan is in Nightfall City."
So Nicholas was also in Nightfall City. Katniss's lips twitched. "Got it."
They chatted briefly about Sophia's condition, then got ready for bed.
As usual, Katniss had to spend the weekend with Sophia. She contacted Daniel to discuss tutoring Aaron and Donna together. This way, they could have five classes a week without extra cost. There were pros and cons, so she left it up to them to decide.
Daniel agreed almost immediately, setting it up to start on Monday.
On Sunday afternoon, Katniss received a call from Saskia, inviting her to a gathering at a club in downtown Nightfall City. Nicholas also spoke on the phone, saying he was treating and it was a get-together for old friends. With such an invitation, it was hard for Katniss to refuse.
Nicholas mentioned Tristan would be there; it was a good opportunity to discuss Aaron's tutoring. She informed Matilda, then packed her things and left the hospital.
The downtown area was bustling around eight or nine o'clock, with constant honking of cars. In front of the upscale club, all one could see were luxury cars. Katniss's car looked quite inconspicuous here, but she wore a black wool coat, and her beauty and long legs drew many admiring glances as she stepped out.
Next door to the club was a high-end beauty salon. Juliet had just come out and got into her car when she saw Katniss. She immediately had the driver stop, took a photo of Katniss entering the club, and sent it to Jesse: [Look at this. What decent woman comes here? She's probably here to sell herself!]
The warm lights in the photo added a soft touch to Katniss, making her stunningly beautiful, even in a casual shot.
Jesse was mesmerized for a few seconds before seeing Juliet's message and quickly replied: [She's not that kind of person!]
This infuriated Juliet. She looked up to see Katniss being stopped at the club entrance.
A wealthy man, dressed in a floral shirt and looking almost feminine, was blocking her way. Wearing black suit pants and a floral shirt, his squinting eyes exuded a sense of debauchery. He took a deep breath as he approached Katniss.
Katniss immediately stepped back in disgust. "Sir, please respect yourself."
"Talking about respect in a place like this?" The wealthy man took two steps toward Katniss, raising an eyebrow. "Are you alone? How about sharing a private room?"
Katniss said, "No need, I'm here to meet someone."
Her cold refusal didn't deter the wealthy man. Instead, her aloofness piqued his interest even more.
He said, "Who are you meeting? Let me take you in. This is my turf. You're so beautiful; it's easy for others to take advantage of you. I'll protect you."
As he reached out to touch Katniss's shoulder, she dodged.
Katniss's patience wore thin. "I said no. If you want to play with women, find someone else. I'm not that kind of person."
She turned and entered the club.
He wanted to follow, but his companion reminded him, "Mr. Ortiz, the people we're meeting are arriving soon."
Hearing this, Stanley Ortiz reluctantly watched Katniss's departing figure. "Find out which room she goes to."
He lit a cigarette, stepped down the stairs, and was immediately confronted by another figure.
"Aren't you from the Ortiz Family?" Juliet stood in front of him, holding her bag.
Stanley took a drag from his cigarette, then remembered who she was and smiled. "Juliet, you're too old to be hanging out here."
"I was next door," Juliet pointed to the beauty salon.
The red sign reflected on Stanley's face. He frowned, having nothing to say to Juliet.
Juliet continued, "I saw you were interested in the woman who just went in, so I stopped to chat."
"You know her?" Stanley was intrigued.
"Of course, I do. She's a flirt. If you can get her, I'll vote for you at the Ortiz Family shareholders' meeting."
Juliet's family held some shares in the Ortiz family. Stanley wasn't an only child, and inheriting the family estate depended on the number of supporters.
Her words piqued Stanley's interest.
Katniss stepped out of the elevator on the fifth floor and saw Ryan standing at the door. "Mr. Gray," she called out.
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