Chapter 146 Who Is This Person You're Bringing Along?
The moment Tristan and Katniss reunited, every time he saw her, it brought back a flood of memories.
He could handle it to a point, but seeing another guy with her? That was too much.
A few buttons of his shirt were undone, and he was about to take it off when—
"Tristan!" Aaron's voice came from outside.
He froze, muttering a curse under his breath. Wrong place, wrong time.
Katniss quickly straightened her clothes and left his room first.
Outside, Aaron looked surprised to see her coming out of Tristan's room.
"If you need something, just go in and find him. I'm heading upstairs," Katniss said quickly, not even looking back as she hurried away.
In the study, Donna was still rattled from Stanley knocking on the window earlier. The sudden sound of the door opening made her jump.
"Did I scare you?" Katniss asked, sitting down across from her.
"No, it's just... I've never seen someone do that before," Donna replied softly.
Katniss gave a small smile but didn't continue the topic. She looked down at the notes from their last class.
"By the way, I found some materials online. I'll send them to the group," she said.
She sent the materials to their new group chat and noticed there were four people in it. "Who's this new person you added?"
She saw someone Donna had added just three minutes ago.
Donna said, "It's Aaron."
"Isn't this Aaron?" Katniss pointed to the person she had added.
Donna opened her mouth to explain, but before she could, Aaron walked in. "I have multiple accounts, is that a problem?"
He sneered, sat down, and buried his head in the materials.
Katniss frowned but didn't push it. Having multiple accounts was normal, so she continued the lesson.
Halfway through, Aaron's phone buzzed a few times. He quietly took it out under the table and tried to check it.
But before he could do anything, Katniss snatched the phone away.
"Give it back," he said coldly.
"We're in class. No phones allowed," Katniss said firmly.
Her eyes locked with Aaron's angry gaze.
Maybe it had been too long since anyone had tried to control him, and her authority made Aaron's forehead veins bulge with anger.
Aaron shouted, "You're not even a real teacher! Stop pretending. Once the class is over and you get paid, your job is done. Don't meddle so much!"
Donna looked at Aaron in surprise, her lips pressed together, saying nothing for a long time.
To her, Aaron seemed like a completely different person in that moment.
"Do you think making money is my ultimate goal?" Katniss said quietly. "Sure, people work for money, but some of us actually love what we do and want to make a difference. So yeah, money and doing your job right both matter."
Aaron was taken aback, his anger fading a bit.
Seeing he had nothing more to say, Katniss reminded him, "If you waste time, the class gets extended. We'll go five minutes over. Any other questions?"
Aaron grumbled, "No!"
"Alright, let's get back to it," Katniss said, resuming the lesson.
An hour flew by, and after the five-minute delay, Katniss handed Aaron his phone back. He grabbed it and stormed out without a word.
Donna instinctively wanted to call him back. "Ms. Grey hasn't dismissed us yet!"
"One step at a time," Katniss said softly. "Taking his phone almost made him explode. We can't fix everything at once."
And it could backfire, with Aaron possibly throwing her out a third-floor window.
Though only fifteen, he was already taller than her, and she couldn't win in a fight.
Donna responded with an "oh," packed her things, and left with Katniss.
They didn't see Tristan again as they left. By the time they dropped Donna off at the Wilson Family, it was already ten o'clock.
Maybe too much had happened that evening, and Katniss felt exhausted when she got home.
After washing up, she fell asleep immediately.
But after she left, the Celestial Villas stayed brightly lit.
Tristan came out of the bathroom, the night breeze blowing in through the wide-open window.
He lit a cigarette and sent a text to Nicholas: [How long until your injury heals?]
The message was loaded with meaning, and it took Nicholas a full five minutes to process it before he had to call and ask, "What do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what it says. Isn't Saskia supposed to take care of you until you're healed?" Tristan put the phone on speaker and placed it on the windowsill, leaning against the wall with his arm, his muscles clearly defined.
He still didn't say anything directly, but Nicholas got the hint.
Nicholas said, "Don't worry, I'll keep Saskia occupied. You hurry up."
"Got another call, hanging up." Tristan curtly ended the call with Nicholas and answered the one from The Forbes Mansion.
It was Travis; his voice cool. "I heard the project's preparations are complete. Leave the rest to Ryan. Come back tomorrow."
The vast night wrapped around the entire villa, and the deep look in Tristan's eyes mirrored the darkness outside.
Tristan parted his lips and said, "With you managing Synergy Global Corporation, I can handle things here myself. I'll come back when the project's done."
"Stop making excuses. Don't think I don't know what you're up to! If you don't come back tomorrow, I'll make sure you regret it!" Travis snapped before hanging up.
The cold busy tone made Tristan's gaze even more intense.
Above his room was Aaron's, and the reflection showed his light was still on.
The window seemed open, and he could hear bits of conversation.
"I didn't recognize him. Just tell Mr. Ortiz for me. That's it, hanging up!" Aaron's voice was irritated as he tossed his phone aside.
He had dropped out of school a year ago and had been mixing with the wrong crowd, Stanley being one of them.
Back then, when he was bullied for being young, Stanley had his back, and since then, everyone knew he was Stanley's guy. He never expected to run into Stanley here.
And now Stanley was interested in Katniss!
The phone on the bed rang again, same number. Aaron glanced at it and hung up.
The caller tried again, and he hung up again.
After several tries, he just turned off the phone.
As the first rays of morning sunlight broke over the horizon, Katniss was already at the entrance of the educational institution.
She came early because she had a lot to do today.
Sitting at her desk, she munched on a sandwich while going over the learning materials.
Before she knew it, it was time for work, and the others had arrived, chatting here and there.
"So handsome."
"That guy looks like someone important. Forget about it!"
"But he's right at our entrance. Maybe he's here to see someone?"
"Isn't that Ms. Thompson? She's talking to him. Could he be here for her?"
The chatter was so loud it caught Katniss's attention.
She turned to look outside and saw Stanley holding a bouquet of flowers, wearing a shirt similar to the one from last night but not the same.
Behind him was a flashy, sleek black Lamborghini, and he was chatting with Eris Thompson from their institution.
Eris was only twenty-five and hadn't been at the institution long, but she was good at teaching.
However, she was a bit flighty and had changed several boyfriends since she arrived, all of whom were wealthy.
Eris mingled with the rich, so naturally, she knew the famously flirtatious Stanley of Nightfall City.
"Mr. Ortiz, are you..." She had just seen Stanley last Saturday night. Could he be here for her?
Eris was secretly delighted.
But Stanley glanced at her and asked, "Who are you?"
Eris's smile faded a bit, and she said, "I'm Eris. We met at the bar a couple of nights ago."
"Don't remember," Stanley said bluntly. "Anything else? If not, stay out of the way and don't bother me."
Eris's smile disappeared completely, but seeing the gossiping and envious looks from her colleagues, she said, "Who are you here to see, Mr. Ortiz? Maybe I can call them for you?"
Stanley then realized something. "You work here?" he asked.
"Yes," Eris replied.
Stanley quickly said, "Get Katniss for me."
Eris thought Stanley had come to the wrong place. Everyone else in the institution was married except her.
But she forgot about the single boss, Katniss.
"I'll go find her for you, but with so many people watching, it's not very appropriate. How about you wait at the café across the street, Mr. Ortiz?" As she spoke, she took out her phone. "If it's convenient, add me on Facebook. If you want to find Katniss or have any other matters, you can contact me there."
Hearing this, Stanley immediately took out his phone and added Eris on Facebook.
"Send me her Facebook and tell her to come to the café across the street," Stanley said.
After adding Eris on Facebook, he got in his car, turned around, and parked in front of the café across the street, swaggering inside.
Eris returned and was immediately surrounded by several colleagues.
"Eris, do you know that man?"
"Is he really rich? What's your relationship?"
Everyone was gossiping, full of curiosity.
Driven by vanity, Eris waved her hand and said, "It's not what you think. Nothing is confirmed yet. Go back to work. I have something to discuss with Ms. Grey."
She broke through the crowd and went upstairs.
From the moment she saw Stanley downstairs, Katniss also thought he was there for her.
But seeing Stanley chatting happily with Eris, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Eris knocked on the door and walked in, seeing Katniss looking out the window. She pursed her lips and said, "Ms. Grey, Mr. Ortiz asked me to—"
Katniss interrupted, "There is no need to inform me of your private affairs. But if he comes looking for you again, try not to make a scene. After all, you are a teacher, and it wouldn't look good if a student's parent saw it."
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