Chapter 147 Don't Expect to See Aaron Again
Katniss had no clue who Stanley was; she didn't even know he existed.
But usually, rich guys who liked to mess around with women weren't exactly known for their stellar character.
As a teacher, getting mixed up with him would definitely raise some eyebrows about her personal life.
Eris's eyes went wide, and she blinked a few times before saying, "Ms. Grey, you don't know him?"
"I know of him, but not really," Katniss replied with a slight smile. "Did you need something?"
"No!" Eris blurted out and quickly left Katniss's office.
But as soon as she left, she remembered Stanley was waiting for Katniss at the coffee shop across the street and had asked her to pass along Katniss's Facebook account!
But from what Katniss said, she didn't know Stanley at all. So what's the point of giving him her Facebook account?
Back at her desk, Eris decided to give Stanley one of her fake Facebook accounts, the one she used to bait guys!
This account was full of body shots that hid her face, and even the profile picture and name were super flirty.
As soon as Stanley added "Katniss" on Facebook, he was even more into her and quickly started chatting.
Eris stayed cautious, coming up with all sorts of excuses to avoid meeting in person.
Given her line of work, Stanley was okay with chatting more to build a connection and didn't push for a meet-up right away.
They planned to have lunch, but Eris kept pushing it back.
First, she moved it to the evening, then to the next day.
After three or four days of chatting, Stanley's patience started to wear thin.
He sent a few video calls that Eris didn't dare to answer, so he switched to calling.
When the phone rang, Katniss was about to pick up Donna. She hadn't saved Stanley's number, so she answered without thinking.
"Katniss, what’s your deal?" Stanley's tone was harsh right from the start. "Are you just messing with me?"
It took Katniss a few seconds to realize it was Stanley, and she immediately hung up and blocked his number.
Stanley called again and found out he was blocked, instantly furious, and called his subordinates. "Find out where Katniss is right now!"
"Katniss goes to Celestial Villas every evening to tutor Aaron. She really is Aaron's tutor, just like we saw last time!" His subordinates had already figured out the relationship between Aaron and Katniss.
Remembering the awkward encounter with Tristan last time, Stanley felt a bit uneasy.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "Find a way to bring Aaron over tomorrow; I need to talk to him!"
When Katniss got to the Wilson Family's place, she found out Donna was sick and had to cancel the lesson.
So, she headed to Celestial Villas alone and didn't see Aaron in the third-floor study.
She wandered over to the bedroom and heard Aaron on the phone, yelling angrily, followed by the sound of something breaking.
Peeking through the slightly open door, she saw a phone with a shattered screen.
She hesitated for a moment, then pushed the door open and saw Aaron sitting angrily in a bean bag chair.
"What happened?" she asked.
Aaron glanced at her, hesitated, then got up and tossed the broken phone into the trash. "Let's start the lesson," he said, heading to the study.
Since he didn't want to talk, Katniss followed him back to the study and got the lesson started.
Only then did he notice Donna wasn't there and casually asked, "Where is she?"
"She's sick," Katniss said while organizing her files. "Donna's pretty delicate; the recent school and tutoring schedule has been too much for her."
Hearing this, Aaron frowned, sat down, and pulled out his textbook.
He seemed distracted, and Katniss could tell he had something on his mind. She didn't teach much and left most of the time for him to do exercises and understand the material.
"Over the weekend, I'll send some practice materials to you and Donna in the group chat. I'll also upload a detailed video explanation of today's content. If you don't get something, you can watch the replay. If that still doesn't help, feel free to ask me."
After the tutoring session, Katniss packed up her materials and added, "Next week, I'll give you and Donna a little test. If you pass, I'll get you a new phone."
Aaron looked at her in surprise. "Are you serious?"
"I'm not kidding," Katniss smiled. "You probably regret smashing your phone in a fit of anger. If you pass the next test, I'll get you a new one."
She figured since Aaron and Eudora weren't together, he'd need a phone to stay in touch, so this incentive should be enough to make him pay attention in class.
Aaron hesitated for a few seconds and then quickly said, "Don't go back on your word!"
"Deal," Katniss agreed readily, packed her things, and got ready to leave.
As she left the study, she noticed Tristan's room was empty. She pursed her lips and casually asked, "Has Tristan been very busy lately?"
She hadn't seen Tristan during her recent tutoring sessions, and there were no cars in the yard, indicating he was busy.
Aaron closed the study door and walked over, saying, "Yeah, he's been swamped. Every day, he's not back by the time I go to bed, and he's already gone when I wake up."
The project in Nightfall City had been running smoothly for a while and had settled into normal operations.
Given that, there shouldn't be any urgent issues making Tristan work such long hours.
So, he must be dealing with some trouble at work.
On the drive home, Katniss kept thinking that even though Nightfall City wasn't Tristan's turf, with Synergy Global Corporation's top-tier status in the country, no one should dare to mess with him.
She couldn't figure out what could be wrong. Instinctively, she wanted to call Ryan to ask.
She had already pulled up his number when a cold breeze blew in through the car window.
She suddenly snapped out of it, realizing she had nothing to do with Tristan anymore. Why was she so concerned about him?
She decisively closed the phone screen, stepped on the gas, and headed to the hospital.
Sophia's condition had plateaued, but Terry said that being able to open her eyes and have a bit of awareness was already very fortunate.
Things would get better over time; it was just a matter of patience.
Hearing that Sophia's condition had improved, Saskia made a special trip to visit.
She arrived early on Saturday morning, carrying a lot of fruit.
"Since Sophia can't eat, I bought these for you all," Saskia said.
"You're so considerate, buying all my favorite fruits." Matilda joked as she took the fruit, saying, "Thanks!"
Saskia smiled and shook her head. "Don't be so polite. Just make me some good food when we get home and argue with me less!"
The two of them started bickering as soon as they met, making Katniss smile. She held Sophia's hand and said, "Mom, this is my friend Saskia. Blink your eyes to say hello."
Sophia immediately blinked.
"That's amazing!" Saskia exclaimed, "Sophia will be fully recovered in no time!"
Her arrival brightened the atmosphere in the hospital room, and she stayed for lunch without any hesitation.
After lunch, Matilda went to wash the fruit, and Katniss and Saskia sat on the sofa.
"I heard you 'tamed' Aaron?" Saskia started the conversation.
Katniss smiled, "I wouldn't say tamed. He's still a bit rebellious, but that's normal for a kid his age. No need to push too hard."
The afternoon sun shone on her, adding a touch of radiance.
Saskia squinted her eyes. "I knew you were amazing. If you can 'tame' someone like Tristan, a kid is nothing."
"Don't say that." Katniss frowned, unable to resist asking, "Have you been at Nicholas's place lately?"
"Yeah." Saskia lazily slumped on the sofa.
"Have you seen Tristan recently?" Katniss couldn't help but inquire about Tristan. "Is he in some kind of trouble?"
The room fell silent for a few seconds before Saskia burst into laughter. "I bet Nicholas you'd totally notice Tristan was in trouble. We both knew you would, so we didn't even bother betting," she said.
Katniss blushed at her laughter. "I was just casually asking. I haven't seen him when I go to tutor Aaron these days."
Saskia said, "He is indeed in some trouble, but I don't know the details. It's related to money."
Katniss immediately dismissed her claim. "Are you kidding? Synergy Global Corporation has branches all over the country. The Forbes Family could easily fund this project. How could they be short on money?"
"But it's the Forbes Family that has money, not Tristan personally," Saskia said without hesitation.
"You mean he can't get money from Synergy Global Corporation?" Katniss still found it laughable.
But then she thought of Tristan's parents abroad and found it less surprising.
"I don't know much. You'd have to ask Nicholas for the details. How about I arrange for you to meet Nicholas one day..."
Before Saskia could finish, Katniss interrupted, "Thanks for the offer, but I'm not that curious."
Seeing that Saskia wanted to keep talking about it, Katniss's phone rang just in time.
She quickly stood up and went to the window to answer the call. As soon as she picked up, Stanley's voice came through, "Katniss, if you dare hang up on me and block me again, you'll never see Aaron again!"
The moment she heard his voice, Katniss really wanted to hang up.
But hearing him mention Aaron, she held back. "What nonsense are you talking about? Do you know Aaron?"
"Of course I do." Stanley sneered.
Katniss's expression grew serious, and she pressed her lips together in silence.
Stanley added, "The coffee shop in East City. I'll send you the location. Be there within half an hour, and don't bring anyone, or you'll face the consequences."
Stanley knew she was worried about Aaron and would definitely come. After speaking, he hung up and sent Katniss the location on Facebook.
Scrolling through the slightly suggestive chat history on Facebook, he sneered a few times.
He figured Katniss was trying to seduce Tristan recently. She was indeed a flirtatious woman, always talking sweetly online.
In person, she pretended to be aloof!
After hanging up, Katniss grabbed her bag and coat and headed out. "I have something to do. Please tell Matilda for me!"
She subconsciously felt she had implicated Aaron and only thought about ensuring Aaron's safety, not about asking for help.
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