Chapter 152 There's Probably No Time to Rest
Suddenly, she realized she was worrying for nothing.
Katniss's eyes flickered, and she let out a scoff. "Ridiculous."
Could she really afford to support him?
She turned away from the balcony and dashed toward the door without looking back. "It's late, I'm going to bed!"
By the time Tristan reacted, she was already gone.
Tristan chuckled softly, the sound echoing in the room. He shut the balcony door and sat back down at his computer.
He glanced at the spot where she had been sitting, the air still carrying her unique scent.
His brows relaxed a bit as he turned on his computer to get back to work.
Back in her room, Katniss tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Tristan's silhouette, smoking on the balcony, kept replaying in her mind.
She finally got up, turned on her computer, and started searching for info on Synergy Global Corporation's project in Nightfall City.
But all she found was a basic intro and some internal news indicating they weren't optimistic and were planned to scrap it.
Not much to go on.
Family drama like this usually stayed under wraps. The one really wanting to ditch the project wasn't Synergy Global Corporation, but Tristan's dad.
After a long, fruitless search, she just lay back down.
Even though she had to look after Tristan for Ryan, Katniss didn't quit her job at the educational institution.
The next day, she took her computer and went to the company with Tristan. The new environment and unfamiliar faces were a bit overwhelming.
Seeing a female assistant with Tristan, everyone in the company craned their necks to get a look.
Tristan's office was still decked out in black and gray, cold and uninviting, just like him.
Her work attire wasn't very professional, her long hair tied up, and she sat at Ryan's workstation, glancing at the schedule.
She had a dinner planned with Tony Gibson that evening.
She called his assistant to confirm, but was told, "Sorry, Mr. Gibson has plans tonight."
Even though the assistant was cold, Katniss stayed polite. "Can you tell me when Mr. Gibson will be available? We can reschedule."
"No idea; we're in a meeting, gotta go." The assistant hung up before Katniss could say more.
Katniss was puzzled. This was the first time she'd been turned down like this while working with Tristan.
She glanced at the busy Tristan in his office and then called Ryan. "Tony canceled tonight's dinner. Any idea why?"
Ryan paused for a moment, not sounding surprised. "I forgot to tell you, tonight's dinner was doomed to be canceled. No need to confirm the schedule."
Katniss was even more confused. "Why was it doomed to be canceled?"
From her tone, it was clear she didn't get the whole Gibson and Ortiz family dynamic.
After a long pause, Ryan finally spilled the beans. "Because Tony is Stanley's uncle."
And Tristan had put Stanley in the hospital.
"Tony's only got one sister, Stanley's mom, and he's super protective of her. Ever since that incident, no one from the Gibson family has taken my calls," Ryan explained.
Katniss had used her own phone, which was why Tony's assistant had picked up.
Seeing Katniss stay quiet, Ryan added, "But the Gibson family wouldn't dare mess with Mr. Forbes. They can avoid him, but they can't provoke him."
After all, Tristan had the Forbes family backing him. No matter how much internal drama they had, outsiders couldn't exploit it.
"So why did Tristan set up dinner with Tony? What was he trying to discuss?" Katniss asked.
Ryan laid it all out. "Synergy Global Corporation plans to pull out of this project, cutting off funding, which puts it in a financial crisis. Mr. Forbes wants to bring in the Gibson family for investment."
After a few seconds of silence, Ryan softly reminded her, "The Gibson family is the only one in Nightfall City that can help Mr. Forbes, and the amount of money involved is huge."
"Got it." Katniss hung up and started thinking.
She never expected the biggest fallout from the Stanley incident would hit Tristan.
This project had been in the works since she was at Synergy Global Corporation and was Tristan's biggest effort in recent years.
If it got scrapped, all those years of work would go down the drain.
As she was deep in thought, a sudden knock on the desk startled her. Looking up, she saw Tristan standing in front of her workstation.
His well-defined fingers tapped on the desk as he looked down at her.
"Take this document to the finance department," he said.
"Okay." She took the document and quickly stood up. "By the way, the dinner with Mr. Gibson tonight has been canceled."
Tristan's lips parted slightly. "I know. You handle your tasks, I'll take care of the rest."
With that, he turned and went back to his office, his tall and imposing figure still commanding.
After delivering the document to the finance department, Katniss returned and started thinking about how to handle the situation.
As noon approached, she ordered two lunch boxes and then took a sorted document into Tristan's office.
Nightfall City was just a project team set up by Synergy Global Corporation. The company was far less grand than in Velvet City, with only about ten floors.
Tristan's office was also a third smaller than the one in Velvet City, but his every move still exuded an air of nobility.
Every move he made had that kingly vibe, his charm still intact.
When she walked in, he was on the phone by the floor-to-ceiling window.
Hearing her, he glanced back, then nodded toward the sofa, signaling her to sit and wait.
He kept talking about the project.
After about ten minutes, the lunch she ordered arrived, and Tristan finally hung up.
He placed his phone on the desk and sat on the sofa next to Katniss.
"Just this?" He eyed the two plain lunch boxes and frowned.
"I ordered takeout. I don't know the delivery numbers for the nearby hotels."
Back in Velvet City, Katniss had all the five-star hotel delivery numbers memorized.
But here in Nightfall City, she hadn't been to many five-star hotels.
So, she didn't know the delivery numbers for the fancy places here.
She pushed the takeout toward Tristan. "I picked the best I could find."
"Seems like you're not too happy with my service." Tristan's voice was clear and teasing. "Not even giving me good food. I used to treat you way better."
When she was with Tristan, she ate whatever he ate.
Whether it was booking hotels or meals during business trips, she always got the same treatment as Tristan.
"If you don't want it, forget it." Katniss's face darkened, and she moved to take the lunch box back.
Tristan moved the lunch box away with his left hand and blocked her with his right.
"I'll eat it. I'll take it as you pushing me to do better," Tristan said.
He'd work hard to make her happy in the future.
Katniss pulled her hand back, huffed, and scooted a bit further away from him before starting to eat.
After eating, she wiped her mouth with a napkin, then opened the document she had brought and placed it in front of Tristan.
"This is Tony's schedule I found. He has a golf appointment this afternoon. Even though tonight's dinner is canceled, he hasn't gone anywhere. Tomorrow, he has a press conference and an internal company meeting. The day after tomorrow evening, the Gibson family has a business seminar, and they sent us an invite yesterday."
So if Tristan wanted to find Tony, it wouldn't be hard.
Tristan swallowed the last bite of his meal, glanced at Tony's schedule she handed over, and smirked. "Ryan's been with me for a year, and it was a waste."
She always managed to prepare what he needed first, filling his heart with satisfaction. Even the smallest things pleased him greatly.
Katniss was stunned for a few seconds, not getting his meaning. "Stop talking about other things. Just tell me what you plan to do next."
'Would he corner Tony everywhere, or find another way to solve the investor issue?' Katniss wondered.
"You handle your educational institution stuff and take care of my daily life at home," Tristan said, raising an eyebrow, hinting she didn't need to meddle in work matters.
She had a feeling Tristan didn't want her mixed up in the Ortiz family's mess.
But the whole Stanley situation was her fault, and she felt guilty.
"Aaron and Donna can't attend classes. I can handle the educational institution's stuff by working overtime at night. Since I'm here, I might as well help out," she said, sitting sideways on the sofa, looking at him seriously.
This made Tristan's heart flutter. His gaze deepened as he said, "If you work overtime on that, you might not have time to rest."
After all, he still needed to "keep going," making her satisfied.
He couldn't stop bringing it up, making Katniss frown. "Can you be serious for once?"
'Is he never going to stop joking?' Katniss thought.
Sleeping together once had already messed with her head. If it weren't for Ryan being in the hospital and the Stanley situation, she planned to avoid him to clear her mind.
At this moment, she couldn't tell if she was clear-headed or not, so she could only take it one step at a time.
Seeing the complexity in her eyes, Tristan's gaze darkened, but he still insisted she focus on the educational institution's matters.
That afternoon, after finishing her work for the educational institution, she secretly made plans for the worst-case scenario regarding the Gibson family without Tristan knowing.
At seven o'clock, it was time to clock out.
Tristan's G-Wagon had a flat tire, and he called a tow truck to take it to the shop for repairs.
Luckily, they were not far from Celestial Villas, only about a half-hour walk.
So when Tristan suggested walking back, Katniss didn't refuse.
As the New Year approached, the temperature difference between morning and evening in Nightfall City was significant. Katniss wore a purple coat.
Her long hair was tied into a ponytail, bouncing on her shoulders as she walked.
Tristan had one hand in his pocket, holding a cigarette with the other, following her unhurriedly from behind.
She used to follow him, but now, without the superior-subordinate relationship, without that layer of restraint.
This way of interacting stirred a strange emotion in Tristan's heart.
His gaze deepened, and he threw away the cigarette butt, quickening his pace to grab Katniss's wrist.
The sudden physical contact startled Katniss. When she realized what was happening, she instinctively tried to pull her hand back.
"Don't move!" he commanded softly, his eyes filled with displeasure.
Katniss instinctively stopped moving, blinking as he pulled her forward.
Their overlapping shadows stretched long under the streetlights. His fingers gradually slid from her wrist, opening her palm, intertwining their fingers.
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