Chapter 154 How Many Men Are You Mess Around With?
After freshening up, Katniss strolled out of the bathroom and casually asked, "What are you two doing here again?"
"Sorry to bug you," Saskia said with a playful grin before explaining, "Nicholas needs to chat with Tristan about something."
Katniss paused, tying her hair, and asked, "Is it about the Gibson Family?"
Saskia's face turned a bit serious as she looked Katniss over for a moment before asking, "Did you know Stanley is Tony's nephew?"
Her tone was so incredulous that it threw Katniss off. "Why? Shouldn't I know?"
"It's not that you can't!" Saskia glanced at the door and said, "It's just that we're all worried you might sneak off to find Stanley."
Katniss tied her hair back with a quick motion, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "I've smartened up, okay? Tristan and I are basically partners in crime now, at least in their eyes. If I back down, it's like dissing Tristan. And let's be real, Stanley's gonna start with his demands. I'm not here to take any losses. If we can't see eye to eye, why bother with the hassle?"
If she walked into a trap and got caught by Stanley, it would be another mess.
Finally, she asked Saskia, "Was it Tristan who told you not to tell me?"
"No," Saskia replied with a sheepish smile. "It was Nicholas who told me to keep quiet."
"I figured it wasn't Tristan's style," Katniss said, confident she knew Tristan well. She thought Tristan understood her just as well.
So, he wouldn't hide it from her, but he wouldn't bring it up unless she asked.
However, just because she didn't seek trouble didn't mean trouble wouldn't find her.
During her chat with Saskia, her phone, which was on silent, had racked up over ten missed calls.
As she picked up her phone to leave, she noticed and told Saskia, "You go ahead, I'll return a call and be right there."
Saskia headed to the living room while Katniss stepped out to the balcony to make the call.
Even though it was an unknown number, the fact that it had called over ten times suggested it was urgent.
As soon as she heard the voice on the other end, she dismissed that thought.
The call was from Stanley, and he was furious. "Katniss, are you messing with me? How many guys are you messing around with?"
"What nonsense are you spouting? Since you're at the hospital, why not check your brain while you're at it?" Katniss shot back coldly.
Her icy tone and harsh words made Stanley instinctively want to get up, but the pain in his ribs made him wince and lie back down.
"I get it, you're with Tristan and can't talk freely. Let me tell you, if Tristan wants my uncle to invest, it can only happen if I say so. If you know what's good for you, come to the hospital and make me happy, and I..."
Katniss hung up, blocked the number, and set her phone to reject unknown calls.
So, when Stanley tried calling again, he couldn't get through, and he cursed in frustration.
That day, Stanley had sent his location to Eris, not Katniss, since that Facebook account wasn't Katniss's.
Eris, after some thought, dressed up and went, but she was late.
When she arrived, she saw Katniss being carried out, and shortly after, Stanley was carried out as well.
Eris knew something had gone wrong and ran away in fear.
Later, when Stanley woke up, he messaged her on Facebook, accusing her of being two-faced.
From Stanley's messages, Eris deduced that Stanley had tried to force himself on Katniss but was beaten up by Katniss's friends.
Stanley was furious, so she quickly tried to appease him with explanations.
Then Stanley told her to come to the hospital, but she didn't dare, which further angered him.
So, Stanley used a different phone to call Katniss, intending to threaten her to come to the hospital. But the Katniss on the phone was nothing like the apologetic, coquettish one on Facebook.
He was so angry that his chest heaved, causing him pain.
The hospital room door opened, and Yasmin Gibson, Stanley's mom, walked in with Juliet. Both women, of similar age, were dressed just as elegantly.
However, recent events with Stanley had aged Yasmin considerably, her face showing signs of weariness.
"Yasmin, don't worry too much. Your son is fine, isn't he?" Juliet consoled her, instructing the servant behind her to set down the gifts they had brought.
Yasmin forced a smile. "If Stanley were half as obedient as your son, I wouldn't be so worried."
"Don't say that. Each has their own strengths," Juliet replied politely.
At Yasmin's prompting, Stanley gave a perfunctory greeting.
"I never expected Katniss to put you in such a state," Juliet remarked, surprised that Tristan had hospitalized Stanley over Katniss.
Hearing this, Yasmin couldn't help but be shocked. "What do you mean? Who's Katniss?"
"Yasmin, you don't know?" Juliet looked at Stanley in surprise, his face darkening.
He hadn't told the whole truth.
Yasmin saw through it immediately and pulled Juliet to sit down. "Juliet, tell me exactly what happened."
Stanley glanced at Juliet, who gave him a look before quickly saying, "It's not Stanley's fault; it's that Katniss's. She's been messing around, stringing Tristan along while seducing Stanley. To be honest, she even tried to seduce Jesse."
Juliet painted Katniss as a flirt. And that was how she understood Katniss to be.
Stanley eagerly showed the Facebook chat logs with "Katniss" as evidence. "Mom, I had no idea she was involved with someone else. Would I have pursued her if I knew? Look at how she talks to me online..."
"This woman is truly despicable!" Yasmin was furious.
Seeing the chat logs, Juliet's impression of Katniss became even more disdainful.
Katniss seemed to treat people differently. She acted pure and aloof with Jesse. But with someone like Stanley, she was almost sending nude photos!
She figured Tristan must have been deceived too.
"Yasmin, this situation is bad for Tony and Tristan's collaboration. Tony doesn't want to offend Tristan too much, so he's stalling. If we anger Tristan, none of us can handle the consequences. Let's go after Katniss and patch things up with Tristan. I have a plan..." Juliet patted Yasmin's hand and began to speak in a low voice.
Tony didn't want to offend Tristan, and Yasmin knew this well.
So she quickly agreed with Juliet's plan, nodding repeatedly as they discussed it.
"As long as everyone sees Katniss's true colors, there's no need to have a falling out with Tristan." Finally, Juliet looked at Stanley and added, "Mr. Ortiz, you have a prestigious status. Just have fun with Katniss, but don't get emotionally involved and expect to marry her."
"I know!" Stanley had already run out of patience with the two-faced Katniss.
Listening to Juliet's plan, he was determined that once Tristan no longer wanted Katniss, he would make her fulfill all the promises she made on Facebook!
After leaving the hospital, Juliet let out a long sigh and called Michael.
"This Katniss is really troublesome. She actually got involved with Tristan again, but don't worry, I've come up with a plan." Juliet explained the plan to Michael in detail and added, "The Gibson Family doesn't want to strain their relationship with Tristan. Everything will be fine if we get rid of Katniss."
Michael picked up on another key point. "You mean Tristan wants to attract investment from the Gibson Family?"
"Yes," Juliet replied, then asked in confusion, "But what's going on with the Forbes Family?"
"Don't worry about the Forbes family business," Michael said before hanging up.
He pondered that Tristan likely went to Nightfall City for Katniss.
If Juliet's plan succeeded, Tristan should abandon that project and return. But to be safe, he needed to ensure Tristan would definitely come back.
That evening, Nicholas and Saskia stayed for dinner. Katniss ordered Mexican takeout, which was convenient and easy.
After all, she was there to take care of Tristan in place of Ryan, so she couldn't let Tristan cook. Plus, her cooking skills weren't great.
Back in Velvet City, where the weather was dry and cold, Katniss rarely ate spicy food, fearing it would make her sick and delay her work.
But here, it was different. She gradually got used to eating spicy food. Her lips were red from the spice, and after a tiring night and only one meal during the day, her appetite was huge.
The large villa was brightly lit, and the 15-foot chandelier cast shadows over the few people there, with rising steam adding a touch of warmth.
Tristan, dressed in a black shirt, leaned back in his chair, holding a cigarette between his left fingers, his palm resting on the chair's edge.
His eyes mischievously watched Katniss chatting and eating with Saskia. Two strands of hair stuck to her forehead from sweat.
But she didn't look disheveled. Tiny beads of sweat hung on her nose, and her pink cheeks were smooth and poreless.
Seeing her bowl empty, he took a drag of his cigarette, exhaled the smoke to the side, and leaned forward to put more meat in her bowl.
She paused for a moment, glanced at him, then continued eating without a word of thanks.
A year ago, she would have probably thanked him politely and told him it was against the rules.
A faint smile played on his lips.
"Tomorrow night, let's go to the Gibson Family's business event together," Nicholas said, raising his glass to Tristan. "I can't help you with money or anything else, but I can do this."
Tristan chuckled, resting his smoking hand on the back of the chair, and clinked glasses with him.
They were drinking, and Saskia, feeling tempted, pulled Katniss over to have some red wine with her.
As they talked about the Gibson Family, Katniss and Saskia chatted idly.
It wasn't until they were full that Saskia realized a problem. "We've all been drinking. How are we going to drive?"
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