Chapter 156 Another Wasn't Me
"Suit yourself then," Tristan said, already settled in his seat, leaving Yasmin in a bit of a pickle.
Yasmin was stuck, not sure if she should stay or go, and even Tony was left hanging, unsure whether to sit or stand.
Tristan, acting like nothing was up, took a cigarette from Nicholas, lit it, and gave Tony a calm look.
Nicholas handed Tony a cigarette too, saying, "Mr. Gibson, why don't you sit?"
It was a subtle way of giving Tony some respect. After a few seconds of hesitation, Tony took the cigarette and sat down.
He gave Tristan a polite smile and said, "Mr. Forbes, you're really something, young and promising."
"Too bad your judgment sucks, and you can't see people for who they really are," Yasmin snapped as soon as Tony sat down.
She had no choice but to sit too, her anger boiling over, cutting off Tony's pleasantries.
"The woman next to you is two-faced, messing around with men everywhere. I wouldn't even let her shine my shoes, yet you treat her like she's gold!" Yasmin spat out.
Tristan's face darkened, his eyes narrowing with displeasure.
One look from him made Yasmin's throat tighten, and she couldn't say another word.
Seeing this, Tony quickly said, "Mr. Forbes, don't be mad. Tristan is blunt, but she's right. It's not worth it for you and Stanley to argue over this Miss Grey."
After speaking, he gave Yasmin a look, and she quickly dug through her bag for her phone, opening some files.
But seeing Tristan's gloomy face, she didn't dare show him directly.
Instead, she got up and walked over to the onlookers, flipping through the photos for them to see.
"Look at this woman," she said, "talking about explicit stuff with Stanley while also flirting with Jesse from the Turner Family. And there's Mr. Forbes too. Look at that seductive face. I heard she's a teacher at an educational institution."
Stanley's Facebook nickname for "Katniss" was "Baby," and from the chat content, it was clear "Katniss" had asked him to call her that.
The other content was too explicit to look at, including some sexy photos without faces.
The chat records with Jesse seemed normal, mostly reminders from her to Jesse about their late-night tutoring sessions.
There were also photos Jesse had secretly taken of Katniss sleeping.
Yasmin added, "Juliet said Jesse doesn't talk to her anymore because of this woman, staying home all day. Last time, Jesse ran out and got soaked in the rain all night for her. Who knows whose bed she was in then!"
After Yasmin's explanation, the crowd's view of Katniss shifted. Unpleasant comments and doubts started flying.
"And she's a teacher? Can she even teach students well?"
"Teachers meet a lot of people. She probably uses her position to meet wealthy men!"
"And Mr. Forbes put Mr. Ortiz in the hospital for her. He really misjudged her!"
"You can't blame Mr. Forbes. Look at her chats with Mr. Ortiz and Mr. Turner. They're completely different. She probably puts on a good act in front of Mr. Forbes too!"
With all the chatter, Katniss almost believed she was a deceitful, heartless woman.
Her chat records with Jesse were innocent, but people insisted on misunderstanding. But when had she ever chatted with Stanley?
The support from the crowd gave Yasmin confidence. She returned to stand in front of Katniss and said, "Put away that innocent look. Who are you trying to fool?"
Unable to take out her anger on Tristan for Stanley's suffering, she directed it at Katniss.
As soon as Tristan relented, she planned to send Katniss to Stanley's hospital room to let him vent his anger!
She then changed her tone and said to Tristan, "Mr. Forbes, the conflict between you and my son was caused by this woman deceiving you. Let's put it behind us, but don't let her fool you again. Look at these."
She placed her phone on the table and pushed it toward Tristan.
It showed the explicit chat with Stanley, the words reflecting in Tristan's eyes.
He seemed to think of something, his gaze deepening.
Saskia quickly grabbed the phone, flipped through it, and showed it to Katniss. "Is this you?"
Seeing the unfamiliar Facebook profile, Katniss immediately understood she had been impersonated.
"That's not my Facebook." She took out her phone from her bag, opened her Facebook profile, and placed it on the table. "The chat with Mr. Turner is indeed mine, but the other one isn't."
Yasmin was stunned for a few seconds before saying, "So, you say it's not yours and that's it? You probably use one Facebook account to chat with ifferent guys.. Even if you don't admit it, there's nothing I can do."
Hearing this, Katniss's face darkened, and she said coldly, "So, you're saying I can't defend myself if I'm innocent, but you can accuse me without proof? Don't you know what kind of person your son is?"
No matter what, she couldn't let Yasmin slander her, as it would only bring more trouble to Tristan.
Her rebuttal made Yasmin's face turn grim.
But Katniss wasn't done. "I've heard a bit about your son's reputation. Some people specifically target those who don't care about money and just want to be happy. If you really want to get back at those who deceived your son, you should investigate whose Facebook account that is and address the issue properly."
Katniss finally understood where Stanley's strange words came from.
Someone had impersonated her? She thought for a long time but couldn't figure out who it was.
"Mrs. Ortiz, accusing Katniss of being promiscuous based on these chat records is really excessive. Look at her chat with Jesse; there's nothing inappropriate," Saskia jumped in to defend Katniss. "Besides, your son is easily fooled, Jesse is naive and kind, but who could deceive Tristan?"
Jesse and Stanley together couldn't match even a tenth of Tristan.
So the idea that Tristan was deceived by a woman was laughable!
Suddenly, Katniss noticed that Tristan had been silent the whole time.
She glanced at him, seeing his eyes slightly lowered, his emotions unreadable.
The tense lines of his profile were characteristic of him when he was deep in thought.
Did he not believe her?
This made Katniss feel disappointed, her lips pressed tightly together.
Nicholas stood up and waved his hand. "I can vouch for Katniss; she's not that kind of person. The Ortiz Family is targeting the wrong person and disrupting Mr. Gibson's and Tristan's collaboration. It's a huge loss."
No one's testimony or explanation mattered. The final say was with Tristan, and countless eyes were on him.
The cigarette between his fingers burned slowly, accumulating a layer of ash, his expression indifferent.
Suddenly, he flicked the ash off the cigarette, brought it to his lips, and took a puff. His facial expression, shrouded in smoke, became even more inscrutable.
"Are you done?" Without much explanation, he got straight to the point. "Then let's talk about the project."
'Does he believe her or not?' Everyone was full of questions.
Tony was stunned, and it was Bronte who gently tugged at his sleeve, bringing him back to his senses.
Instinctively, he nodded. "Alright, let's talk."
Tristan didn't bring any documents; everything was in his head. His thin lips parted as he spoke eloquently.
Katniss, sitting beside him, couldn't focus on what he was saying. Saskia pulled her to sit down, and she fiddled with a button on her dress.
Tristan's deep, clear voice echoed in her ears, each word lightly striking her heart.
They were only here to get Tony's stance; it wasn't the right time to discuss matters in detail with so many people around.
Tristan gave Tony a quick rundown of the project and set up a detailed meeting with the contract for the following Monday.
The collaboration was settled, but Katniss's situation remained ambiguous.
Whether Tristan believed her or not, no one could tell.
All they knew was that the business meeting wasn't over yet, and Katniss and Tristan left together.
As the evening approached, the temperature dropped, and a cold wind blew, making Katniss shiver.
She hugged her shoulders, her gaze falling on Tristan's back.
He was discussing the project with Nicholas, his suit jacket draped over his arm.
He loosened his tie and unbuttoned two buttons on his shirt, adding a touch of casualness to his otherwise noble demeanor as he stopped by the G-Wagon.
"By the way, the Ortiz Family matter still needs to be investigated. Without concrete evidence, they'll keep slandering Katniss," Nicholas said, turning to Katniss. "Logically, someone impersonating you to chat with Stanley must know you well. Do you have any suspects?"
Suddenly being addressed, Katniss snapped back to reality and withdrew her gaze from Tristan.
After thinking for a moment, she shook her head. "No, I'm not sure."
"Watch the people around you. Don't let this false accusation get toyou," Nicholas advised. "A young woman's reputation is crucial."
Hearing this, Katniss looked at Tristan, who was leaning against the car, smoking.
She couldn't see his expression, but it was clear he didn't care about this topic or her innocence.
Or rather, he didn't care about her innocence as much as Nicholas did, nor did he understand her character.
Silence was a form of doubt, wasn't it?
She tugged at the corner of her mouth, the curve somewhat sarcastic. "It doesn't matter. It's Friday, and I need to go to the hospital to be with my mom. You guys go ahead."
She took a few steps back, giving them enough space to drive out.
"You don't have a car. Why not let Tristan take you to the hospital?" Nicholas suggested, walking over and grabbing her wrist, pushing her toward Tristan.
"Stop talking so much," Saskia, who had been silent, sensed something was wrong and gave Nicholas a look.
Only then did Nicholas realize something, watching Katniss quickly move a few steps away from Tristan.
What was going on? He looked at the two of them in confusion.
The smell of smoke from Tristan lingered in Katniss's nose, making her frown unconsciously. She smiled faintly. "No need to trouble you. I'll take a cab."
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