Chapter 157 Not Talking to Fools
"Alright then, take care." Nicholas scratched his head and waved goodbye to Katniss.
Katniss smiled but didn't look back at Tristan. She exchanged a glance with Saskia and then left.
Being in the city center, it was easy to catch a cab, especially with her dress fluttering in the wind by the roadside.
Dressed so strikingly, a taxi pulled up right away.
Once she got in, she finally glanced at Tristan. He was still smoking, and Nicholas and Saskia had already gotten back in the car.
Tristan leaned against the car, head slightly bowed, lost in thought.
He didn't say anything, but his every move screamed distrust.
Nicholas got in, buckled up, and merged into traffic, thinking hard but not getting it.
"What's up with those two? Did someone step on the other's foot when we weren't looking?" Nicholas asked.
'That wouldn't be enough to make him so gloomy!' he thought.
Saskia crossed her legs, stayed quiet for a few seconds, and then said, "Let me tell you a story. A woman sells herself to a man to get money for her mom's treatment. After a long time apart, the man finds her tangled up with other rich guys. What do you think he'd think?"
"He'd think she sold herself to other men too!" Nicholas blurted out, then realized the man and woman in Saskia's story were Tristan and Katniss.
He hesitated for a few seconds and asked, "So you mean, Katniss really is tangled up with those two guys?"
The vibe in the car changed instantly. Saskia rolled her eyes and turned away, saying, "I don't talk to idiots."
Tristan cared too much, and his concern blinded him to reality.
But Nicholas was just plain foolish!
"Who are you calling an idiot?" Nicholas angrily swung at the steering wheel, pulled over, and turned to grab Saskia's head.
He twisted her around to face him and demanded, "So you're saying anyone who doesn't trust Katniss is an idiot? That includes Tristan!"
Saskia struggled for a bit but couldn't move, angrily cupping Nicholas's head and banging it against his forehead.
Nicholas immediately let go, seeing stars, and then they started scratching at each other in the car.
As night fell, the streetlights came on, casting a dim glow over Tristan's head. Cigarette butts littered the ground at his feet.
After finishing the last cigarette in his pocket, he took out his phone and called Ryan. "Look into everything Katniss has done since she got to Nightfall City, including how she made a name for herself in the education industry so fast."
After giving instructions, he paused and added, "Get discharged."
Ryan quickly responded, "Got it. But this is Nightfall City. Digging into Ms. Grey might take some time."
"As soon as possible," Tristan said and hung up.
Even though he could be discharged, Ryan's gut told him something was off.
If Tristan had to dig into Katniss, it meant something was up that could mess with Tristan's mood, and that usually spelled trouble for Ryan.
Katniss reached the hospital room door, her hand just touching the slightly open handle when she heard Matilda's voice inside, "Mom, things are really looking up for us. Katniss has some great connections. She has a friend named Samuel who helped us a lot back in Velvet City. After we moved to Nightfall City, he introduced her to his clients, and she kept getting more and more."
By the bedside, Matilda was wiping Sophia's body with a warm towel, chatting away, "She also knows Saskia, the one who visited the other day. She invested in us; otherwise, this education business wouldn't have taken off."
Since Sophia regained consciousness, Matilda would fill her in on their current life.
But she never mentioned Tristan, since Katniss had already divorced him.
She brought up Samuel and Saskia to reassure Sophia that Katniss's earnings were legit.
The money they saved was enough to treat Sophia!
"Why are you telling Mom all this?" Katniss walked in, closed the door, and tossed her bag on the sofa.
She took the towel from Matilda's hand and rinsed it in the basin. "I'll do it. You take a break."
Matilda couldn't stop her and sat at the foot of the bed, quietly watching her. "Mom must want to know how we're doing now. I'm just giving her the scoop."
But Samuel had almost nothing to do with their current life. Once Sophia recovered, he’d be out of the picture.
But since Matilda had already said it, Katniss let it slide.
"Katniss, why are you dressed like this today?" Matilda was super curious about her outfit. "Where did you go?"
Katniss paused for a moment and then said, "I attended a business meeting."
After that, Matilda went quiet, but her eyes kept watching her.
Katniss added, "Saskia was there too."
Hearing that, Matilda's expression softened.
It wasn't that she wanted to hide it, but she couldn't explain her current relationship with Tristan.
Once Tristan went back to Velvet City, they’d go their separate ways. Talking too much would only worry Matilda, so she just didn’t bring it up.
Katniss said, "By the way, George said he's coming in a couple of days. He has a match in Nightfall City and will stay for about a week."
After wiping Sophia's body, Katniss put the towel in the basin to wash it clean and glanced at Sophia, who had fallen asleep at some point.
She then continued, "When the time comes, let the caregiver look after Mom. You should go see him and cheer him on. He's our friend, after all."
After a long silence, Matilda nodded. "Alright, we'll see when the time comes."
"How's Mom doing this week? What did Dr. Perez say?" Katniss asked.
As night fell, the neon lights began to reflect into the hospital room. Katniss and Matilda sat facing each other.
Their conversation was quiet but clear. Katniss casually tucked Matilda's stray hair behind her ear.
Matilda looked really downcast and sighed softly. "No progress. Dr. Perez said the initial progress is the fastest, and then it slows down."
From the moment Sophia opened her eyes and responded within a few days, Matilda had been overjoyed, thinking recovery was just around the corner.
But this state had persisted for a month with no progress, leaving her very disappointed.
"Now thatMom's on the targeted medication, Dr. Perez said her cancer could be cured in two or three months. Then we can take her home for rehab."
Katniss patted Matilda's shoulder, comforting her, "Having Mom see us every day, taking her out in a wheelchair for walks, all of this will help her recovery. Her recovery speed will definitely increase."
"Really?" Matilda, who had put all her energy into caring for Sophia, didn't pay as much attention to some issues as Katniss did.
"Would I lie to you? Just hold on for another two or three months, and we'll bring Mom home!"
With that, Matilda's eyes instantly reddened.
Feeling uncomfortable in her dress, Katniss found some of Matilda's clothes to change into.
But Matilda's style didn't quite match hers; it was a short skirt and a cropped top.
Her slender waist was faintly visible, a stark contrast to her usual style, but she had to make do for a couple of days.
When night had fully fallen, she received a message from Saskia: [Are you not planning to deal with the woman impersonating you to chat with Stanley?]
Katniss wanted to handle it but didn't know where to start. Besides, Stanley probably already knew the person was a fake.
Maybe the impostor had already been alerted, and nothing could be found out.
Saskia: [Just a reminder, if you don't show some evidence, the Ortiz Family won't let it go, and it will affect you.]
Seeing that Katniss wasn't replying, Saskia knew she intended to let it go.
Katniss was a tutor, and her students were all from the upper class. If the Ortiz Family made a fuss, no one would dare to hire her for lessons in the future.
Convinced by Saskia, Katniss replied: [Got it.]
After thinking it over, she realized she had to start with Stanley.
Thinking of Stanley inevitably led her to think of Tristan, and her emotions became chaotic.
Suddenly, the hospital room felt stifling. She grabbed a coat and quietly left the room.
Sitting alone on the bench in the hospital's small garden, she noticed it was already past nine at night.
Tristan's figure appeared in her mind—every move, every subtle change in his chiseled features. It was as if they were etched into her heart.
A gust of night wind jolted her awake. How could she let Tristan affect her? His visit to Nightfall City was just a brief episode in her life. No matter what happened, she shouldn't dwell on it.
She sniffed and took out her phone to call Stanley.
She dialed the original number she had blocked, which should be Stanley's.
The phone rang for only a few seconds before it was answered, and Stanley's uncertain voice came through, "Katniss?"
"It's me," she said calmly, "I want to talk to you about someone impersonating me to chat with you."
Mentioning this made Stanley's head hurt. A man with so much experience in relationships had been fooled!
But then he realized that Katniss contacting him must mean that if this matter wasn't clarified, it would affect her.
"I know who that person is," Stanley said.
Katniss frowned. "You know?"
Hearing her skeptical tone, Stanley explained, "Of course. I, Stanley, don't stoop to lying."
But for him to say it so openly, he must want something.
Katniss fell silent for a moment.
Stanley said, "Don't worry, this person is a mutual enemy. As long as you don't block my number again and add me on Facebook, I'll tell you who she is."
Stanley had figured out Katniss's personality from the few calls he had made to her. He had never met a woman like her, and his desire to conquer her surged.
Today, he was determined to win Katniss over, no matter what!
"That's all fine, but you can't interfere with my normal life," Katniss said, backing down a bit in response to his straightforwardness.
"Deal." Stanley seemed to think of something, "Is your Facebook account linked to your phone number?"
Katniss responded affirmatively, then suddenly heard footsteps. She looked over and saw Tristan standing not far away.
Behind him were Aaron and Ryan, carrying luggage, seemingly there to discharge them.
Tristan's gaze fell on her outfit—a short skirt and a cropped top in the middle of the night.
His scrutinizing look made her inexplicably guilty. She wanted to hang up but accidentally pressed the speaker button.
Stanley's distinctive voice rang out, "Alright then, let's connect on Facebook. If you're free later, let's have a video call."
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