Chapter 158 Inconvenient to Answer?
In the quiet park, Stanley's voice wasn't super loud, but it still reached a few folks nearby.
Tristan lit up a cigarette and strolled over to the roadside to smoke.
This left Ryan hanging, unsure if he should keep chatting with Katniss.
Katniss hung up her phone, her eyes a bit shaky, and walked over to them, lips pressed tight. "Are you getting discharged?" she asked.
"Yeah." Ryan nodded with a smile and glanced back at Tristan.
Under the streetlight, Tristan's tall figure cast a long shadow, smoke curling from his lips.
He still didn't say a word, not even a glance their way.
"Then you should head back." Katniss felt a heavy weight in her chest and only gave Tristan a quick look. But his image stuck in her mind.
After a moment, Ryan decided to say goodbye. "Ms. Grey, you should head home and get some rest; it's really late."
Aaron chimed in, "It's the middle of the night, and you're barely dressed. Don't hang around outside."
Then the two of them walked off.
Katniss looked at Tristan, who stood there with a cigarette still burning in his hand.
She couldn't tell if he planned to finish smoking before leaving or if he had something to say.
She didn't leave either, gripping her phone so tightly her fingertips turned white.
Just as she was about to speak, she heard the sound of a video call.
Looking down, she saw it was from Stanley. She frowned and hung up.
But soon, Stanley called again.
"What is it?" Tristan stubbed out his cigarette, pressing it hard on the trash can tray. He tilted his head slightly to look at her, his lips parting a bit. "Can't answer because I'm here?"
"Of course not." Katniss quickly denied it; she had no intention of answering Stanley's video call.
What Stanley said earlier was his own idea; she hadn't agreed to it.
But seeing the slight smirk on Tristan's lips, she seemed to get it.
He tossed the crumpled cigarette butt into the trash, put his hands in his pockets, and turned to leave.
After a long while, Katniss took a deep breath and went back to the ward.
Stanley sent her several voice messages, asking why she didn't answer the video call.
She replied, saying her family was asleep, and then asked who was pretending to be her in the chat.
Stanley said he'd come to the education institution to find her on Monday and would tell her then.
It seemed Stanley wouldn't spill the beans without using this chance to get closer.
Since he picked the education institution, Katniss had no reason to worry and just agreed.
Two days flew by. On Sunday night, Katniss left the hospital and remembered something when she got to the intersection.
Her luggage was still at Tristan's place, and now that Ryan was discharged, she shouldn't keep staying at Celestial Villas.
But thinking about Tristan's back when he left that night, she wasn't sure how to ask for her stuff.
She shot a message to Ryan to feel things out.
Ryan said Tristan had taken Aaron to dinner with Nicholas and the others and would probably be home really late.
So, she went back to her own place and decided to get her things another time.
On Monday morning, she wore loose jeans, a white shirt, and a beige trench coat.
Her long hair was tied back, with some loose strands falling over her shoulders.
Without makeup, she looked fresh and youthful, like a recent college grad.
But her beautiful eyes held some unreadable emotions, making people curious and adding a touch of mystery.
When she drove to the education institution, she realized she hadn't been there in a while. A few colleagues at the entrance hurried over to greet her.
She smiled and nodded back, heading straight to her office to catch up on last week's unfinished work.
Around ten o'clock, Stanley sent a message asking her to come downstairs.
She looked out the window and saw Stanley's car parked by the roadside, with the window half-down showing he was alone inside.
She got up, grabbed her coat, and walked downstairs to Stanley's car, bending down slightly. "Mr. Ortiz."
"Get in the car." Stanley motioned for her to sit in the passenger seat.
Katniss's eyes darkened, and her tone turned colder. "If you have something to say, just say it. It's just a name; no need to get in the car."
Stanley said, "Last time at the coffee shop, I thought you were just a flirt, so I used some low tactics. Now I know you're not like that, and I won't disrespect you again."
Stanley, though a bit of a jerk, was experienced in relationships and knew how to handle different types of women.
For someone like Katniss, a tough attitude wouldn't work.
He handed the car keys to Katniss and said, "I'm not taking you anywhere. It's broad daylight, and I won't do anything to you in the car. I just want you to watch a good show."
Looking at the car keys he handed over, Katniss hesitated for a few seconds before taking them and walking around to the driver's seat.
The car was filled with a strong perfume scent, making her frown as soon as she got in.
Suddenly, she found the faint smell of tobacco and cologne on Tristan much more pleasant.
"Watch this," Stanley said as he rolled up the car window, then took out his phone and opened Facebook, initiating a voice call to Eris.
After about ten seconds, the video call connected, and it was clear that Eris was speaking in a very low voice. "Stanley, why are you calling me at this hour?"
"I had a friend buy a bag for you abroad. Since I'm in the hospital, I had him deliver it to the entrance of the education institution. It's a black BMW, waiting for you."
After Stanley finished speaking, Eris's voice couldn't hide her excitement. She quickly hung up, saying she would come out immediately.
Katniss belatedly understood something and asked, "This person works at the education institution?"
She thought for a few seconds and had someone in mind.
Sure enough, within two minutes, Eris came out of the education institution, her eyes falling on their car. She jogged over and knocked on the window.
The window rolled down, and Eris bent over with a smile, "Hello, I am..."
Before she could finish her sentence, she saw who was in the car, and her face changed instantly.
"Go on, who are you?" Stanley pushed the car door open as if to get out.
Perhaps out of instinct, Eris quickly shut the car door.
Not knowing what to say, she turned and ran back into the education institution.
Running in high heels without any care, her posture was awkward and laughable.
It was too late for Stanley to chase after her, so he didn't bother. "The first time I came here to find you, she said she knew you well and gave me your Facebook."
"I see." Katniss's face darkened. She didn't care if Eris wanted to mess around with Stanley. But now that she had brought trouble to her, she had to deal with it.
"Thanks for letting me know. I'll handle it." She tried to unlock the car door but found it wouldn't budge.
She turned to look at Stanley, realizing he had locked the car at some point.
"Don't be in such a hurry to leave; I have more to say." Stanley turned his body slightly to face Katniss. "Do you know who told me you work here?"
Given Stanley's status, it wouldn't be hard for him to investigate her background.
But from what Stanley said, it seemed that her phone number and job information weren't found through investigation but were told to him by someone?
Katniss frowned slightly and released her grip on the door lock. "Mr. Ortiz, if you have something to say, just say it."
"Alright, I'll get straight to the point," Stanley said. "It was Jesse's mom who encouraged me to pursue you. I guess she wants to mess with you, thinking you're affecting her son."
Juliet? It only took a moment for Katniss to piece it all together.
Stanley just wanted to have some fun, but he wouldn't be so persistent. If he couldn't get her, he'd move on to another woman.
But Juliet must have played a role, making Stanley so determined.
Stanley said, "The Turners are quite powerful. If they really go after you, you'll be in trouble. Why not be with me? I can make sure she won't mess with you."
Hearing this, Katniss was silent for a few seconds before asking, "Being with you, how?"
As a mistress, or would he marry her?
"We're all adults here; you should understand what I mean. Don't be so naive." Stanley's expression was both surprised and amused.
Katniss had no family background or connections; he wouldn't marry a woman like her!
"Don't worry, for someone like me, marriage is just a formality. I'll still do whatever I want outside. As long as you behave, I can give you anything you want except a title," Stanley said.
A lifetime as a mistress without a title.
Katniss was dazed for a few seconds, feeling like she couldn't escape the fate of being a mistress.
"Thank you for your kindness, but I'm not the kind of woman you think I am. I don't lack money, and I'm not afraid of Juliet. If I can't stay here, I'll just go somewhere else. So I refuse your help. I need to get back to work." Katniss said and gestured for Stanley to unlock the car door.
Stanley hesitated for a few seconds and then offered another condition. "You can get married in the future, have a boyfriend, live your own life, and still get a lot of money from me. Why not?"
"For someone like Eris, that might be a good deal. For me, it's an insult. Different personalities lead to different views and positions, so we'll never agree on this." Katniss knocked on the car door, her patience wearing thin. "Open the door."
Stanley turned and took a large bouquet of roses from the back seat, shoving them into her arms, muttering, "I don't believe there's a woman who doesn't love money. You're saying this because you haven't experienced the joy money can bring. Take the flowers and get out!"
He then reminded her, "Don't you have the car keys?"
Katniss was stunned, remembering she had taken the car keys when she got in.
She had been so angry when she saw Eris that she had put the keys on the seat, and now she didn't know where they were.
Seeing this, Stanley unlocked the car door, letting her out with the flowers while he searched for the keys himself.
Katniss could only get out of the car with the flowers. As she turned around, she saw a G-Wagon parked at the education institution, with the half-lowered window revealing Tristan's chiseled profile.
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