Chapter 159 I Don't Need to Say This
Katniss took a couple of steps forward when the back window of the car suddenly rolled up, leaving just the driver's window halfway open.
"Ms. Grey, Mr. Forbes and I are here to drop off your computer. As for your luggage, it's a bit tricky for us to handle. Since you have to teach Aaron tonight anyway, you might as well pack it yourself then," Ryan said. He got out of the car and grabbed her laptop bag from the trunk.
She really needed the computer, planning to catch up on some work tonight.
Taking the laptop bag, she glanced at the rear window, barely making out Tristan's blurred outline.
She gave Ryan a polite smile. "Thanks, Mr. Gray."
"Don't thank me, it was Mr. Forbes' idea." Ryan also glanced at the tightly closed car window.
Seeing that Tristan had no intention of speaking, he said goodbye, got back in the car, started the engine, and drove off.
Inside the car, a pair of deep eyes stared coldly at the black BMW still parked by the roadside.
His eyes shifted slightly, catching a glimpse of Katniss holding a bouquet of red roses in the rearview mirror, his jawline sharp.
After entering the educational institution, Katniss handed the flowers to the receptionist and asked her to notify Eris to come to her office.
Katniss went back to her office first, looking at the laptop bag on the desk, feeling like Tristan's presence still lingered around it.
Her brows furrowed deeper and deeper.
Until there was a knock on the office door, and the receptionist walked in with a resignation letter. "Ms. Grey, Ms. Thompson said she has an urgent matter and has to leave, so she won't be coming. She asked me to give you this resignation letter and said she doesn't want her salary either."
Katniss took the resignation letter and set it aside. "Got it. Please inform the other teachers to temporarily reassign Ms. Thompson's students."
She hadn't figured out how to handle Eris, and this matter didn't involve the law. So she decided to let it go.
With that in mind, she collected her thoughts and started working, though her brows remained tightly knit.
At five in the afternoon, Daniel told her he had something to discuss with Tristan today.
He would be picking up and dropping off Donna for her tutoring session.
So Katniss packed her things and headed straight to Celestial Villas.
When she arrived, Daniel was in the living room talking to Tristan, both looking very serious.
Seeing her, Tristan lowered his head to smoke, as if he hadn't seen her.
Daniel said, "Donna has already gone up. They're waiting for you to start the lesson."
"Alright, you two keep chatting." Katniss grabbed her bag and headed up to the third floor, stepping into the study.
She found Aaron lounging on a bean bag chair, fiddling with an old phone.
Donna was already seated, her materials spread out, sneaking glances at Aaron while pretending to read.
Seeing her, Donna quickly whispered, "Ms. Grey is coming, stop playing."
Aaron turned off his game, got up slowly, and took a seat at the desk.
"I mentioned before that I’d give you two a quiz. Let's do it today." Katniss acted like she hadn’t noticed him playing, placing two test papers in front of Aaron and Donna.
Aaron grumbled, "We haven't had a lesson for a week, and now you want to give us a test?"
"We haven't had a lesson, but I made videos of the key points and sent them to the group. There are no new topics, just review material. If you don't know it, that's on you." Katniss sat down opposite them, not giving it another thought.
With her sitting right there, there was no chance of cheating.
Seeing this, the two stopped complaining and got to work on their test papers.
By the end of the week, she’d have a good idea of how they were doing in these subjects.
Katniss always planned every step to make sure things went smoothly.
During the ten-minute break, Katniss let them grab some water and use the restroom while she stayed put, figuring it would only take her ten minutes to pack up afterward.
With twenty minutes left, both handed in their papers.
Donna's paper was neat, with almost every question answered in detail.
But Aaron's paper had a lot of blank spaces, and even the answered ones were pretty rough.
Katniss took just ten minutes to review both papers.
"Donna, you got an A, great job," said Katniss.
This subject was relatively easy for Donna.
Aaron's face darkened, and he lowered his head without saying a word.
Katniss looked at him, her tone just as encouraging. "You got a D. All the questions you answered were correct, the rest were blank because you didn’t know them. I believe once you learn them, your grade will definitely be an A."
Her words genuinely surprised Aaron.
He had thought she would just conclude that his academic performance was poor in comparison and write him off!
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Katniss asked, raising an eyebrow. "You've been out of school for a year, it's normal to forget the basics and not know what you haven't learned. You didn’t expect to get an A, did you? Don’t set such high expectations for yourself, take it step by step."
"Yeah, I saw on your test paper that there was a question I couldn't solve," Donna chimed in, giving Aaron a shy look and whispering, "You're really amazing."
"Alright, Aaron, why don't you explain that question to Donna?" Katniss handed the test papers back to them.
Aaron scoffed as he took it. "Isn't this simple? Let me explain..."
The room was lit, and in the quiet of the night, Aaron's slightly proud voice was the only sound.
Occasionally, when he got stuck, he'd get a bit frustrated.
Katniss would chime in with a hint, and he'd continue explaining.
In about ten minutes, the question was clarified, and Donna got it too.
"Alright, class is over. Pack up your things." Katniss stood up and put the materials back in her bag.
"Goodbye, Ms. Grey. I'm going home with my dad now," Donna said as she packed her backpack and walked out.
Katniss nodded, grabbed her bag, and headed downstairs, while Aaron went back to his room.
Downstairs, the lights were bright, and the crystal chandelier's dazzling light enveloped Daniel and Tristan.
Hearing footsteps, Daniel immediately stood up and said, "Mr. Forbes, here is the things: The Gibson Family asked me to come mainly for this matter, fearing you might be upset."
Tristan extinguished his cigarette, stood up, and nodded at him. "Understandable."
"Alright, I'll be leaving then." Daniel met Donna and took her backpack. "Ms. Grey, it's late. Need a ride home?"
"No need." Katniss quickly waved her hand and thought for a moment before saying, "I still need to grab some things, which will take some time. You go ahead."
Hearing this, Daniel remembered Wren's words and glanced between Tristan and her. "Alright, I'll go then." He left with Donna.
In the large living room, only Katniss and Tristan remained.
The previously somewhat harmonious atmosphere suddenly became suffocating. Without looking up, Katniss said, "I'll pack my things and leave soon."
She turned and went into the room she had stayed in on the first floor, packing all her cosmetics and clothes.
The empty suitcase was quickly filled. As she put things in one by one, she thought about one thing—this absurd deal should end here.
The Gibson Family decided to invest, the project could proceed smoothly, and Tristan should soon return to Velvet City.
Her life would finally return to the same fulfilling and busy routine as the past year. She would no longer be affected.
But she felt a bit empty inside.
After packing the last piece of sleepwear, she zipped up the suitcase and placed it on the floor. Turning around, she saw Tristan standing at the door.
His tall figure leaned against the door frame, long fingers holding a slowly burning cigarette.
A layer of ash had accumulated on the cigarette, indicating he had been standing there for quite some time.
"What? Leaving without saying a word to me?" His thin lips parted, and a strong sense of dissatisfaction hit her.
To Katniss, his tone sounded somewhat sharp and sarcastic.
"Mr. Gray has been discharged from the hospital, hasn't he? I have no reason to stay. This is something you should know, Mr. Forbes."
"Mr. Forbes?" Tristan threw the cigarette, and the still-burning embers hit the ground, sparking a few times.
He walked over slowly, forcing Katniss to step back.
As he got closer, she smelled not only smoke but also alcohol on him, suddenly recalling the red wine on the table when he was talking with Daniel earlier.
She frowned unconsciously, looking up at him. "You... mmph!"
His long arm hooked around her waist, pulling her tightly into his embrace. As he turned, she was forced to let go of the suitcase.
With a light kick, he closed the door.
Her body was pressed against the wall, the cold temperature seeping through her clothes, constantly attacking her back.
But Tristan's body was like a furnace, tightly pressed against her, bringing her warmth.
"What are you doing?" She finally found a chance to speak, turning her head to avoid his approaching kiss.
Her rejection seemed to touch Tristan's bottom line.
"F*ck you," he answered succinctly.
He turned off the light, pulled Katniss onto the bed, and took off her coat, unbuttoning one button before tearing it open.
Buttons scattered on the floor, making a crisp sound.
Before Katniss could react, he was already working on her jeans.
Though the room was dark, his hands accurately unbuttoned her jeans, unzipped them, and his rough and quick actions left Katniss unable to stop him.
Just as she was about to lose her temper, she suddenly heard footsteps outside—it was Aaron.
"Tristan?" he called out.
Katniss immediately bit her lip and held her breath, not daring to make a sound.
Receiving no response, Aaron turned off the living room lights, and his footsteps gradually faded away.
Katniss had just let out a sigh of relief when she realized they were already naked.
In his deep eyes, she saw her face, bathed in moonlight, suddenly showing a hint of pain.
Without any warning, he began.
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