Chapter 160 Overestimating Yourself to Insult Me
Katniss's pained look snapped Tristan back to reality.
He took a few deep breaths, then slowed down, his cool lips trailing from the corner of her eye.
The big hand gripping her wrist loosened, and his fingers gently rubbed her reddened skin.
He knew Katniss's body too well. The pain on her face quickly faded, and the room's temperature kept climbing.
Katniss felt annoyed at her own weakness. Every time he wanted her, she couldn't even put up the simplest fight and would end up getting lost in it.
She gritted her teeth and held on until he was done in the middle of the night. Instead of crashing, she tried to get up on her sore legs to leave.
But as soon as she got out of bed, her legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the carpet.
Behind her, she heard his low chuckle, and her ears turned red. She turned back to glare at him. "What are you laughing at?"
"Laughing at you thinking you could insult me by trying to leave."
Tristan had almost vented all his desire. If she could get out of bed, wouldn't that be an insult to him?
"You..." Katniss bit her lip, her tangled hair partially hiding the prominent kiss marks on her body.
Sitting on the floor, she was at eye level with Tristan lying on the bed, and she could vaguely see the defined muscles of his forearm propping up his head.
His strong body under the thin blanket was perfect, but that face was really infuriating.
"Didn't you say you didn't believe me?" Her voice carried a hint of barely noticeable grievance.
The moment she finished speaking, Tristan's expression darkened, and he moved to the edge of the bed.
He pinched her chin with his fingers, making her look at him. "With your skills, you might have the thought but not the stamina."
He couldn't say where the anger that clouded his mind came from, but it dissipated only when he clearly felt she belonged to him in bed.
It felt like being poisoned, and she was the antidote.
Katniss's ears were very red, and she sneered at his arrogance.
Her throat was a bit hoarse. Although she hadn't dared to be too loud earlier, the prolonged duration still strained her voice.
He leaned forward, hooking her waist and letting her lie on his chest, covering them both with the thin blanket.
"What exactly do you want?" Katniss weakly struggled, her soft body pressed against his.
She spoke feebly, "The Gibson Family is going to invest in you. The project is proceeding smoothly. I'll only be Aaron's tutor in the future. We shouldn't be doing this anymore."
His rough hand roamed over her smooth back, sending a shiver through her.
Finally, his hand stopped at her waist. He looked down at her still-flushed cheeks and asked, "Why didn't you say that earlier?"
As long as they weren't in bed, her rationality was intact.
She lifted her eyelids to glare at him, her shallow breaths falling on his chest.
"The Gibson Family didn't invest," Tristan said, his thin lips barely moving.
Katniss was stunned, using some strength to lift her head from his chest. "Why? Wasn't Stanley's issue resolved?"
"The Gibson Family's funding chain hit some snags. It's true. Tony was worried I'd think he was bluffing, so he brought Daniel to prove it."
Tristan reached for a cigarette on the table, placing one in his mouth. The flame reflected on his face, making him look even more enticing under the satisfaction.
But Katniss couldn't appreciate it. She tidied her slightly messy long hair and asked, "What should we do? Seventy million dollars is no small amount. No one else in Nightfall City can come up with that kind of money. If we publicly attract multiple investors, the shares will be too scattered, which would be detrimental to the project."
After all, this was her field. Although she hadn't worked in a year, these rules were unchanging.
"Why, are you very worried?" Smoke billowed from Tristan's thin lips as he spoke, his deep eyes fixed on her.
The entire villa was quiet in the deep night. In the large room, the only light between them came from the cigarette.
"At a time like this, you still have the mood to joke?" Katniss turned her head away, ignoring him. She wasn't sure if her worry was for Tristan or for the long-planned project.
Her long hair fell over her shoulders, her collarbone faintly visible, the thin blanket clinging to her barely concealed body.
This made Tristan's eyes darken considerably. It wasn't that his needs were great; it was that she was too tempting.
He extinguished the cigarette and tossed it into the ashtray on the bedside table, his voice hoarse. "Don't worry. Just take good care of my 'business' in the future."
As he spoke, he lay back, pulling her to straddle his waist.
"Your turn," he said.
Katniss never expected he still had the energy and stamina.
He managed to make her take control, and what was already the latter half of the night continued until dawn.
Before she fell asleep, she worried that Aaron might overthink if he knew she stayed overnight.
He whispered in her ear, "Sleep well. Leave the rest to me."
And then she fell asleep.
When she woke up again, it was broad daylight, and the noon sun was shining brightly.
She grabbed her phone from the bedside table and realized it was almost noon.
She quickly got up, grabbed some clothes from her suitcase, changed, and freshened up before leaving the room.
Aaron, sitting at the dining table, turned around and waved at her. "Ms. Grey, come have lunch."
Katniss paused for a few seconds before heading to the dining room, her eyes landing on the tall figure in the kitchen.
There were already four dishes on the table, and he was still busy.
"No need to be polite, just sit," Aaron said, leaning forward with half his body on the table. "Did you know Tristan from before?"
"Why?" Katniss didn't dare say much, not knowing how Tristan had explained her overnight stay to Aaron.
Aaron said, "Tristan said you spent the whole night helping him make money, solving the funding issue for that project."
Katniss's mouth twitched, and she furrowed her brows as she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. How could he say something like that?
"Adults' business, kids shouldn't pry," Tristan said as he came out of the kitchen, placing a dish in front of Katniss.
The gentle reprimand was directed at Aaron.
Aaron's throat tightened, and he shrank back, not saying another word.
The three of them ate in silence.
Tristan seemed very busy, constantly fiddling with his phone. He put down his knife and fork halfway through lunch.
"Once you're full, you can get back to work. I have a meeting upstairs," he said to Katniss, giving her a glance before quickly heading upstairs.
Katniss acknowledged him, quickly finished her meal, and helped clean up the dishes.
She then returned to her room, repacked her luggage, and left without saying a word.
It was noon, and the streets were bustling. Perhaps because it was close to the New Year, all the malls were starting to decorate.
The deafening music filtered through the car windows as Katniss stopped at a traffic light, her eyes clear and deep.
To her, Tristan seemed to have a kind of magic.
In his bed, in front of him, she could never stay calm.
But once she pulled away, she knew exactly what she needed to do.
Stay away from Tristan, don't let him affect her even a little, and return to the peaceful life she had for the past year.
But the thought of having to go to Celestial Villas every night to tutor Aaron troubled her.
She decided to take it one step at a time.
Fortunately, Tristan seemed to be getting busy. Since Tony couldn't invest, he had to replan to keep the project going.
For over ten days, she didn't see Tristan when she went to tutor.
He was completely out of touch, as if he had disappeared.
She even wondered if he had given up on the project and returned to Velvet City.
Although she hadn't seen Tristan, Saskia had returned. Late at night, after tutoring Aaron, Katniss came back home.
Seeing the lights on, she thought there was a burglar and grabbed a baseball bat from the trunk.
She quietly unlocked the door, tense and ready.
Suddenly, she saw Saskia in cartoon pajamas with a face mask coming out of a room.
Their eyes met, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Saskia curiously asked, "What are you doing?"
"I almost mistook you for a burglar. Why are you back?" Katniss put down the baseball bat and hung up her coat.
Saskia chuckled and replied, "This is my home. Why are you so surprised that I'm back?"
Katniss paused while changing her shoes, hesitated for a moment, and casually asked, "Did Nicholas leave?"
"Yes?" Saskia responded. With the face mask on, Saskia's expression was unreadable, but her eyes were full of mischief.
She walked over to Katniss and sighed. "If you want to cry, just cry."
Katniss's question about Nicholas was really about Tristan. She believed Saskia understood, so did that mean Tristan had left?
Her eyes were indifferent. She hesitated for two seconds before smiling and turning to the kitchen, opening the fridge to get a drink.
"Why would I cry? My mom's illness is almost cured. Matilda and I have finally made it. We'll earn money to support the family. The three of us will live happily together," Katniss said.
Saskia followed her in, leaned on the back of a dining chair, and stared at her. "Really? Once your mom wakes up, she'll start worrying about your future. What are you going to do? You're almost thirty!"
"Watch your mouth," Katniss retorted. "You're about the same age as me."
"I'm against marriage, and I've cut ties with my family. No one can control me. But you're different. If your mom begs you, won't you have to go on blind dates, get married, and have kids?" Saskia asked.
Her question was realistic. She was used to planning everything in advance.
Back when she was with the Stuart family, she never flattered Bella like Isla did as she was already prepared to leave.
Katniss also liked to plan, but she found that plans couldn't keep up with changes, so she preferred to go with the flow.
"We'll see when the time comes," Katniss replied.
As soon as she finished speaking, Saskia dragged her back to the room. "It'll be too late then. What if she finds a man and forces you to marry him? Change your clothes and come with me. I'll take you on a blind date!"
Katniss watched her peel off the face mask with a serious expression, her mouth twitching. "Why a blind date out of nowhere? And in the middle of the night, are you going on a date or out to play?"
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