Chapter 162 Think from My Perspective
Katniss watched through the car window as Tristan strolled around the front and slid into the driver's seat.
Just as the engine roared to life and they were about to take off, Nicholas came rushing up from behind and tapped on the window twice.
The window rolled down halfway. Nicholas flashed a smile at Katniss before leaning in to whisper to Tristan, "I'll handle Saskia tonight. You two can go wherever."
"Anything else?" Tristan's fingers hovered over the window button, ready to roll it up and leave.
"Relax, I've got the Gibson Family's financial mess under control. You've been working hard; take a break." Nicholas took a couple of steps back and waved at Katniss.
Katniss, not really in the mood, still managed a polite smile.
Before her smile could fully form, Tristan had already rolled up the window. His hand, with its well-defined fingers, turned the steering wheel, and the car eased away.
In the quiet car, Nicholas's words echoed in Katniss's mind.
'Investigate the Gibson Family's financial troubles?' she thought.
The Gibson Family had just agreed to work with Tristan, and now their finances were suddenly in shambles. It was hard not to overthink it.
'But who would dare go against Tristan?' she wondered.
She glanced at Tristan's profile, his features tense. "Have you been really busy lately?" she asked.
"Not too busy, just busier than you, who has time to hang out at bars late at night," Tristan snorted. He turned the steering wheel sharply, and the car tilted to the left, overtaking another vehicle.
"I'm an adult. What does going to a bar have to do with you?" Katniss's voice rose a bit. She looked out the window and added, "Thanks for helping me out earlier. Just drop me off at the next intersection; I'll grab a cab home."
She wasn't planning on going home with him, after all.
"Your thanks are a bit half-hearted." Tristan stopped at a red light and glanced sideways at her.
Her crossed legs caught his eye, and her floral dress had ridden up to her thighs.
She was slender, barely over ninety pounds, with just the right curves in the right places, the rest all bones.
As they approached the intersection, just as she was about to remind him she needed to go home, she saw him turn the car towards her place.
The ride was quiet, and the car finally stopped downstairs.
Katniss thanked him and reached for the door, but it was still locked.
Tristan casually pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and rolled down the window.
Turning back to look at her, he said, "Just planning to leave like that? Not inviting me up?"
"Tonight's not a good time." Katniss shot back, firm and decisive.
They were both adults, and having been intimate more than once, she knew he was interested in more than just a chat.
If she let him up, it was basically an open invitation to her bed!
"Do you have any other business?" Katniss asked.
Her eyes caught his wrist resting on the window, looking both lazy and noble, smoke curling from his fingers.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, and she noticed a hint of fatigue in his eyes.
After a moment, he took a drag of his cigarette and said, "You still owe me money from last time."
Katniss, both annoyed and amused, opened her wallet and pulled out her only $100 bill. Just as she was about to hand it over, she asked, "Do you have change?"
Tristan's face darkened. "How much are you planning to give?"
"Fifty dollars."
The whole "selling himself" thing was just a joke; she wanted to give as little as possible.
Before she could even process it, the money was snatched from her fingers.
The next second, he flicked the cigarette butt, rolled up the window, unbuckled her seatbelt, and grabbed her waist.
With a slight force, she was spun around and ended up straddling him!
He even thoughtfully reminded her, "Lower your head."
Instinctively, she lowered her head, almost touching his nose, avoiding a bump.
"Katniss, you're not being good at all." His whispered words sent shivers down her spine as his hands rested on her waist without making another move.
With his head slightly raised, his Adam's apple was more prominent.
"What are you talking about?" Katniss asked, her heart racing.
His hands on her waist tightened slightly, his voice magnetic. "When we first got together, it was just you and me. But you went to a bar while I wasn't around. What were you planning?"
His righteous questioning made Katniss feel guilty.
She didn't know that even this kind of relationship could involve questioning each other.
"I just went to hang out with Saskia, nothing more." She confessed honestly.
Given the current situation, lying would only cause trouble.
Tristan let out a light snort and said in a hoarse voice, "So how do you plan to make it up to me?"
"Keep the hundred dollars; no need for change," Katniss said without hesitation.
Tristan frowned, his hands moving from her waist to her head, pulling her in for a kiss.
Having just smoked, his cool lips tasted strongly of tobacco, mingling with the cherry flavor of her lipstick, creating an instantly addictive scent.
Although the car was spacious, it was still cramped, especially with the lights from the nearby buildings making it hard to get into the mood.
Katniss quickly reined in her thoughts and adjusted her erratic breathing.
"I don't like owing anything. This kiss covers the fifty dollars," said Tristan.
He looked unsatisfied, his eyes deep, and he gently wiped the excess lipstick from her lips with his thumb.
Seeing the lipstick on his lips, she grabbed a tissue and wiped it off for him.
Then she turned, tidied her clothes, opened the car door, and jumped out, walking away quickly.
She had secretly unlocked the car door earlier and felt a bit smug about her cleverness.
But she didn't know that her little action had been fully observed by him.
He had other matters to attend to tonight, so he let her go for now.
As soon as she got home, Katniss's phone rang. It was a call from Saskia.
Saskia reminded her to bring in the lingerie hanging on the balcony, so Tristan wouldn't see it and think it was impolite.
"He didn't come up," Katniss said as she walked to the window and saw that Tristan's car was still there.
His hand, holding a cigarette, was resting outside the car window. His long, clean fingers flicked the ash, and he took another drag.
It seemed he needed to calm down before leaving.
"He didn't come up?" Saskia was a bit surprised. "Then didn't I create an opportunity for nothing?"
Katniss turned and sat down on the sofa, taking a deep breath. "What opportunity? Next time, can you think about it from my perspective?"
How could she and Tristan ever be a thing? She was already emotionally entangled, and Saskia kept pushing Tristan toward her.
"Don't you like him?" Saskia's question was direct and straightforward.
Katniss pinched the bridge of her nose and forced a smile. "Is it just about whether I like him or not?"
On the other end, Saskia was silent for a while before saying seriously, "Of course, after all, Tristan's attitude is quite clear!"
She started listing things on her fingers for Katniss.
"For example, why did he choose this project in Nightfall City? Isn't it because of you?"
"And, you don't really think the two hundred dollars you gave him could tempt him to sell himself to you, do you?"
"Also, I have something else to tell you. I heard from Nicholas a few days ago that Tristan hasn't liked Bella for a long time. The only reason he's been putting up with her is because Bella has depression, and it's part of an agreement with Michael."
After saying all this, Saskia took a deep breath and added, "I think he likes you."
"Likes you." The words lightly struck Katniss's heart, and she pressed her lips together in silence.
She had heard about Bella's depression. Initially, she thought it was Adelaide's strong opposition that kept Tristan from being with Bella, leading to Bella's depression.
But she hadn't expected that Bella had already developed depression before returning to the country, and Tristan pretended to be with her to help with her treatment.
But Katniss was sure that while Tristan was just pretending, Bella and Michael took it seriously.
"We're all adults here. You've already slept with him, so there's no need to reject him. Give it a try. And don't worry about whether you're getting the short end of the stick. Let me remind you, Tristan won't be returning to Velvet City anytime soon, so don't think you can turn this relationship into something more," Saskia said. Nicholas's voice came from her end, muttering something, and then the call was disconnected.
As night fell, Katniss looked at the bright moon outside the window, her eyes filled with confusion.
If Tristan wasn't leaving here anytime soon, she really needed to consider this passive relationship carefully.
But reality didn't give her much time to think. The next day, when she went to pick up Donna, she heard Daniel praising Tristan with a smile, calling him a good man. And that look in his eyes clearly said, "Katniss, you found a treasure."
She asked a bit more and learned just how intimidating Tristan's words at the bar last night had been.
Almost everyone in Nightfall City's high society knew that Tristan's woman was a tutor named Katniss.
Although Nightfall City was far from Velvet City, those who paid attention to Tristan's every move had heard the news.
At the Forbes Mansion, in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows of the third-floor bedroom, Eudora held a bottle of red wine, her fingers gently swirling it, the brown liquid reflecting the dazzling lights.
She glanced at the content on her phone, her slender eyebrows instantly furrowing.
"How could Michael be so useless?" She lowered her head and downed the wine in her glass.
But soon, her eyes lit up with interest. "However, I'm quite curious about what kind of woman Katniss is to make Tristan so infatuated."
She quickly made a phone call. "Push forward the urgent work at Synergy Global Corporation, and book a flight to Nightfall City."
When Katniss went to tutor Aaron, she didn't see Tristan at Celestial Villas.
She had planned to talk about the rumors circulating outside but didn't want to seek him out just for that. She decided to wait for another opportunity.
But unexpectedly, after her tutoring session, she returned home to find him sitting on the steps, smoking.
At his feet was an empty water bottle with two or three cigarette butts inside.
She stood there with her house key, staring at him in surprise.
"What are you looking at? Not going home?" Tristan extinguished the cigarette butt and threw it into the bottle, standing up with the bottle in hand.
"Yeah, I'm going home." Katniss replied. She didn't believe he came here in the middle of the night just for a cup of tea and a chat. But she still opened the door, instinctively taking out a new pair of slippers from the cabinet and placing them at his feet.
He changed into them and came in, glancing around the place with his brows slightly furrowed.
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