Chapter 171 Have You Thought About It?
"How do I practice?" Katniss had been mulling over this question all afternoon until Tristan texted her at five, saying he was there.
Tristan parked his car on the corner of the next street, just like she asked.
She grabbed her bag and dashed downstairs right as the workday ended. She left with a few colleagues, locking the door and parting ways at the entrance of the educational institution.
She was rocking a black wool coat, a skirt, and a shirt that hit just above her knees. Her long, slender legs were definitely turning heads.
Nightfall City had those crazy temperature swings between morning and evening, so she needed a coat she could ditch at noon.
She gathered her long hair and hurried to the next street.
She spotted the G-Wagon right away, pulled over to the side of the road, with Tristan standing next to it, smoking, dressed in a suit.
He stood tall, back straight as an arrow, with strong, angular features. He had this noble vibe that totally matched the fancy car beside him.
Women kept sneaking glances his way.
He stood with his back to the blood-red sun dipping below the horizon. When he finally turned around, Katniss couldn't make out his expression, the fading light making it impossible.
She saw him flick his cigarette, the glowing tip disappearing into the trash can as he strolled toward her.
In a few steps, he was in front of her, his distinctively jointed hand adjusting her coat. "Get in the car."
"Okay." Katniss's voice softened without her even realizing it, way different from when she had called him.
But he still wasn't satisfied. He opened the car door for her to get in and then walked around to the driver's seat.
Tristan knew the way to the Wilson family’s house. He started the engine and merged into traffic. Before they could say anything, Katniss's phone rang.
She swiped the screen to answer. It was a colleague from the educational institution, a married guy in his thirties. "Ms. Grey, where are you? Didn't you say I should give you a ride to the student's house for tutoring?"
In the afternoon, after hanging up on Tristan, all she could think about was how to practice in the evening.
She had totally forgotten to tell her colleague that she wouldn't need a ride after work.
The car was super quiet, and Tristan heard the colleague's words loud and clear.
He glanced sideways at her. So this was her idea of a 'joke'?
"Thanks, but it's okay. I'll go by myself," she said.
The colleague thought she was just being polite, "Ms. Grey, you don't have to be so formal. It's on my way anyway. So, taking a cab or the bus would be a hassle and a waste of money."
"No, no, my friend is picking me up..." That one sentence dropped the temperature in the car significantly!
Katniss's throat tightened, and she quickly corrected herself, "My boyfriend, my boyfriend is picking me up."
"Alright, I know you're just being polite. No need to make up such excuses," the colleague teased, thinking Katniss was just trying to be nice because he was married. He didn't push it and hung up.
Katniss also hung up and turned to Tristan, "I really told him, but he didn't believe me."
"No worries, he'll believe it tomorrow," Tristan said with a smirk.
Katniss didn't get what he meant and asked, "So what are you gonna do after you drop me off at the Wilsons'? I need to stay for two hours."
The round trip would eat up half the time, but he couldn't just wait around, right?
"I've got some business to discuss with Daniel. Two hours should be just right," he said.
Tony had initially asked Daniel to discuss the broken funding chain, so it made sense for Tristan to have Daniel relay the message about the Gibson family.
Tristan had called ahead, and when they arrived, Daniel was already waiting at the door.
Seeing Katniss get out of the car, Daniel was momentarily stunned but quickly regained his composure. "Mr. Forbes, Ms. Grey, please come in."
Several people were busy in the kitchen, seemingly prepping dinner.
Seeing this, Tristan said, "No need to trouble yourselves; we won't be dining here."
"We've already prepared something. It's just that you called a bit late, so we didn't prepare anything special," Daniel said.
Even though Tristan had mentioned on the phone that they would leave after Katniss's lesson, Daniel still had the kitchen preparing dinner.
"After Ms. Grey finishes tutoring Donna, we can all have a meal together. It would be nice." His warm hospitality was hard to refuse.
But Katniss felt it was inappropriate. As Donna's tutor, it wasn't right for her to always dine at the Wilsons' house.
And Tristan wanted to go home and have a quiet dinner with Katniss.
Too many people, too much hassle.
"Don't force it!" Wren walked over, looking at Daniel. "Mr. Forbes and Ms. Grey are very busy. Stop causing trouble."
Daniel was momentarily confused but quickly got the hint and said, "We'll discuss it later. Ms. Grey, you should start your lesson!"
Hearing this, Katniss felt a bit embarrassed but tried to keep her cool. She smiled at them before quickly heading upstairs.
Since Aaron had stopped attending lessons, this was Katniss's eighth solo session with Donna.
She noticed that Donna's mood was getting worse day by day.
As soon as she entered the room, she saw Donna hiding something under the table but didn't say anything about it, sitting down beside her.
"Ms. Grey, what are we going to study today?" Donna spoke first, trying to cover up her unusual behavior with conversation.
Katniss put her bag aside and said, "Let's not study today. Let's just chat."
She rubbed her temples, looking a bit tired, and said, "I've been really busy these past few days and quite exhausted. How about you? Do you get tired from coming back for extra lessons after school every day?"
"Tired," Donna admitted, but quickly added, "But it's worth it if it means getting into a good high school."
Hearing this, Katniss smiled, her eyes fluttering slightly, and sighed, "You'll definitely make it. If Aaron could study properly, he would, too. It's just a pity."
She dragged out the last word, leaving the rest unsaid. Donna immediately looked anxious and asked, "Ms. Grey, what happened to Aaron? Why did he stop tutoring?"
After their argument that day, Donna had a bad feeling.
Sure enough, Katniss started tutoring her alone afterward.
"His sister didn't like my tutoring methods, so so we've paused the sessions for now.. Whether he continues with me or someone else depends, but he will definitely continue tutoring." Katniss understood that Donna's low spirits were because of Aaron.
She thought for a moment and said, "You want to get into a good high school in Nightfall City. With your abilities, it shouldn't be a big problem. Just keep pushing yourself and don't worry about Aaron."
"No, Ms. Grey," Donna quickly said. "My mom said my dad might get a job transfer to Velvet City next year. If that happens, I'll need to get into a good high school in Velvet City."
This worried Katniss a bit. Given Donna's grades, getting into a good high school in Velvet City wouldn't be easy.
"I know my grades aren't great, but my dad thinks I can get in based on my special skills. Of course, I still need to keep my grades up," Donna said.
Donna felt a bit inferior; Aaron was too smart, and she couldn't keep up with him academically.
But as long as they could attend the same high school, it would be fine.
Katniss seemed to understand something, patted Donna on the shoulder, and said, "Your dad is right. Even if you get in based on your special skills, your academics shouldn't be too far behind. Let's get started."
Feeling encouraged, Donna became more diligent than before.
Two hours later, the tutoring session ended.
When Katniss came downstairs, Tristan had already finished his discussion with Daniel.
Tristan had removed his coat and was wearing only a black shirt, and smoke swirled around his face.
Noticing Katniss coming down, he quickly stood up, grabbed his coat, and said, "I've left the Gibson family situation in your hands. Hope my suggestions help them out."
"Absolutely!" Daniel said to Tristan, then nodded to Katniss. He and Wren walked her out.
The G-Wagon's window was half down. After Katniss and Tristan got in, they said goodbye to the Wilson family couple again and then drove away.
The breeze messed up Katniss's long hair, so Tristan rolled up the window, leaving just a crack. "Is this okay?"
"Yes." Katniss gathered her hair and asked, "Are you going to help the Gibson family?"
The Gibson family needed new funding, but where would Tristan get that much money?
She also wanted to know where Tristan had secured the investment for the Synergy Global Corporation project.
"I don't have the money, but there are many ways. Since I'm not familiar with Nightfall City, building a good relationship with the Gibson family will be beneficial for future development." Tristan was constantly thinking about how to settle down in Nightfall City.
This surprised Katniss. "You want to develop in Nightfall City? You're not going back to Velvet City?"
Tristan looked at her sideways, his voice tinged with surprise. "Are you going back to Velvet City?"
"Of course not," Katniss said without hesitation. Nightfall City's climate was beneficial for Sophia's recovery. At least for the next year or so, she couldn't go back.
Tristan stared at her with a serious expression and asked, "If I don't develop in Nightfall City and go back to Velvet City, what about you?"
It made sense, but something about it felt off!
"Long-distance..." Long-distance relationships weren't impossible. But before she could finish, Tristan cut her off, "Long-distance relationships are the most pointless thing in the world."
That year of unrequited love had been enough torment for him. Now that their feelings were mutual, he couldn't let go!
"Most people are in long-distance relationships nowadays. Some even live apart after marriage. Saying that could get you in trouble," Katniss stated the facts. Several teachers at the educational institution were in such situations.
"I'm just making my stance clear," Tristan said firmly.
Synergy Global Corporation had cut off funding for the Nightfall City project, and there were conflicts between the Forbes family father and son. Katniss felt uneasy.
But seeing Tristan act as if nothing was wrong, she didn't ask much.
They stopped at a nearby mall and bought a lot of groceries, filling the fridge at home.
Judging by Tristan's attitude, he seemed prepared to stay here long-term. Katniss couldn't help but think of what Saskia had said about explaining things to her tonight.
But how could Saskia come back?
While Tristan was making dinner, she took a shower and then threw their clothes from the previous day into the washing machine.
She had never thought the house was small before, but with Tristan standing in the kitchen, it felt cramped.
So she had an idea: to get a new house. After all, once Sophia's targeted drug treatment ended after the New Year, she would need to be discharged and slowly recover at home.
As she was thinking, her phone on the dining table suddenly chimed. It was a Facebook message from Samuel. [I just got back to Velvet City these past few days; been busy. Have you thought about it?]
He was referring to the proposal he made at the airport. Katniss felt inexplicably guilty and looked up to see Tristan standing beside her, his deep eyes fixed on her phone.
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