Chapter 177 Are You Feeling Better?
"I get what you're saying, but it's gonna look bad if people find out I'm moving in with you and bringing my whole family along." Katniss knew Tristan had good intentions, but she had to think about the practical side of things.
Tristan had already considered her worries. "So, the house is in your name."
Katniss's eyes widened in shock.
"The buying process isn't done yet. We're just waiting for you to bring your ID to finalize it. The money's already paid. If you don't finalize it, the house goes back, and the money's wasted." He knew Katniss too well and figured she wouldn't accept it otherwise, so he played this card.
"How much did it cost?" Katniss guessed she couldn't afford it, maybe just enough for a down payment with all her savings.
Tristan saw right through her. "Not as much as you're worth. You wanna settle accounts with me?"
Katniss was speechless. Seeing his expression, she knew they wouldn't agree on this. Besides, if they started calculating everything, it would hurt their relationship.
To him, this house was nothing.
Sophia still had some time before she could leave the hospital, so Katniss decided to stay for now and deal with it later.
She tilted her head back, her golden hair cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall of sunshine, and leaned into him.
Her hands rested on his waist, and her chin was on his chest. "Am I really that valuable?"
He lowered his head, his lips brushing her hair. "Priceless."
He casually closed the door, one hand on her waist, but didn't make the next move.
It was rare for her to be so forward, so he decided to let her take the lead this time.
Katniss's hand clutched his shirt, her palms a bit sweaty.
His sexy Adam's apple, the loose collar, and the faint glimpse of his collarbone made her pulse quicken.
But it wasn't the right time to do this just after entering the house.
She raised an eyebrow, pulled her hand back, and said, "Let's check out the house first. We'll do this tonight!"
The weight on him lightened as she turned and went inside, her long hair drawing an arc in the air.
A strand of her hair slipped through his fingers, his eyes darkening as he followed her inside.
The apartment was huge, with a living room, kitchen, and four bedrooms on the first floor.
The second floor had a study and a bedroom, and the third floor had the same layout as the second.
Tristan picked their room on the third floor and had already set everything up. For convenience, there was also a small kitchen on the third floor.
"The third floor's too high. The second floor would be better," Katniss said, not thrilled about climbing all those stairs every day.
"Higher's better; it's quieter, and no one will bother us," Tristan replied.
In the spacious room, Tristan opened the window, showing off a mountain view. The apartments around here were pretty spread out.
His main point was: at night, she wouldn't disturb anyone either.
He didn't say it, but Katniss felt it, and she found herself trapped between his chest and the window sill.
His fresh, pleasant scent was stronger than before, and his eyes were locked on her face.
She pretended not to get it and found a chance to slip out of his embrace.
They left the apartment and headed straight to the old house to pack their things. Tristan also needed to go back to Celestial Villas to grab his stuff.
On the way, Katniss told Saskia about her moving out.
Saskia called back, demanding a treat.
Nicholas was also making a fuss in the background.
Seeing this, she asked Tristan what he thought.
"Sure, let's also invite Eudora and Aaron," Tristan said. He hadn't mentioned the move to Eudora yet.
Mentioning Eudora, Katniss couldn't help but ask, "Are you and Eudora close?"
"She grew up with the Forbes family," Tristan answered briefly.
After a moment, he added, "My relationship with her is neutral. She's been around since I can remember. It's like family."
This was unexpected for Katniss. She thought Eudora had been adopted by some wealthy family in Velvet City and chosen by Tristan's parents to be his wife.
After all, she hadn't forgotten that Tristan's mother had mentioned that Eudora had been waiting for him.
"No matter what others think, Eudora and I feel the same. Growing up together, how could we develop feelings? We were both against it once we realized. So when I went to college, I didn't care about the rumors about me and Bella, and Eudora went abroad." Tristan adjusted the steering wheel, his thin lips moving as he recounted the whole story.
It surprised Katniss. "What do you mean by rumors about you and Bella? Weren't you two together?"
"To be precise, it was her one-sided crush. I rejected her a few times, but she wouldn't give up. Because of Michael, I had to let her be," he said.
As a result, rumors about him and Bella being together spread like wildfire in school.
After graduation, his parents urged him to marry Eudora.
At the same time, the Astor family proposed that he marry Bella. Maybe out of youthful rebellion, he chose an extreme way to oppose his parents.
So he planned to marry Bella, but Bella ran away.
Katniss wasn't sure if she felt sympathy for Tristan or something else.
Seeing his furrowed brows, she decided to change the topic. "What should we eat tonight?"
"I'll have Ryan arrange it. Just send the address to Saskia and have her and Nicholas come over," Tristan said.
After grabbing her things from Katniss's place, they headed to Celestial Villas, but Eudora and Aaron weren't there.
After a lot of running around, they finally got back to Whispering Pines Estate by evening.
At seven o'clock, the doorbell rang.
Besides Nicholas, Saskia, Eudora, and Aaron, there were two unexpected guests: Michael and Bella.
After a year, Bella looked a bit worn out, and her fancy outfit couldn't hide the sadness in her eyes.
Michael was still the same: noble and lazy. His gaze swept over Katniss, who was standing beside Tristan. "What? Not welcoming us?"
Tristan smirked, put his arm around Katniss's shoulder, and stepped aside. "Of course not. Come on in."
Led by Michael, the group entered the house, and the once-empty apartment suddenly became lively.
As Bella brushed past Katniss, her eyes were filled with intense hatred.
Still hung up on Tristan? Katniss couldn't help but find it amusing.
The scenes from a year ago in the hospital had exhausted her patience with Bella.
If Bella could behave herself, that would be fine.
But if she didn't, Katniss wouldn't hold back.
"Tristan." Eudora stayed by their side, smiling and nodding at Katniss.
Then she whispered to Tristan, "Don't make things too tense. We all grew up together. While you were in Nightfall City, Synergy Global Corporation was in chaos, and the Astor family helped a lot."
The two families had a good relationship. Although Bella had created some tension for Adelaide, the families still interacted and were quite close.
"I know," Tristan said, glancing at Katniss. "As long as they don't cause trouble."
Hearing this, Eudora frowned slightly, sighed, and went inside with Aaron.
Perhaps because Katniss could continue being his tutor, Aaron seemed in a good mood, giving Katniss a playful look with his hands in his pockets.
Katniss couldn't help but smile. As she turned her head, she suddenly saw Samuel standing by Michael's car outside.
'He's here as well?' Katniss thought.
Ryan and a few bodyguards brought in the groceries, blocking Katniss's view.
Tristan led her inside, and the group sat down in the dining room.
Dozens of dishes were placed on the table, and Tristan instructed Ryan to put Katniss's favorite dishes in front of her.
Under everyone's gaze, he prepared her utensils and took care of her meticulously.
"Didn't expect Tristan and Katniss to get this far," Michael was the first to speak, his tone unreadable.
His probing gaze fell on Katniss.
Katniss's eyes were indifferent, fearlessly meeting his gaze. "Where did Mr. Astor think things could go with us?"
Half-joking, half-serious, and full of confidence.
Michael wasn't angry. "It's too early to say. I can't make any conclusions until the final step."
"Then talk less and eat more," Tristan replied.
In the year Katniss had been gone, he had seen Michael only a handful of times.
Now that he had just gotten together with Katniss, Michael had come all the way from Velvet City, bringing Bella along.
The purpose was obvious to everyone.
He glanced at Katniss, who was happily eating the food he gave her. She had become much bolder than before.
He was happy about this.
"This dish is good; everyone should try it," Nicholas said, pointing to a dish in front of him and breaking the awkward atmosphere.
He shifted the topic to the food and then to Aaron's studies.
Anything to prevent Michael from ruining the mood.
Throughout the meal, Katniss didn't say much, not because she couldn't join the conversation.
It was because Tristan kept feeding her. As soon as her plate was empty, he filled it up again.
When she was too full to eat anymore, he didn't mind and finished what she couldn't.
This made Saskia exclaim that Katniss was amazing.
When Katniss went to the bathroom, Saskia followed, full of admiration.
She was also quite surprised, never expecting Tristan to go to such lengths.
"Looks like I need to start saving up," Saskia said, patting her pocket. "I'll need to give a wedding gift when you two get married."
Now that she had cut ties with the Stuart family, she wasn't poor but definitely not wealthy.
After all, she was used to living like a princess, and her expenses were quite high.
Katniss raised an eyebrow, her gaze falling on the people in the dining room. "Take your time saving, no rush."
Following her gaze, Saskia immediately saw Bella staring at them with a dark expression.
"How creepy," Saskia muttered. "What's a depressed person doing here? Michael is being too much. Are you not worried about making Bella's condition worse?"
Instead of staying in the hospital for proper treatment and letting her watch Katniss and Tristan being lovey-dovey, what was the point?
Katniss couldn't figure it out either. She was about to say something when she saw Bella get up and walk towards them.
"Like a horror movie," Saskia muttered, then stood up straight and moved in front of Katniss.
When Bella came over, Saskia intercepted her before she could say anything to Katniss. "Bella, are you feeling better?"
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