Chapter 183 On the Edge of a Bottomless Abyss
Tristan froze, his knuckles turning white as he tried to keep his cool.
Katniss's bold move sent a jolt through him, stirring up all sorts of feelings.
But she hadn't gone any further.
"Get inside," he rasped, grabbing her wandering hand.
She'd been fumbling with his shirt buttons for ages and hadn't managed to undo a single one. Not exactly a pro at this.
He stepped out of the car, tugging at his suit jacket to hide his, uh, situation.
Luckily, no one was around. He walked over to the passenger side, scooped Katniss out, and hustled into the apartment.
The place looked almost the same as when she left, with a few signs that someone had been living there.
He set her down on the hallway cabinet, and her long legs wrapped around his waist.
The familiar setting and actions made her a bit distracted.
"Let go," he said, patting her tightly clamped legs.
Those legs drove him wild but clamped around his waist at crucial moments, making things tricky.
Katniss frowned, let go of his waist, and gave him a little kick in the lower abdomen, creating some space between them.
Tristan let out a muffled groan, leaning against the opposite wall, still working on unbuttoning his shirt.
She had already hopped down from the cabinet. "I need to go to the bathroom."
He paused, noticing a thin layer of sweat on her forehead. "You okay?"
She turned and headed to the bathroom. "I had street food with Saskia last night."
It was probably the seafood and cold beer from last night, plus the chilly wind this morning, that was messing with her.
She thought it was just a minor thing, but she ended up spending the whole morning in the bathroom.
When she finally emerged, her stomach was empty, and her legs felt like jelly.
She felt super embarrassed, probably smelling bad, but before she could say anything, Tristan scooped her up and took her to the hospital.
Tristan moved so fast she didn't have a chance to protest.
"Acute gastroenteritis. Just keep her hydrated, avoid hard and spicy foods, and take the meds for a few days," the doctor said, handing the prescriptions to Tristan.
Tristan set her down in the hospital lobby's waiting area. "Don't wander off. The bathroom's on your left, and there's tissue in your jacket pocket. I'll grab the meds and be right back."
He meticulously arranged everything, his brows furrowed, deep eyes filled with concern.
Katniss felt weak and let him take charge.
After waiting for about seven or eight minutes, instead of Tristan, she ran into someone unexpected.
Adelaide, sitting in a wheelchair, looked older but seemed in good spirits.
She was bundled up warmly, with a blanket over her legs.
Behind her was the butler, Royce Castillo, and both of them looked at Katniss in surprise.
For a moment, Adelaide's surprise turned into a hidden joy.
"The medication is here," Tristan's deep voice cut through the air. He was so focused on the meds that he didn't notice Adelaide and the butler nearby.
"Wait," Katniss started to say, but he had already placed the medication in her arms and bent down to pick her up.
He turned to leave but suddenly stopped.
Katniss pinched her brow and said softly, "Put me down."
Tristan frowned, set her down, and stood in front of her, facing Adelaide's scrutiny.
"Are you two together?" Adelaide asked directly.
Her tone wasn't angry, but it wasn't exactly happy either.
Katniss instinctively wanted to deny it. Meeting Adelaide here meant she wasn't in good health, and it wasn't the right time to upset her.
"Yes," Tristan admitted in a deep voice, "Grandma, I can make my own decisions."
Adelaide wasn't as upset as expected. Instead, she said, "Come back to the ward with me. I have something to tell you."
Royce quickly pushed Adelaide towards the elevator, not forgetting to smile at Katniss, "I never thought I'd see you again, Katniss."
Katniss returned a smile, considering it a greeting.
Tristan clasped her fingers as they followed Adelaide into the elevator. Tristan whispered, "You don't have to say anything. If Grandma says anything unpleasant, just ignore it."
He was worried about Katniss, his profile etched with concern.
"I see. Don't worry. Mrs. Forbes isn't the type to make things difficult for people." Katniss's gut told her that Adelaide wasn't hard to get along with.
In the cramped elevator, their reflections were visible on the smooth walls.
His grip on her fingers was cold, and his tall figure radiated a chill.
In the VIP ward on the top floor, personal items were placed under the bed, and a couple of clothes were hanging on the balcony.
It seemed Adelaide had been hospitalized for a while.
She stood up shakily, seemingly wanting to get on the bed.
Katniss quickly let go of Tristan and went to support her, and Royce retracted his outstretched hand.
Tristan followed behind Katniss, and the two of them stood on either side of Adelaide, helping her onto the bed.
"Is today Nicholas Kennedy's engagement?" Adelaide asked Royce after sitting down.
Royce quickly nodded, "Yes, it starts at three o'clock. There's still an hour left. The Kennedy family specifically asked Mr. Forbes to attend."
"I'll call Nicholas," Tristan said, pulling out his phone and walking out, clearly indicating he didn't plan to go.
Adelaide snorted coldly, "Do you dare not to go? If you fall out with the Kennedy family, let's see who will help you in the future!"
Why did the Kennedy couple insist on Tristan attending? Because the Kennedy family clearly supported Tristan.
So not going would be an insult to the Kennedy couple.
"Go ahead," Katniss said, giving Tristan a look. "Don't worry about Mrs. Forbes; I'll take care of her."
Tristan frowned at her, holding his phone and not moving.
Katniss smiled at Adelaide, "Mrs. Forbes, I'll see him off and be right back."
"Okay," Adelaide pulled the thin blanket over herself, not even looking up.
It seemed she wasn't afraid Katniss would just leave.
Katniss pulled Tristan out of the ward and saw him to the elevator. "I listened to you to ease your mind, so you should listen to me to ease mine."
She listened to him, not taking to heart any unpleasant words Adelaide might say.
So he should give her time to get along with Adelaide; maybe things weren't as bad as he thought.
Tristan pondered for a moment and said, "The engagement party might go late. If you don't want to stay at the hospital, take a cab home and wait for me."
This meant he agreed.
The elevator doors opened just in time, and she pushed him inside, "Okay."
The elevator doors slowly closed, separating their gazes.
Katniss took a deep breath and turned back to Adelaide's ward.
Royce was no longer in the room; only Adelaide sat on the bed. Seeing her come in, Adelaide pointed to the chair beside the bed. "Come sit down."
She walked over and sat down, her hands resting on her legs. She felt a bit anxious but showed no sign of it.
Adelaide's cloudy eyes looked at her, "How long has it been?"
"Over a month," Katniss answered truthfully.
"Tristan has only been in Nightfall City for three or four months, and you two are fast." Adelaide raised her voice, "Do you know what this proves?"
Katniss was stunned, looking at Adelaide in confusion.
"It proves Tristan went there for you." Adelaide, seeing her so clueless, was a bit displeased. "Since you left Velvet City, he proposed putting the new project in Nightfall City. None of Synergy Global Corporation's shareholders agreed, but I stepped in to make it happen."
And the reason Adelaide did this was obvious.
"You..." Katniss opened her mouth in surprise but didn't know what to say.
Adelaide suddenly smiled, her expression kind and gentle. "I knew it. You're both right where I expected you to be. But Tristan doesn't like being told what to do. The more I go against him, the more persistent he becomes."
From the beginning, she recognized Katniss as the one who married Tristan years ago, but she didn't say anything.
Reaching this point was a surprise, and Adelaide was very satisfied.
Katniss couldn't help but smile, realizing Tristan's worries were unnecessary. But why couldn't Adelaide say this in front of Tristan?
"The Forbes family situation is complicated. My support for you two will bring you trouble." Perhaps seeing her confusion, Adelaide explained, then added, "You remember our previous agreement, right?"
Katniss nodded, "I remember."
When Adelaide approached her to marry Tristan, the marriage agreement was clear: She shouldn't covet the Forbes family fortune.
"Forget the marriage deal for now. Let's talk about your deal to have a kid for Tristan." Adelaide said, seeing Katniss's shocked expression.
A child agreement? Faint memories surfaced, and she recalled there was indeed a clause about having a child.
If she had a child for Tristan, Adelaide would give her $28 million.
The amount had stunned her at the time, but she only wanted the money to save Sophia's life and had no intention of selling herself.
So she had forgotten about the child agreement, and Adelaide hadn't mentioned it until now.
"This agreement is still valid!" Adelaide said seriously, "If Tristan has an heir first, it will help him secure the Forbes family fortune. I know it's a bit forward to bring this up, but I have no choice. Tristan would never agree to this, so I can only discuss it with you."
The child was key to Tristan's claim to the Forbes family wealth, making Katniss' pregnancy a dangerous gamble.
If discovered, it would be disastrous.
So, how could Tristan agree?
Katniss suddenly felt like she was standing on the edge of a deep abyss.
"I know you don't care about money. Otherwise, with so many opportunities, you would have been pregnant by now. The $28 million is my token of appreciation, but I can't interfere with your final decision. Think it over." Adelaide said, seeing her silence, looking despondent.
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