Chapter 184 I Will Make It Up to Her
The Forbes family might look all shiny and perfect on the outside, but inside, it’s a whole different story. Those who knew the real deal wanted nothing to do with it.
Other fancy families would butter up the Forbes, but no one wanted their daughters marrying into that mess. They were scared something would go wrong.
Adelaide didn’t want Katniss to take any risks either, but what choice did she have? If Tristan messed up, who else would take him in?
Even his own dad couldn’t stand him!
"Mrs. Forbes, that’s not what I meant. This is a big deal. Can you give me some time to think it over?" Katniss saw the sad look on Adelaide’s face but didn’t cave in right away.
She had to think it through. She’d take risks for Tristan, but gambling with a kid’s future? That was a different story.
A kid might help Tristan secure his spot in the Forbes family, but it wouldn’t get rid of the ‘enemies.’
That would mean the kid would always be in danger. It wasn’t a decision to make lightly.
"Alright, take your time." Adelaide smiled, "Don’t stay too long. I’ll have the driver take you back."
Katniss quickly shook her head, "No need, I’ll just grab a cab. Take care of yourself."
Adelaide didn’t push it. Less hassle that way.
As Katniss left the hospital room, she saw Royce at the end of the hallway. When he spotted her, he walked over quickly. "Katniss, I mean, Miss Grey, are you done talking?"
Katniss nodded, "You don’t have to be so formal. Just call me Katniss."
"That’s not proper." Royce smiled and declined, walking her to the elevator before heading back to Adelaide’s room.
Adelaide, lying on the bed, was deep in thought. When she heard the door, she looked up. "Has she left?"
Royce nodded, "Yeah, she’s gone."
Adelaide sighed deeply, a bit of relief in her eyes, "After all this time, they haven’t let me down. Now I can rest easy. All that’s left is for Tristan to take over the Forbes family, and then I can die in peace."
"Mrs. Forbes, weren’t you sure from the start that Mr. Forbes and Miss Grey would end up together?" Royce was a bit surprised.
"I took a gamble," Adelaide said.
Royce felt a chill, "You weren’t sure, yet you had them sign that agreement a year ago. That was risky!"
That agreement was a big deal for the whole Forbes family!
"Katniss isn’t the type to go after the Forbes family’s money. If they couldn’t be together, she’d come back to me." Adelaide’s tone was firm.
Adelaide's tone was firm. She hadn't misjudged Katniss.
"Getting her mixed up with the Forbes family puts a lot of weight on her shoulders. Once Katniss gets through this rough patch, I'll make sure she's well compensated," Adelaide said.
Royce nodded in agreement. She definitely deserved it.
As soon as Katniss left the hospital, she shot a message to Tristan. She didn’t want him freaking out and causing a scene at Nicholas's engagement party.
Tristan replied, saying he'd be back right after the party and told her to head home and not wander around.
That was her plan anyway. She hailed a cab, and just as she got in, Nicholas called her.
"Katniss, I need a favor. Can you keep an eye on Saskia for me?" His voice was low, and she could hear the party noise in the background.
"What's up with her?" Katniss asked.
"She's sitting alone in a corner and has already downed two bottles of red wine. I'm worried something might happen to her." Nicholas sounded genuinely concerned, not that she’d mess up the party.
Saskia was a nobody now. If she really messed up the engagement party, could she afford to piss off the Tudor or Kennedy families?
Katniss got the address of the engagement party and had the driver turn around.
Even though she didn’t have an invite, Nicholas had informed security, so she got in without a hitch.
The Kennedy and Tudor families were big names in Velvet City, and the engagement party was a big deal.
The whole hotel was packed with guests. A photo of Isla and Nicholas was displayed at the entrance of the hall, showing a happy, smiling couple.
She glanced at it and hurried inside. Everyone was dressed to the nines in gowns and suits.
She was the odd one out in a down jacket and jeans, so people assumed she was staff and ignored her.
She found Saskia in a corner. While others sipped from wine glasses, she had a case of wine under the table.
She was chugging straight from the bottle, red wine dripping down her mouth. Despite her fancy dress, she looked a mess.
Katniss grabbed some napkins, walked over, took the bottle from her hand, and wiped her mouth. "Stop drinking, let me take you home."
"I was invited here. How can I not drink to show respect?" Saskia snatched the napkin and wiped her mouth roughly, smudging her lipstick. "I need to drink more. I even brought a gift that cost me a lot. If I don't drink enough, it's a waste."
Katniss sat down beside her, unsure of how to talk her down.
Every now and then, she noticed Nicholas glancing their way, clearly worried about Saskia.
Two people who liked each other had ended up like this.
How could she help? Should she tell Nicholas to ditch Isla right here, or push Saskia to crash the engagement party?
"Wait until the party's over, then find a time to talk things out," Katniss suggested.
Saskia suddenly went quiet and took a couple of big gulps of wine.
"Do you know? There's this rule that when two people get engaged, the guy has to get a house ready. After the engagement, they move in together for a trial marriage. Tonight, they're gonna have their wedding night early," Saskia said.
Katniss had heard of this so-called 'rule' in high society, but it wasn’t really a thing anymore.
Either party could say no if they didn’t want to.
From what Saskia was saying, neither Nicholas nor Isla had said no.
"Isn't it just Nicholas?" Saskia sneered, "There are plenty of better guys out there. Katniss, do you think I could find someone better in no time without him?"
Saskia’s complaints came from her refusal to accept the situation.
Katniss listened quietly. When Saskia’s voice got too loud and people started looking, Katniss would smile apologetically at them.
Seeing that Saskia wasn’t stopping, Katniss had to step in, "Are you really set on embarrassing yourself here today? You used to be part of the Velvet City circle; a lot of people know you. Even if you’ve cut ties with the Stuart family, you can’t just throw away your dignity, can you?"
If Saskia could fly overnight from Nightfall City after drinking too much, she could also ruin the engagement party today.
Katniss had to get her to sober up.
"What do I need dignity for?" Saskia shot back, "I just can’t stand Isla. Guess what she said when she came over to toast me? She said if I ever fell on hard times, I could come to her, and she’d give me a meal out of respect for Nicholas. And the worst part is, Nicholas agreed!"
So that was it. Katniss finally got why Saskia was losing it. It wasn’t just about Isla; it was about being hurt by Nicholas.
"How disgusting, showing off their love in front of me? The man I don’t want is now Isla’s treasure. Isla is my arch-enemy. Why does Nicholas have to marry her?" Tears streamed down her face like a floodgate had opened.
Her emotions finally spiraled out of control. Katniss stood up, trying to pull her away.
But Saskia shook off Katniss’s hand, threw the wine bottle onto the long table, and rushed into the crowd, lifting her dress.
"Saskia," Katniss's heart raced as she quickly followed.
Saskia ran fast, bumping into people without a care, and stopped Nicholas and Isla in the crowd.
Isla glanced at her with contempt.
"Nicholas, I'm asking you one last time: will you come with me?" asked Saskia.
Nicholas's face turned pale, and he instinctively glanced at his father, Uriah Kennedy, who was not far away.
Saskia's voice was loud enough for Uriah to hear, and his face immediately darkened as he walked over.
"Saskia, what are you doing?" Nicholas scolded in a low voice, "This is not the place for your antics!"
"I'm not joking. I'm asking you one question: do you want to be with me? This is your last chance. If you refuse me today, if you dare to get engaged to Isla, we will never see each other again. I promise you'll never see me for the rest of your life!" Saskia declared with conviction, her eyes red and fixed on Nicholas.
Katniss emerged from the crowd, about to step forward, but an arm blocked her path.
It was Tristan. He shook his head at Katniss, "Things have escalated to this point; intervening will only cause trouble for whoever gets involved."
"I know, I won't interfere. I just want to take her away," Katniss said, not foolish enough to rush in and meddle, which could bring trouble to Tristan.
She just wanted to stop Saskia.
"In her current state, you can't take her away," Tristan said calmly. Seeing her flushed face from the heat in the hotel, he unzipped her down jacket a bit.
Then he led her away from the crowd to a cooler, less crowded area where they could still see the situation in the center of the crowd.
Saskia's actions disgusted everyone, and people kept hurling all sorts of insults at her.
The Stuart family couple, seeing this scene, were furious.
To intervene, they had already severed ties with Saskia and didn't want to get involved any further.
But if they didn't intervene, people would still gossip about the Stuart family because of Saskia's behavior!
"Saskia, don't you have any dignity?" Isla's tone was harsh, angered by Saskia's public attempt to steal her man, "Stealing a man and being a homewrecker? Who taught you that?"
"I'm not talking to you!" Saskia snapped back at Isla, "Stealing a man and being a homewrecker is still better than you. You really think I'm blind? I know you were sucking up to the Kennedys to get this marriage."
She had cut ties with the Stuart family and left Velvet City, but she still kept in touch with her old friends.
So she knew all about how Isla had badmouthed her and flattered the Kennedy family to secure this marriage after she left.
Isla's face turned red with shame and anger at Saskia's words.
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