Chapter 187 To Bury Nicholas?
The flight back to Nightfall City was at eight in the morning.
Tristan got Katniss to the airport just in time, helped her get her ticket, and waited with her at the entrance of the waiting hall.
He stood tall and straight, his chiseled face showing a hint of reluctance as he held Katniss's fingers, leaning close together.
They stood out in the crowd, and Katniss kept glancing at her watch, frowning, "Saskia isn't going to bail on us, is she?"
One night was all it took for Saskia and Nicholas to decide they were meant to be together forever?
But at least Saskia should let her know.
She pulled out her phone and called Saskia, but it was hung up after just two rings.
"Maybe I should change my ticket. There's another flight at two in the afternoon," Katniss said. At least wait for Saskia to respond.
Tristan tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, "The afternoon flight gets to Nightfall City in the middle of the night. It's not safe. If she doesn't come, you go alone. Ryan will pick you up at the airport."
Hearing this, Katniss turned off her phone and wrapped her arms around his waist, "Haven't I traveled in the middle of the night plenty of times before?"
"That was with me." Tristan pinched her nose, and seeing her brows furrow slightly, he let go and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I'll pick up Grandma from the hospital later, and after New Year's, I'll go to Nightfall City."
Katniss nodded, burying her head in his chest, breathing in his fresh, pleasant scent.
"Stop being so lovey-dovey!" Saskia rushed over, pulling Katniss, "Hurry up, boarding starts in fifteen minutes."
"Okay." Katniss let go of Tristan, but when she turned around, she saw only Saskia, "Where's Nicholas?"
Saskia paused her rummaging through her bag and said without looking up, "I left him incapacitated at the hotel."
Katniss had seen Saskia's wild side before, but it always left her in awe.
"Mr. Forbes, don't worry. I'll take care of Katniss. Leave her to me." Saskia grabbed the tickets and pulled Katniss towards the boarding gate.
Tristan's deep gaze lingered on Katniss, resisting the urge to pull her back, watching as she disappeared with Saskia.
Katniss didn't even have time to say goodbye.
They boarded the plane just in time, and once seated, Katniss finally had a chance to speak. "I thought you weren't coming."
"Why would I stay? To bury Nicholas?" Saskia asked.
Katniss's mouth twitched, and she couldn't help but laugh, "How did your talk go?"
Saskia turned to look at her, "Talk? Two adults in a hotel room in the middle of the night, with me drugged—what else could we do but hook up?"
There was no chance to talk last night, but after causing a scene at the engagement party, could they really sleep?
Katniss was curious about what they talked about before parting ways.
"I told you, I left him incapacitated. Did you think I was joking?" Saskia said with a sly smile.
But she patted Katniss and said, "Don't ask too much. I don't want you to pick up bad habits and have Mr. Forbes come after me."
It was probably nothing good, so Katniss didn't press further. However, seeing Saskia's excitement, she felt a bit sorry for Nicholas.
Tristan had a sudden urge to return to the hotel, got Nicholas's room key from the front desk, and went in directly.
The room was freezing, with several windows wide open, letting in cold air despite the heating being on full blast.
Nicholas was shivering under the covers but still asleep, thinking it was a dream and not getting up to close the windows.
Hearing footsteps, he gradually woke up.
Tristan closed the windows and then pulled back the covers.
Nicholas's body was covered in scratches and bite marks.
"Why are you here?" Nicholas quickly sat up, wrapping himself tightly in the blanket, "Where's Saskia?"
"She went back to Nightfall City," Tristan said with a half-smile, " Do you need me to take you to the hospital for those wounds?"
The deep cuts were even bleeding.
Hearing that Saskia had left, Nicholas jumped up, ready to lash out, "She left without even saying a word?"
Tristan turned and pointed to the money and note on the bedside table, "She did leave a message. Look, there's even money."
He picked up three bills: two hundreds and a fifty.
There was also a note, which he read aloud. "I went through a lot to get this money from the waiter. It's not that I'm poor; it's that you're only worth this much!"
Tristan chuckled and handed the note to Nicholas, "I can't quite capture her tone. You read it yourself."
Saskia's disdain was definitely stronger than his tone.
Nicholas cursed under his breath, wanting to punch something, but he had to admit he was too exhausted and sore from last night.
"I won't let this go. After New Year's, I'll go back to Nightfall City and deal with her."
Seeing Tristan's mocking expression, he explained, "What are you laughing at? Can't you see my performance last night? I was too fierce!"
Tristan shook his head seriously. "I didn't see that. What I did see was you looking pretty miserable. I can't tell if you were fierce or not."
Nicholas, getting dressed, argued, "I was definitely fierce. Do you think I saved up thirty years of energy for nothing? Unlike you, overindulgent, clearly kidney deficient."
"I call it being gentle and considerate." Tristan wasn't lying. The first time he and Katniss made love, he was drunk.
But he wasn't completely unconscious. The combination of alcohol and being alone with a woman late at night made it hard to control himself.
He had to admit he was a bit clumsy and urgent due to the alcohol.
But he definitely took Katniss's feelings into account.
She had bitten him, but it was out of passion, not like Saskia, who seemed intent on biting Nicholas to death.
"You..." Nicholas suddenly grinned, putting on the last piece of clothing.
"What are you so smug about? Katniss may seem more docile than Saskia, but she's got plenty of ideas. One day, she might leave you with nothing, and you'd still be grateful to her."
Tristan stuffed the $250 into Nicholas's pocket, "Speak in plain language."
His all-seeing gaze bore into Nicholas, making it impossible for him to refuse.
"Katniss is in trouble, you know that?" Nicholas said.
Tristan's face darkened, recalling how she often frowned while messaging during their brief time together.
And she frequently excused herself to the bathroom to take calls behind his back.
"Her educational institution was reported for plagiarizing a teacher's free online course. It's causing quite a stir, but she hasn't told you. Doesn't that bother you?" Nicholas's look seemed to say: "You're useless; Katniss doesn't even need your help."
Tristan patted Nicholas's shoulder, where Saskia had bitten him, making his face turn pale. "That's called being considerate, not wanting to trouble me. Besides, she can handle this small matter herself."
Katniss had always been like this, only sharing good news. This definitely needed to change.
But in front of Nicholas, he couldn't lose face.
He left the hotel first, with Nicholas following closely; the $250 in his pocket made him feel uneasy.
Just as they exited the hotel, Tristan's phone rang. It was the police.
The man who drugged Saskia had confessed after being taken to the station.
His target was two women, but finding only one in the room, he went after Saskia.
Hearing this, Tristan's demeanor turned icy, "Who sent him?"
The police officer hesitated, "We have leads, Mr. Forbes. You can investigate yourself. Some people we can't offend."
The leads weren't concrete evidence but pointed to who was behind it.
Without solid proof, the police didn't want to offend anyone.
Tristan asked directly, "Just answer me one question. Is the last name Tudor?"
It wasn't a question but a confirmation.
"Yes," the police replied.
Seeing Nicholas about to drive off, Tristan hung up and walked over, knocking on the car window.
He took out a cigarette and lit it, the flame illuminating the coldness in his eyes. "Saskia was drugged last night. It was Isla."
The memory hit Nicholas like a wave: Saskia's odd behavior last night. "Isla's a real troublemaker," he said.
But he had just gotten engaged to Isla. What could he do? If he caused a scene, Uriah would kill him.
"She was also targeting Katniss. Since she's your fiancée, I'm giving you the chance to handle it." Seeing Nicholas's hesitant expression, Tristan knew what he was afraid of and gave him a chance to deal with Isla.
If he didn't, Tristan would take matters into his own hands, and the Tudor family would suffer.
Hearing this, Nicholas grinned, "I'll head back right now."
Tristan took a drag from his cigarette, stepped back to give him space, and finished his smoke before getting back into his car.
The car still smelled of Katniss. He took out his phone and looked at her photo, his eyes deep.
Hiding things from him was disobedient. He always knew Katniss was independent.
He had hoped that being together would change her nature, but it hadn't.
He took a deep breath, calculating the days until he could go to Nightfall City, thinking about how to settle things with her.
Nightfall City.
Katniss and Saskia, each carrying a coat, got off the plane and directly into Ryan's car.
"Ms. Grey, something's wrong!" Ryan looked dejected as soon as he saw her, "You need to check the news."
The course materials previously released by her educational institution were identical to those of a teacher who had posted them online for free. The local news had reported this.
But the issue had blown up overnight, mentioned by a highly authoritative education expert in an interview.
Suddenly, the matter escalated.
The expert first reviewed the course materials, praising them highly and professionally.
But he pointed out that such materials could only be created by a seasoned teacher, not someone like Katniss, who had only been tutoring for a year.
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