Chapter 192 Some Fun Should Be Joined
Katniss's face lit up, and she couldn't help but smile.
She turned off her phone and walked out, bumping right into Matilda, who was just coming in.
Matilda stared at her for a moment and then burst out laughing, "Mr. Forbes is back?"
Katniss's ears turned red, and she furrowed her brows without realizing it. "How do you know?"
"You're grinning so wide it's like your face might split," Matilda teased, taking the stuff Katniss had forgotten she was holding. "Go on, I'll handle this. Just let Mom know."
With Tristan gone lately, Katniss sometimes seemed like she was lost.
She was always clutching her phone, and Matilda noticed. She nudged Katniss towards Sophia and went back to her tasks.
Katniss hadn't told Sophia much about Tristan, especially since Sophia had only found out about their marriage before she fell into a coma.
Bringing it up now would lead to a ton of questions, leaving Sophia frustrated by her inability to speak well.
Katniss just said she had some things to do, and Sophia smiled and winked at her, telling her to go ahead.
She stepped out of the house, draping her coat over her arm, and quickly ran down the steps.
Her golden hair flew behind her, and her T-shirt and jeans were as simple as ever.
But to Tristan, she was dazzling.
As soon as Katniss came out, she saw Tristan standing across the street from the villa, holding a half-smoked cigarette in one hand and pretending to be on a call with the other.
Seeing her, he hung up the phone and pocketed it.
Before he could walk over, she was already jogging towards him. He switched the cigarette to his other hand and hid it behind him, letting her throw herself into his arms.
She wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her head in his chest, inhaling his familiar scent.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming back?" No wonder he hadn't replied to her messages last night.
Tristan wrapped one arm around her waist, took a final drag of his cigarette, and then leaned down to touch her head. "I wanted to surprise you."
But when he got back, the house was empty, and he couldn't reach her. He checked the surveillance and found out Katniss was helping Sophia and Matilda move.
The car was still there, proving she was nearby.
"It's still a surprise now," Katniss sniffed, let go of his waist, and hooked her arm around his, leading him to their place. "Let's go home."
He was only wearing a shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to reveal his muscular forearms.
Her cool fingertips lightly traced the defined lines of his arm, and his long fingers interlocked with hers.
The night breeze blew gently, and the streetlights cast long shadows as they leaned into each other and walked into the house.
Tristan's suitcase was in the hallway, he had come looking for Katniss as soon as he got back without even unpacking.
He held her hand with one hand and carried the suitcase upstairs with the other. Once in the room, Katniss quickly opened his suitcase and started unpacking.
She took out his clothes and folded them while he put them away in the closet. They were done in less than ten minutes.
Then Tristan headed to the kitchen to make dinner. She had missed his cooking after so many days.
After eating and drinking their fill, she thought they would finally get to the 'main event.'
After her shower, she found him already in the guest bedroom, freshly showered, waiting for her on the bed.
She lifted the thin blanket and got in, just as he extinguished his unfinished cigarette and looked down at her.
"Come clean, and it’ll go easier for you; keep resisting, and it’ll get worse." His voice still carried a hint of sternness.
In an instant, she understood. From the moment they met until she got into bed, it had all been about the warmth of reuniting.
After the warmth, some things still needed to be clarified.
She blinked a few times and asked seriously, "Come clean about what?"
"Still not talking?" Tristan pinched her chin, a bit too hard, making her wince in pain.
He loosened his grip slightly but remained serious, "Why didn't you tell me you were in trouble?"
The issue with the educational institution had caused quite a stir; anyone who went online could see the news.
It was within her expectations that Tristan would know. She even thought he might have known before it blew up.
She raised an eyebrow and retorted righteously, "I should be asking you that. Knowing I was in trouble, why didn't you show any concern?"
Her counterattack left Tristan speechless, his lips moving but no words coming out.
After a moment, he furrowed his brows and laughed in exasperation, "So you're this good at twisting words?"
He slid down, making Katniss lie on his chest, his hot breath falling just above her head.
A few strands of her long hair fell on either side of his body, and she squinted her eyes like crescents at him, "This isn't twisting words; it's the truth."
"Alright, you are so strong, I admit defeat." He held her waist with both hands and reached up to turn off the room's light.
She lay on his chest, drawing circles on his hard muscles with her hand, feeling a bit troubled, "I want to go down."
"Be good; it's more fun on top. Try it." He grabbed her mischievous fingers, his voice already low and husky.
His voice seemed to have a magical power, enticing her to take the initiative and making her involuntarily obey.
Tristan came back from Velvet City a bit late. Katniss didn't know what had happened, but she had heard from Ryan that it had something to do with Tristan's parents.
Tristan didn't tell her, and she didn't ask. They spent the whole day at home, knowing they'd both be busy with work starting tomorrow.
Since the issue with the educational institution exploded, the number of registrations for the online course software skyrocketed by tens of thousands daily.
The courses available on the software were instantly snapped up.
Although the matter with the teacher and senior professor hadn't been fully resolved, those two didn't dare show their faces in public.
Moreover, others had deeply analyzed the teacher's previous course videos and found they didn't match Katniss's style, leading to the conclusion that Katniss hadn't plagiarized.
Near evening, Katniss received a call from Saskia. As soon as she answered, the chaotic sounds on the other end made her frown. "Katniss, help! Nicholas has gone crazy. Save me!"
"Saskia, you jerk, you're not a woman! Give me back my dignity," Nicholas said.
"Why are you so impulsive? It's not like you didn't enjoy it. It only hurt for a moment, then it didn't. Stop being so dramatic, you're a grown man whining like this, I despise you!" Saskia shouted.
Katniss didn't know where Saskia was, but after snapping at Nicholas, she pitifully said to Katniss, "Think of a way to get Nicholas out of here. If he gets serious, I won't be able to get out of bed tonight."
Nicholas started yelling again, and the two of them argued and threatened each other, leaving Katniss no chance to speak.
Finally, Saskia mentioned the name of a club and a room number before hanging up.
Katniss looked at Tristan helplessly, "Should we go check it out?"
"Let's go." Tristan got up with her, changed shoes at the entrance, and they left one after the other.
Looking at the well-behaved Katniss beside him and thinking about the chaos with Nicholas, he smirked.
Some excitement was worth joining in.
When Katniss and Tristan arrived at the club, they were surprised to find not only Nicholas and Saskia but also Eudora and Michael there.
The atmosphere wasn't as chaotic as they had imagined; it was just that Saskia and Nicholas were sitting far apart.
"Tristan, Katniss, you're here." Eudora stood up and moved a seat, gesturing for them to sit.
Katniss nodded and walked over to sit down. Before she could settle in, Michael's sinister voice cut through the air, "Katniss, did you hit Bella?"
Tristan paused for a moment before sitting down next to Katniss, leaning back on the sofa with his arm draped behind her.
As if holding her in his arms, he stared at Michael from behind her.
"Yeah, I did." Katniss didn't deny it; she owned up to her actions.
Her straightforwardness stunned Michael for a few seconds. Then he suddenly stood up, pointing at her nose in anger, "If you don't give me a proper reason today, I won't let you off, even for Tristan's sake."
Tristan grabbed his wrist, slightly exerting force to move his hand away from Katniss's nose.
Tristan's tone was icy, "We're not close enough to worry about saving face."
In other words, Katniss was under Tristan's protection.
This blatant protection made Michael's face turn extremely ugly.
Eudora, who was on good terms with both of them, frowned but didn't speak, not commenting on who was right or wrong.
"Mr. Astor." Katniss stood up, meeting Michael's angry gaze, "You know very well why I hit her. You're not giving me a chance to explain; you're just pressuring me to admit fault for that slap. Since you've decided to go against me, let's not bother with reasons."
Michael was definitely going to protect Bella. In this situation, talking about reasons was just to test Tristan's attitude.
And now, Tristan's attitude was clear.
Michael suppressed the anger and suddenly smiled, "I was negligent. You're the future hostess of the Forbes family, a prestigious position. How could I dare to pressure you? If you marry into the Forbes family and use their power to act arrogantly, wouldn't the Astor family have to endure it?"
"My hitting Bella has nothing to do with whether I'll marry into the Forbes family." Katniss interrupted Michael's sarcastic words.
Michael's smile gradually froze at the corners of his mouth, his expression blank and his eyes cold, making him look chilling. "I hope you can always talk to me with such confidence. Since everything is out in the open, let me be clear: don't let me catch an opportunity."
As for what opportunity, it didn't need to be explained; everyone understood.
Finally, he looked at Tristan, "Your father has already publicly declared that he's cutting ties with you. Without the support of Synergy Global Corporation, you'll find it hard to move an inch in Nightfall City. Nicholas has been sidelined, and no one but me can help you. Tristan, think carefully about whether it's worth it to fall out with me for her!"
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