Chapter 197 He No Longer Needs Tutoring
Katniss gripped the edge of the cabinet so hard her knuckles turned white.
She forced a small smile and said, "Of course not. What could I possibly be hiding from you?"
She wanted to spill the beans!
But her mouth just wouldn't cooperate, maybe because she was scared of 'getting chewed out.'
Seeing Tristan's eyes narrow, like he was trying to read her mind, she walked over and grabbed his arm, leading him out of the kitchen. "It smells amazing, I'm starving. Let's eat. Are you heading to the office this afternoon?"
She pushed Tristan into a chair, straightened his slightly messy shirt collar, and sat down next to him.
She picked the green onions out of her bowl and dropped them into his. As he tried to stop her, he said, "There's a business reception tonight. If I can pitch the core of this project to a few big shots in Nightfall City before Juan does, even if he takes the core data and starts his own thing, he'll be playing catch-up."
This time, their project in Nightfall City was all about a fully automated electronic product, with its design and guts detailed in the core data.
And the sales channels for this gadget were major malls and online platforms.
Conveniently, the biggest online sales platform in the country was based in Nightfall City, which was a wholesale hub.
Even if Juan snagged the data and made the product, he'd still have to deal with these businessmen to sell it.
"I knew it. You must have a plan to be this chill." Katniss watched him put the green onions back into her bowl, frowning deeply. "I don't eat green onions; why do you always force me?"
Tristan moved his bowl out of her reach, making sure she couldn't put the green onions back. "Being picky is a bad habit. You need to change it. Otherwise, it'll set a bad example for our kids, and I'll be very troubled."
Kids? Katniss blinked twice, pursing her lips, and said, "Do you want kids?"
"Of course," Tristan said without missing a beat. Seeing her serious expression, he added, "But not now."
There were still some negative factors, and since their relationship wasn't official yet, discussing having kids would be unfair to her.
Katniss leaned forward, looking him in the eyes, and said, "Actually, it's okay now. We're both thirty. After thirty, I'll be considered an older mother."
Tristan paused mid-bite, lifting his eyes to look at her.
Katniss cleared her throat, not quite getting the look in his eyes.
But clearly, this sudden topic was something he had never thought about.
She lowered her head to eat, but Adelaide's words kept echoing in her mind.
She didn't know much about the Forbes family, but it wasn't unusual for rich families to have a kid first to secure the family fortune.
Seeing Tristan struggling now, she suddenly thought about taking a gamble.
Once that idea popped into her head, she couldn't shake it, and it kept nagging at her all afternoon.
Bella was getting some intense treatment at Celestial Villas, and Wesley Collins showing up had really helped her out.
She hadn't talked to Michael much these past few days. Isla surprised Bella with a visit today, flying in unexpectedly from Velvet City. Bella seemed like her usual self, though.
"Michael said you weren't doing well again. I was so worried," Isla said, holding Bella's hand with a concerned look.
Bella's mind was clear, but she looked pretty rough. Seeing Isla's rosy cheeks, she uncomfortably pulled her hand back. "What brings you to Nightfall City?"
Isla's eyes darted around as she said, "My parents heard you were sick and sent me to check on you. After all, Michael is a guy and can't take good care of you."
Having spent a lot of time with her, Bella knew Isla's suck-up nature, so she wasn't moved at all.
Seeing Bella's blank face, Isla felt a bit awkward and added, "I also came to see Nicholas. The night we got engaged, he went out partying, and the next day, he threw all my stuff out, saying he wanted to break off the engagement. It was a huge embarrassment for the Tudor family. Although his dad tried to cover it up, my parents want me to stay with him in Nightfall City to build our relationship."
Bella had no interest in her drama, fiddling with her fingers with a stern face, saying nothing.
Seeing this, Isla could only steer the conversation to something Bella might care about. "It's all Katniss's fault! On my engagement day, I saw her chatting with her, clearly up to something. I bet she made Nicholas leave that night. Now she's totally using Tristan..."
After venting her complaints and curses, Isla finally showed a look of wanting to tear Katniss apart, which got a reaction from Bella. "Now that Tristan has left the Forbes family, Michael has plenty of ways to crush him. I want to see how long Katniss can stay smug."
"Bella, Isla." Eudora came over with a fancy fruit platter and placed it in front of them. "Have some fruit. Michael said he has something to do tonight and won't be back, so he asked me to look after you."
Seeing Eudora, Isla felt a wave of disdain. She was just someone living off others.
But Eudora always had this innate pride that was hard to ignore.
Isla smiled as she took the fruit platter, "Thanks, Eudora."
Bella was also pleasant to Eudora, "Eudora, I really appreciate you taking care of me and bringing Dr. Collins over."
Eudora smiled and sat down next to Bella. "No need to be so formal. What were you two chatting about just now, all that chattering?"
"We were just talking about Katniss," Isla said, picking a piece of fruit and handing it to Bella before eating one herself. Then, she started venting all her grievances about Katniss.
Bella occasionally chimed in, and by the end, Eudora said lightly, "Complaining won't help. If you don't take some action, how will she know you're not to be messed with? She's currently vulnerable to any kind of pressure. You don't even need to use any major tactics; just keep giving her small troubles, and she'll start thinking about leaving Tristan."
Her words were pointed, and Isla and Bella got the message. They exchanged glances, and then both looked at her. "Eudora, do you have any good ideas?"
Eudora looked at them in surprise, "What good ideas could I have? I was just speaking off the cuff. I don't have the support of the Tudor or Astor families behind me. I can't do anything; I hope you understand."
"I see. Michael told me not to trouble you unless necessary. It's just Katniss; we can handle her ourselves." Bella turned and started whispering to Isla.
Eudora lazily leaned back on the sofa, playing with her phone, as if she didn't care about their conversation at all.
As night fell, Katniss packed up and went to pick up Donna and head to Celestial Villas for tutoring.
On the way, Donna asked, "Ms. Grey, were you okay last night?"
"I'm fine," Katniss smiled at her through the rearview mirror. "Did you look at the materials I sent you yesterday? Did you discuss them with Aaron?"
Donna nodded, "I did. I talked to Aaron about the materials, but he ignored me."
Aaron had a quirky temper, but this was the first time he had not responded at all.
Katniss suddenly remembered that she had messaged Aaron about homework this morning, and he hadn't replied either.
"We'll talk about it when we get there." She stepped on the gas and drove towards Celestial Villas.
When they arrived at Celestial Villas, she messaged Tristan to let him know she was safe, then got out of the car with Donna.
The villa was pitch dark. She hesitated for a moment and rang the doorbell, but there was no response.
She called Aaron, but his phone was off, so she had to call Eudora on Facebook Messenger.
After a few rings, Eudora answered, her voice sounding low, "Katniss, do you need something?"
"Miss Savoy, I'm here to tutor Aaron. Is no one home?" Katniss asked.
There was a pause before Eudora said, "I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you. His tutoring sessions are canceled. Sorry, you came all this way for nothing."
"Canceled?" Katniss frowned for a moment before asking, "Can you tell me why?"
"He doesn't have a knack for studying. We fought, and he ran away from home. I can't find him," Eudora said, her tone a mix of frustration and anger.
"Aaron has always been stubborn. It's normal for teenagers to be rebellious, but he's still a kid. Aren't you worried about him being out alone so late?" Katniss's tone carried a hint of reproach, but it was out of concern.
After she finished speaking, Eudora was silent for a moment, so Katniss apologized, "I'm sorry, I got a bit anxious."
"It's okay, I know you mean well. Don't worry, I'll make sure you get the rest of the tutoring fees," Eudora said firmly. "Just calculate how much is left and send it to me on Facebook."
"Miss Savoy, it's not about the money. I think it's a shame for Aaron to stop learning like this. Please reconsider. I'll leave it at that for now. Goodbye."
Katniss hung up the phone and turned to see Donna nervously watching her. "Ms. Grey, what happened to Aaron?"
"There was a little accident," Katniss said, patting Donna's shoulder. "Let's go back to your place for tutoring. I'll handle the rest. Let's go."
She got back in the car with Donna and started driving back, her mind preoccupied with thoughts of Aaron, not noticing a car following them.
As they reached a more complex and crowded area, the car behind suddenly overtook them. Just as it was about to pass completely, it swerved left.
Instinctively, Katniss turned the wheel left, forgetting she was already at the edge of the road. The car's wheels slipped off.
The steering wheel spun wildly as the car veered off the road, crashing into a tree just seconds later.
Fortunately, she wasn't driving too fast, and she instinctively hit the brakes. Even so, her forehead hit the windshield, causing a sharp pain.
"Ms. Grey!" Donna suddenly screamed.
Katniss calmed down quickly and turned to see Donna lying on the back seat, her face pale and covered in cold sweat.
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