Chapter 206 You Better Take Care of Yourself
Sophia was lounging on the couch, grinning at Samuel. She waved for Katniss to let Samuel have a seat and for Matilda to bring over some fruit.
Samuel set down the nutritional supplements and said softly, "Sophia, you don't need to go all out. I just wanted to check in on you and then head out."
"Why are you rushing?" Matilda chimed in warmly, "It's already dark. Stay for dinner before you go. Your flight's tomorrow, after all!"
Sophia nodded eagerly, clearly wanting Samuel to stick around.
"No, I've got stuff to do tonight," Samuel insisted.
Matilda and Sophia both turned to Katniss, hoping she'd convince Samuel to stay.
All eyes were suddenly on Katniss, snapping her out of her thoughts. She thought for a moment and said, "If he's busy, let him go. We can have dinner another time."
Sophia shot her a disapproving look, and Matilda seemed a bit puzzled too.
Samuel's face showed a hint of sadness. He smiled and said, "Yeah, no need to make a big deal. We'll catch up over dinner another time."
After a few more pleasantries, Samuel said, "Katniss, can you walk me out?"
"Sure," Katniss replied, getting up to see him out.
As the soft glow of dusk settled in, the streetlights began to light up the city, their glow reflecting on the road and illuminating Katniss.
She wore a shirt and jeans, her long hair tied in a ponytail, the ends loosely falling on her shoulders.
She seemed more mature and sensitive than during her college days and more distant than the last time they met.
"Have you thought it through? Are you sure you want to be with Tristan?" he stopped, standing still and looking directly at Katniss.
Katniss paused, turned to look at him, and said, "I never make decisions on a whim. I always think them through carefully."
Samuel looked at her for a long moment, then sighed deeply and looked away. "I can't give you my blessing. From now on, we are destined to be at odds. I won't help you anymore. Take care."
"Okay." His bluntness was such that even if he did something unforgivable in the future, Katniss wouldn't be able to hate him. "Regardless, you've helped me a lot in the past. I still want to thank you. If you ever need my help in the future, I'll do what I can."
Katniss was grateful to him but knew that drawing a clear line now was the right choice.
So she didn't mention Matilda's trip to Velvet City at all.
After seeing Samuel off, she sent a message to George on her way back: [Matilda is returning to Velvet City on Monday. Please take good care of her for me.]
George replied almost instantly, his excitement barely hidden, and subtly asked how long Matilda would be staying in Velvet City.
When Katniss confirmed that Matilda would be settling there, George sent a flurry of happy emojis.
Still feeling uneasy, Katniss decided to give Matilda some advice.
"Stay away from the Astor family and keep your distance from Samuel when you get back to Velvet City," she told her.
"You reminded me. What happened between you and Samuel? Aren't you friends?" Matilda said.
"Don't think of him as my friend," Katniss said firmly. "Just consider him a stranger."
Matilda quickly nodded, "Got it."
They were chatting away from Sophia. Katniss glanced over at Sophia, who was practicing walking by the floor-to-ceiling window, and raised an eyebrow. "Spend some quality time with Mom tomorrow. I've booked your ticket, and I'll take you to the airport the day after."
After giving her pointers, Katniss headed back to Tristan's place. As soon as she walked in, the delicious aroma of food hit her.
She changed her shoes and saw Tristan's tall figure still busy in the kitchen, with several dishes already laid out on the table. She smiled and walked over.
"Don't come in," Tristan ordered before she could step into the kitchen.
He didn't turn around, so she couldn't see his expression. She figured he didn't want her in the kitchen as usual.
"I'll help you with something," she offered.
"No need." Tristan turned around, his tall frame leaning against the counter, his gaze casually falling on her face. "Didn't you keep Samuel for dinner?"
Katniss suddenly paused, her smile freezing. After a few seconds, she couldn't help but laugh softly.
His displeased aura hit her, as he stood still with his eyebrows raised in annoyance.
"I tried, but he didn't stay." Her lips moved, and she said something he didn't want to hear. "He's Michael's man. Being too close to me would cause trouble, so I didn't insist."
She looked at him innocently, her slightly squinted eyes even catching the twitch of his facial muscles.
His tightly clenched jawline was tense, and the veins on his hand pressing against the counter were clearly visible. "Didn't you consider that being too close to him would cause you trouble, too?"
The displeased aura suddenly turned dangerous, directly hitting Katniss's face.
"What trouble could I have?" Katniss laughed coquettishly, taking a step forward, wrapping her arms around his waist, and resting her chin on his chest. "You will protect me, right?"
So, how could the person protecting her cause her trouble? Tristan's grip on her wrist tightened, but Katniss held on even tighter.
"Don't be mad. I was just joking," she pleaded softly, standing on tiptoe to kiss him on the lips.
Tristan's grip on her wrist loosened, and his tone softened a bit, "I'm not mad, but I admit I'm not happy."
"That's called jealousy," Katniss's eyes widened, a spark of pure delight igniting within them. "Do you even know what jealousy is?"
She could feel Tristan's body stiffen as she held him tightly.
'Jealousy?' Thinking back to their time in Velvet City, he had felt this way several times—not angry, but unhappy.
"Samuel made it clear to me that from now on, he'll be working for Michael. He hopes we can compete fairly and take care." She explained, her body bathed in the light reflecting off her.
Her glossy red lips moved, and the faint fragrance of her body wafted into his nose.
He wrapped his long arms around her slender waist, bending down to plant a kiss on her forehead, then trailing kisses from her forehead to her eyes, nose, and finally, her lips.
His long, clean fingers threaded through her hair, and as he deepened the kiss, his breathing became noticeably heavier.
The soup boiling on the stove beside them bubbled away.
The steamy heat surrounded them, and he even had the urge to make love with her right there.
"Tristan, Ms. Grey, I..." The door swung open, and Aaron came rushing in.
Katniss quickly pulled away from Tristan as if she had been electrocuted. Though their expressions were neutral, their breathing was uneven.
Especially Katniss, whose lips were slightly swollen and glossy from a bite last night, and her ears were red.
As an adult, Eudora could easily guess what they had been doing.
Tristan's hand, tightly gripping Katniss's waist, had veins bulging. At this moment, his face and eyes still showed lingering desire, a side of Tristan Eudora had never seen before.
"You're really careless," she said, retracting her gaze and looking at Aaron with displeasure.
Aaron's ears turned red with embarrassment, "It's dinner time. How was I supposed to know..."
His tone carried a hint of resentment. Did this mean that once he moved in, he couldn't even leave his room except for meals?
"Did you reach an agreement?" When Tristan saw Katniss standing there awkwardly, he began to break the awkward silence as if nothing had happened.
Eudora smiled at Katniss and replied, "What if we didn't? If he insists on following you, it'll only trouble you in the future. But don't worry, I'll cover all his expenses."
With that, Eudora turned to give Aaron some pointers.
Katniss then remembered that Tristan had asked Aaron to reassure Eudora and settle the matter of staying here.
"I don't need your money," Aaron interrupted Eudora's chatter, saying decisively, "If you support me financially, you'll interfere in my life. I won't use your money, so don't interfere in my affairs."
With that, he stormed off to the living room, and Eudora followed closely. They started arguing again after just a few words.
Tristan turned down the heat and looked at Katniss standing there, saying softly, "Even though their arguing disturbs us, it's best to let them communicate on their own."
Whoever convinced the other would have done so based on their mutual discussion. As outsiders, it wasn't their place to intervene.
Katniss moved slightly and turned to look at him, "I'm not trying to meddle in their affairs. I just suddenly thought of a question: why did you agree to let Aaron stay here?"
He wasn't unkind, but he wasn't usually this generous.
There were many ways to help Aaron, and he chose the one that would most fill the emotional void in Aaron's heart.
"It's nothing," he turned around, his deep gaze falling into the soup pot. Fragmented memories pieced together in his mind, and a trace of sadness appeared in his eyes.
Katniss moved her lips, about to change the topic, when suddenly voices in the living room flared.
She moved to the dining room door and saw Aaron standing on the couch, looking down at Eudora with anger, "I didn't ask you to take care of me! Mom and Dad didn't entrust me to you. If you don't like me, then don't bother with me."
"Don't bother with you?" Eudora pointed a finger at Aaron's nose in anger, "Why do you think they would willingly take care of you? If it weren't for my relationship with them, they wouldn't care about you at all."
Her words were hurtful, making Katniss's heart tighten.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of the stove being turned off behind her. Before she could see clearly, Tristan had already walked past her.
"You, come with me," he said, grabbing Eudora's arm and leading her out, his face icy.
Aaron stood frozen on the couch, watching Tristan take Eudora away. His gaze fell on Katniss.
There was a distance between them, and as their eyes met, Katniss saw his eyes redden visibly.
She walked over slowly, and before she could get close, she heard Aaron say, "Why did you agree to take me in? Is it because you want to earn money from tutoring me, or is it because of Eudora?"
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
