Chapter 207 Want to Freeload Here?
"From what you're saying, it sounds like you don't want to talk about the investment we made in you and just want to freeload here?" Katniss shot back at him.
But he didn't get it. His brows knitted together, and he stared at her for a long time without saying a word.
"I'm not that close with your sister, so I don't have to take you in for her sake. And I don't support people for free. You promised to pay me back, and you better keep that promise." Katniss finally had an idea, "Your credibility with me is low, so let's write a promissory note."
Aaron's eyes went wide, and he jumped off the sofa, rushing towards her, "I keep my word!"
Katniss crossed her arms and went to the foyer to grab paper and pen from her bag, "Alright, write a promissory note."
She placed the paper and pen on the coffee table, signaling Aaron to start writing. She dictated, and he wrote.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling window, the orange light bathed the two in the yard, and Eudora's face looked very unpleasant.
Opposite her, Tristan's eyes were cold, "I thought you understood what it was like to be at someone else's mercy. Why did you say such hurtful things to a teenager?"
"I'm telling the truth!" Eudora shot back confidently.
"What truth?" Tristan countered, "What kind of relationship are you talking about? Do you and I have a relationship?"
Eudora's lips moved, her eyes filled with shock, "Don't we have a relationship? We've lived together for years!"
"Yeah, we've lived together for years, but what else?" Tristan's tone was harsh.
Eudora was left speechless. In his eyes and heart, their relationship was just living together for years!
After a long while, Tristan took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep breath to calm himself.
In that moment, Aaron's shock and despair had stirred up emotions Tristan had buried for years.
"Whether you're trying to motivate him or just disappointed in him, you're using the wrong methods. Don't say such hurtful things again. If you're so capable, why don't you convince him to go back yourself? Otherwise, lay off the lectures."
Although the early summer nights were somewhat hot, Tristan's words sent a chill down Eudora's spine.
"I'm worried that if I take him back to the Velvet city, he'll cause me trouble and make my life in the Forbes family even harder." Her voice was sorrowful, and a tear fell from her eye.
Tristan flicked the ash from his cigarette and, after a moment of silence, said, "You overestimate yourself. You know your place in the Forbes family. No one cares about your brother's behavior, and Aaron isn't as bad as you think."
His words were full of protection for Aaron, making Eudora gradually lose hope.
She struggled to keep her emotions in check, "I heard he's staying here by making you invest in him. If that's his choice, I'll respect it. But I'll still cover his expenses; just don't tell him. I won't interfere in his matters anymore."
"Fine," Tristan agreed shortly, then added, "You should go back."
"Wait, Ivy has called several times asking me to return to Velvet City. Do you have any plans?" Eudora thought for a moment and added, "You've only cut ties with Travis, but Grandma is still part of the Forbes family. You can't stay here forever."
Tristan's expression stayed cold, "I'll handle it myself. You can go back if you want."
With that, he turned and went inside. Through the bright windows of the villa, she could see his tall figure walking past the foyer to join Katniss in the living room.
The coldness and impatience he had shown her disappeared when he was with Katniss, his delicate features radiating warmth.
She had known him for so long but had never seen or been treated by him with such an attitude.
Inside, Katniss had just finished having Aaron write the promissory note and had him press his fingerprint on it.
"Alright." She folded the paper carefully and placed it in the inner pocket of her bag, handling it as if she were afraid of losing it.
Aaron felt both amused and exasperated, and when he saw Tristan come in, he asked in a low voice, "Did she leave?"
Tristan's voice was clear and pleasant, and the faint smell of smoke surrounded Katniss.
"She's gone. She won't interfere in your matters anymore, but she is still your sister," Tristan said firmly.
Katniss glanced out the window and saw Eudora getting into her car.
Aaron absorbed every word Tristan spoke.
If only Eudora had spoken to him more kindly, without such a harsh tone and disdainful look, he wouldn't have been so resentful.
Katniss assigned Aaron a lot of homework, filling his weekends completely.
Without a phone to play games, he had twice secretly used Katniss's computer to play games and got caught, earning a stern scolding from her.
With Aaron around, Katniss felt like the house was much livelier.
In the afternoon, she went to Sophia's place and stayed until the evening, helping Matilda pack and giving her final pointers. She took out a card and handed it to Matilda. "Besides the working capital for Nightfall City, this is all our savings. Use it wisely for work, and don't be stingy with yourself in life. As for where you'll live, you'll have to figure that out on your own."
Matilda was about to take the card, but when she heard it was all their savings, she pulled her hand back. "Why are you giving me all the money? Just give me the estimated living expenses in Velvet City!"
Katniss grabbed her hand and made her take the card, "If things go well and you buy a storefront and a place to live, this won't be enough. Just take it. By the way, how about the caregivers who came today, which of them seem like a good fit?"
Matilda couldn't refuse and tightly held the card in her hand, "I think Juno Armstrong is pretty good. She's been in this line of work the longest among them."
"Then I'll let Dr. Perez know and have Juno start tomorrow. Go spend some time with Mom, she really enjoys your company. She was even crying earlier." Katniss smiled as she got up and took her phone to the window to contact Terry.
After arranging everything, it was already past nine o'clock. With a flight at eight in the morning, Katniss had to get up early to take Matilda to the airport.
She texted Tristan to say that she wouldn't be coming home tonight and then stayed with Matilda at Sophia's place.
The three of them were a bit cramped, with Sophia holding one hand of each. Though Sophia's grip was weak, Katniss and Matilda held her fingers tightly.
They talked about their childhood, college days, and the events of the past few years until they drifted off to sleep.
Early in the morning, around five, Katniss got up to wash up, went back to change clothes, and then returned for breakfast before taking Matilda to the airport.
In her memory, Matilda was still that naive little girl, but in the blink of an eye, Matilda was already twenty-five.
Her face had lost the innocence of someone new to society. Wearing a light gray trench coat paired with a T-shirt and jeans, she showed a bit of maturity.
After a reluctant farewell at the airport, Katniss went straight to the educational institution.
She seemed even busier, taking Aaron to the Wilson family for tutoring every evening and visiting Sophia at night.
The caregiver they found was very responsible, and Sophia was satisfied, allowing Katniss to focus more on her work.
After a few days of a packed schedule, on Friday, she planned to finish tutoring Aaron and Donna early to spend some time with Tristan.
Unexpectedly, just as she started work in the afternoon, a commotion erupted downstairs. The receptionist ran up, "Ms. Grey, there's trouble downstairs!"
Katniss's eyes narrowed slightly as she put down her work and hurried downstairs.
In the lounge area, a tattooed man sat on the sofa with a cigarette in his mouth, his floral shirt open to reveal a tank top underneath.
He wore a gold chain around his neck, and his dark fingers sported a shiny gold ring.
Behind him stood several men of varying heights and builds, all looking menacing.
Their lecherous and fierce gazes all fell on Katniss.
"May I ask what this is about?" Katniss kept a certain distance from them and asked politely.
The tattooed man didn't speak; he just snorted and turned his head. A man as thin as a stick stepped forward, "Do you know Aaron?"
Katniss thought for a moment and nodded, "Yes, he's my student."
The stick-thin man waved impatiently, "We've been watching you for days. You live with Aaron; you're family!"
"What do you need from him?" Katniss's first instinct was that these were the people bullying Aaron.
Some had been caught, and the others wanted revenge.
The stick-thin man didn't hesitate, "We're here to collect a debt!"
"A debt?" Katniss was stunned, remembering that Aaron had been out for a few days with no money, not knowing how he managed to eat and drink.
Could he have borrowed money?
"How much does he owe you?" She asked.
The tattooed man held up one hand, his five chubby fingers tightly together.
"Five hundred dollars? Or five thousand dollars?" Katniss roughly calculated that Aaron's food and drink for those days would be about five hundred dollars, but these people would charge interest.
Ten times that would be five thousand dollars.
As soon as she finished speaking, the group behind her burst into laughter.
The stick-thin man sneered, "This amount wouldn't let us go to all trouble for that."
"Fifty thousand dollars?" Katniss felt uneasy. This loan shark was too greedy. A hundred times the amount?
The tattooed man took a piece of paper from his pocket and slapped it on the table. "Look closely. Aaron signed this!"
Katniss glanced at it and immediately felt her breath catch—five hundred thousand dollars!
The loan amount was fifty thousand dollars.
"That's impossible," she said.
The tattooed man slammed the table, his face full of rage. "What? Are you trying to deny it?"
"I need to confirm with Aaron first." Katniss took a photo of the IOU. Aaron's phone couldn't receive pictures so that she couldn't verify it at the moment, "You need to leave first. I'll check with Aaron and get back to you."
The tattooed man leaned back, a smirk on his face. "You have until tomorrow. If we don't get our money, things will get bad."
Katniss nodded, trying to keep her composure. "Understood. I'll get in touch with Aaron and sort this out."
As the men left, Katniss felt a wave of anxiety wash over her. She needed to find Aaron and get to the bottom of this, and fast.
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