Chapter 21 You Owe Me a Big Favor
Katniss had no clue how long they had been making love, but it was pitch black outside when Tristan finally let her go. Under the flimsy blanket, his arm was still draped around her waist. She tried to wiggle free, but he was way stronger, so she just let it slide.
A knock from the next room made Tristan feel Katniss tense up in his arms. She turned her head, eyes all hazy and a bit panicked, and whispered, "Miss Astor's awake."
In the next room, Bella, still half-asleep, cracked open the door and saw who it was. She groaned, "Michael, I'm still sleepy."
Michael chuckled as he walked in, "No matter how sleepy you are, you gotta eat. Go wake Tristan up for dinner."
Bella shot a glance at the master bedroom door, a weird look crossing her face. She pursed her lips, then knocked on the door twice, calling out, "Tristan, wake up, it's dinner time."
Silence. No response from Tristan. Bella turned to Michael, "Tristan might be too tired and still asleep. Should we let him sleep a bit longer?"
Michael frowned and opened the door. The bed was neatly made, and no one was there.
Bella snapped awake, her eyes darting around the room in shock. "Where's Tristan? Where did he go?"
Her face turned serious as she thought of something. Without waiting for Michael, she rushed back to her room to change and hurried out, "Michael, let's go find him!"
Half an hour later, Katniss and Tristan strolled into the restaurant. The employees who had gone hiking were back and goofing around. When they saw them, they made way. Michael and Bella arrived and immediately spotted Tristan surrounded by the crowd.
He was rocking a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, showing off his strong forearms. He leaned back in his chair, chatting lazily with the employees. Next to him, Katniss was in a simple T-shirt and jeans, her hair in a high ponytail, smiling faintly as usual.
Bella walked over and stood next to Tristan, "Tristan, where'd you go? I've been looking for you forever."
Tristan turned his head, cool as ever, "Couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk. You awake now? Hungry? Dinner's almost ready."
His tone was as caring as always, and Bella's face brightened with a sweet smile. She glanced at Katniss and said, "Not too hungry. What were you guys talking about? It looks so fun! Include me too!"
Katniss caught the meaning behind Bella's glance. She got up and said, "Miss Astor, take my seat. I'll go see if the kitchen's got the food ready."
"Sure thing!" Bella plopped down, waved Katniss off, and turned to chat with the others.
Tristan's mischievous eyes followed Katniss as she left, the smirk on his lips fading just a bit, barely noticeable to anyone.
Katniss made sure to tell the kitchen to whip up more food. The hikers were beat and starving. As she turned to leave the kitchen, she almost bumped into Michael, who was clearly waiting for her.
"Mr. Astor, you hungry? I already told the kitchen, dinner's coming up soon," she said, keeping her cool.
Michael gave her a sideways look, "What were you up to this afternoon?"
"Just resting in my room," Katniss replied.
Michael raised an eyebrow, "Can you do me a favor?"
"Sure, what do you need?"
"I lost something. Must've dropped it when I was out this afternoon. Can you help me find it?" Michael grabbed her wrist and started walking. Katniss tried to pull away but couldn't, so she just went along. "What did you lose, Mr. Astor? Where were you this afternoon? I can get the hotel staff to help."
Michael led her to the front desk, "I don't want to say what it is, in case someone picked it up. Can you ask them to check the surveillance footage? From around 1 PM to now, I didn't go many places, mostly the floor with the luxury suites. Just check that floor."
Katniss looked at Michael. He seemed serious, but his eyes were probing. He wasn't looking for something he lost; he was trying to figure out where Tristan had been.
"What's up?" Michael squinted, "Katniss, don't you want to help me find my stuff?"
Katniss took a deep breath. She couldn't say no. She was the one who arranged the vacation, so she had to help.
"Hi, could you check the surveillance footage of the luxury suite floor from around 1 PM?" she asked the front desk staff.
The staff stood up and nodded, "Did you lose something?"
Katniss nodded, "This is Mr. Astor. He lost something valuable. Can you help us find it?"
Michael added, "Focus on the footage near rooms 8808 and 8809. I was in 8808 a lot and passed by 8809 when I took the elevator."
With that, Katniss got it. Michael was definitely suspicious of something.
"Mr. Astor, don't worry. The surveillance on the top floor covers everything," the receptionist said with a polite smile. She picked up the phone and dialed a number, "I'll call the person in charge of surveillance now. Please wait a moment."
Katniss felt her face go pale and swallowed nervously, trying to keep it together.
"Katniss, you don't look so good. What's up?" Michael asked, pretending to be concerned.
Katniss forced a small smile, "I'm just not used to sleeping in new places, so I didn't sleep well. Thanks for asking, Mr. Astor."
"Oh?" Michael chuckled. "Didn't realize you haven't been sleeping well these past few days. Hang in there, you'll catch up on sleep when we get back."
Katniss just smiled and stayed quiet. The receptionist had already connected the call. "Hey, could you check the surveillance footage of the top floor luxury suites from around 1 PM today until now? A gentleman mentioned he lost something. Focus on the footage near the elevator, especially rooms 8808 and 8809, as he frequents this area."
There was a brief silence on the other end, and then the receptionist looked surprised. After hanging up, she apologized to Katniss and Michael, "I'm sorry, but the surveillance on the top floor was damaged during the heavy rain a couple of days ago and hasn't been fixed yet. Mr. Astor, what did you lose? Should I send someone to look for it? Only a few distinguished guests are staying on the top floor, and there are dedicated staff members. Even if it's lost, it can definitely be found."
Katniss let out a sigh of relief and turned to Michael, following the receptionist's lead. "Mr. Astor, what did you lose? I'll take someone to look for it."
Michael pursed his lips and then suddenly laughed. "Forget it, it's not valuable. No need to waste time. Let's go."
He walked towards the restaurant with his hands in his pockets.
Katniss nodded to the receptionist. "Thank you," and then turned to leave as well.
Back in the restaurant, she found a corner to sit down. Her phone buzzed with a text message from George: [Katniss, you owe me a big favor.]
Katniss was puzzled and replied after thinking for a moment.
Katniss: [I don't have money to repay you. Stop sending gifts in the game to others!]
George replied: [It's not about money. We'll talk when we meet. How about a game tonight?]
Katniss: [Let's talk about it tonight.]
Katniss lowered her head to reply, her expression serious and focused. From a distance, Tristan's lazy eyes were on her as he listened to every conversation around him.
Soon, dinner kicked off. With so many people, they split into several tables. Katniss ended up at a table with a few senior employees and Tristan, while Bella naturally snagged the seat next to Tristan, and Michael was on the other side.
There were two empty seats next to and across from Tristan. Without thinking, Katniss plopped down across from him, leaving the seat next to him for Nicholas.
Nicholas was the last to show up, yawning and looking half-asleep. He strolled over and grumbled before sitting down, "I'm not playing cards tonight. I'm beat."
Tristan raised an eyebrow, catching the slight smile on Katniss's lips. Sensing something, he acted fast and kicked Nicholas's chair out from under him just as he was about to sit.
Nicholas hit the floor hard, wincing in pain. "Tristan, are you trying to kill me?"
"Just trying to wake you up so you don't talk nonsense," Tristan said, giving Nicholas a look that could kill.
Nicholas knew he had ticked Tristan off, but the scary part was he had no idea how! He got up, rubbing his sore backside, and pulled his chair back to sit down.
Katniss, the only one who knew the real deal, stifled her laughter and focused on her food.
The hotel had a big karaoke room, and after dinner, everyone eagerly headed there to sing. Katniss, knowing she was tone-deaf, wisely stayed away from the mic, leaving the singing to the employees.
Tristan and Michael lounged on the sofa, chatting and laughing. Tristan, in his high-end gray sportswear with a custom logo, exuded a deadly charm with every move. Katniss had always been captivated by his seriousness at work and his allure in more private settings.
Tristan's private look in this setting is so rare, it was like he was a completely different person, yet his charm remained undiminished. A few female employees gathered together, occasionally glancing over and keeping their conversation centered around Tristan and the others.
Suddenly, a shadow fell over Katniss. She looked up to see Nicholas, who was fiddling with his phone excitedly. "Katniss, ask your boyfriend to play games tonight. I've already set it up."
He handed his phone to Katniss. Nicholas had created a group chat that included Tristan, Michael, Bella, and George.
Katniss frowned and thought for a moment before saying, "I'm not very good at it. You five can play without me."
"That's not right," Nicholas immediately shot down the idea, "It's not cool to invite your boyfriend without you. Join us. We'll split into two teams of three for a PK match. You and Bella aren't very good, so we'll just guide you."
Katniss couldn't refuse, even though she didn't want George to get too involved in her life.
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