Chapter 222 I Can't Lose You Again
Eudora dropped the bag on the couch, walked over to Michael, and sat down next to him, placing her hand on his shoulder.
Her words, soft and soothing, seemed to lift the weight off his heart.
"Michael, I know you're still upset about Bella, and I am too, but we need to pull ourselves together and figure out a way to rescue her."
The word "rescue" hit Michael like a ton of bricks.
He grabbed Eudora's hand, turned, and buried his head in her lap, holding her waist tightly.
"That psychiatric hospital is a mix of public and private. Money and influence alone won't get her out. I talked to Tristan, and he said he'd arrange the best psychiatrist for Bella and told me not to think about rescuing her, or he'd stop her treatment."
Michael thought that even if he got Bella out, she'd still need help. Instead of taking risks, it was better to let Bella get stable treatment at the psychiatric hospital.
He had checked, and the doctors there were top-notch in the country.
Eudora hadn't expected Tristan to help Bella recover; her eyes flashed. So, Tristan was playing mind games, keeping Bella confined while treating her, making Michael hesitant to go all out to rescue her.
"Eudora." Michael suddenly looked up, raising his hand to caress Eudora's cheek.
His fingertips gently stroked her face as if she were a rare treasure. "I've lost Bella; I can't lose you too. I want you. I'll take you back to the Astor family."
He pressed his forehead against Eudora's, the smell of alcohol lingering between them, making him seem half-drunk. The alcohol not only amplified his emotions but also clouded his judgment. Driven by a tumultuous mix of desire and despair, his hands began to fumble with the ties of Eudora's dress.
Eudora's face darkened as if she had thought of something, and she tried to push him away. But he was as steady as a rock, impossible to move.
Instead, her light resistance made Michael even more urgent, and he immediately pressed Eudora down onto the couch.
"Michael, calm down. Don't. I can't!" Eudora said.
When he actually touched Eudora, Michael's gentleness shattered. The Eudora he had missed for so many years was right beneath him; how could he stay rational?
The tearing of fabric echoed alongside Eudora's muffled protests, finally turning into silence with a scream from Eudora. She lay rigid on the couch, her hands gripping Michael's forearm so tightly that her knuckles turned white, her nails digging into his flesh. The excruciating pain made her eyes red, and tears uncontrollably streamed down her face.
"I can't," she sobbed, barely getting the words out.
Michael's mechanical movements suddenly stopped. He realized this was Eudora's first time! He tenderly covered Eudora with her torn clothes, knelt on the ground, and hugged her tightly, repeatedly saying, "I'm sorry."
Eudora's eyes showed a mix of disgust and pain. But she held back and didn't push him away.
After a while, Michael straightened his clothes and wrapped Eudora in his coat. "I forgot about that. We'll try again next time. I'll make sure everything is ready."
He kissed Eudora's lips again, and the sight of her pale face struck him with a deep sense of guilt. The urge to punish himself welled up inside him as regret washed over him.
Eudora had already adjusted her mindset, hiding her true emotions deep in her eyes, and took the initiative to hug Michael's waist. "Michael, I can't go back to the Astor family with you right now."
"Why?" Michael was puzzled.
Eudora sighed softly, "Do you think Travis really agreed to let Katniss marry into the Forbes family? He wants someone else to take action to avoid a father-son conflict. He's waiting to gain benefits!"
Michael couldn't believe that Travis had such plans!
He pounded the couch hard, "I don't care. You stay with me first. With the Astor family protecting you, he won't dare do anything to you!"
"How can I let the Astor family be put in a difficult position because of me? Besides, your parents might not even agree to let me marry you in my current state. If I marry you with a reputation that brings misfortune, they'll be even more unpleasant." Eudora let go of Michael's waist, her eyes filled with tears, making Michael go crazy. "I want to be with you properly, to receive everyone's blessings. Do you understand?"
Michael nodded repeatedly, "I understand. Okay, we won't rush; we'll take it slow."
He pulled Eudora into his arms, but for a long time, he didn't know what "taking it slow" meant. "If Tristan really likes Katniss, I will help him and let him marry Katniss as soon as possible."
Eudora almost fainted in his arms. Was this the idea he came up with?
"What about Bella?" She pushed Michael away and said softly, "Even if Katniss didn't directly harm Bella, she's still indirectly responsible. When Bella recovers and finds out you helped Katniss and Tristan get together, she'll hate you!"
Michael's eyes were complicated. "I don't want to think about all that. I just want you!"
But she didn't want him! Eudora suppressed the disgust in her heart and put on a look of deep affection. "I get how you feel, but we can't just think about our happiness. We also have to think about Bella. Plus, your parents must hate Katniss right now. If you help her, they'll definitely be mad at you."
She spoke with conviction, her image of generosity and kindness fully displayed.
Michael sighed lightly and kissed her cheek. "Eudora, you're just too kind. Okay, I'll listen to you."
Adelaide had originally extended a warm invitation for Katniss and Tristan to stay at the Forbes Mansion. But Katniss felt uneasy as soon as she saw all the stickers in the house.
Adelaide didn't insist and smiled at Katniss, "Alright, then go back. Don't forget what I told you. Look at the child in that painting. How adorable."
"We..." Katniss was in a dilemma again.
Adelaide always gave her difficult tasks, asking her to wait until after the wedding to clarify things and now urging her to have a child.
"Grandma, let's present a united front first." She responded in Adelaide's own words.
But Adelaide squinted her eyes and waved her hand. "If you have a child, we won't need to present a united front anymore."
Katniss was amused by her and was about to ask why having a child would stabilize Tristan when Tristan came down the stairs.
He was holding a suit jacket, buttoning the last button on his shirt with his fingers, and walked over to them.
Adelaide quickly sat up straight, looking a bit uneasy as if she had been caught red-handed while doing something bad.
When Tristan stood in front of them, she quickly waved her hand. "Off you go!"
Then Katniss and Tristan left the Forbes Mansion. Matilda had asked her to come home tonight to discuss tomorrow's interview. So she asked Tristan to take her home.
Tristan didn't say a word, parked the car in front of her apartment building, and got out.
"I can go up by myself." She stood by the car, not moving. "Aaron said he wanted to talk to me about high school studies tonight."
In other words, she would be very busy tonight. It wasn't appropriate for Tristan to stay.
"I'm going home, too," Tristan said seriously, pulling a key from his pocket and waving it in front of her.
She was stunned for a few seconds, confused as Tristan pulled her into the building and the elevator.
His clean, slender fingers pressed the floor buttons, one for the eighth floor and one for the ninth.
When they reached the eighth floor, he let go of her hand, slightly blocking the elevator door and looking at her. "Daniel and I are throwing a business cocktail party tomorrow night. He's bringing Wren."
The implication was clear that it would be awkward for him to go alone.
Katniss frowned. "I can't give you an answer yet. I need to check with Matilda to see if I have work tomorrow night."
"Then I'll wait for your message." Tristan raised an eyebrow, suddenly leaning forward to look her in the eye, tilting his head slightly.
In the cramped elevator, his breath surrounded Katniss, and she couldn't help but glance at the camera above. She coughed lightly, quickly kissed his cheek, and pushed his head away.
She pushed him out of the elevator and pressed the close button. But she forgot to ask when he had started living in her building.
When she entered the house, Matilda was just clearing the dining table; they had already finished eating.
Seeing her return, Matilda paused. "Katniss, have you eaten? Aaron said you usually eat before coming home this late, so I..."
Katniss glanced at Aaron and found it somewhat amusing that she had hurried back today, declining Tristan's offer to take her out for food. "I've eaten. I came back early because I have work to do."
She walked past the dining room without looking around, sat in the living room, and took the materials from her bag out.
Aaron, being very considerate, stood up. "Matilda, let me help."
"No, I'm almost done." Matilda refused, but Aaron still went to help.
In a few minutes, they finished cleaning, and Aaron went back to his place. Matilda came out of the study with a laptop to start working with Katniss.
They had over twenty interviews scheduled for tomorrow, all in the morning. In the afternoon, they needed to finalize and update the software courses, as the first class of the new semester would start the day after tomorrow.
"These are just the tasks for our educational institution. There are also a few one-on-one tutoring interviews starting the day after tomorrow. I'll take you there." Matilda roughly calculated and held up five fingers. "Five students."
Katniss's mouth twitched, her brows furrowing. "Five students is too many."
"There were over twenty who specifically requested you. I managed to narrow it down to five. These five families hold significant positions in Velvet City and can't be refused." As she spoke, Matilda handed Katniss several files.
Velvet City was home to half of the business world's elite, including most of the wealthy and powerful. Matilda had a keen eye for selecting people, from business to politics. Each of the five families excelled in different fields.
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