Chapter 227 Do You Think She Lacks Money?
"Even though Mr. Forbes and my husband threw this shindig, Katniss and I are also kinda the hosts. So, if Miss White's got a problem, let's help her out," Wren said, dragging Katniss over and plopping her between Lila and Tristan, making sure Katniss was roped into the mess.
Tristan grabbed Katniss's wrist, pulling her close. The faint smell of smoke and booze clung to her.
Just as he was about to speak, Lila cut in. "Fine, as long as someone can fix this for me. Just so you know, the item is worth millions; it's a family heirloom from the White family, super valuable."
She found a chair and sat down, waiting to see how Katniss would handle it. This was a real pickle. If they searched everyone, they'd tick off a lot of people. But if they didn't, how could they help Lila find her lost item?
Wren suddenly realized she'd put Katniss in a tough spot. This was a real mess! If Tristan stepped in, it might've been better since no one would dare get mad at him. But Katniss? That was a different story.
Everyone's eyes were on Katniss, and Lila noticed too, crossing her arms and smirking. "Miss Grey, everyone's time is precious. Hurry up," she urged.
Katniss looked up, her eyes clear but met with nothing but hostility.
After a moment, she looked at Lila sitting in the chair. "Miss White, think carefully about who you were close to at the party. Got any suspects? It'll save us time and be more accurate."
Smart move, throwing the problem back at Lila. Throughout the party, Lila must've been closer to someone.
Lila stood up, swaying as she walked over to Katniss. Her red lips parted slightly. "You."
One was incredibly charming, oozing seduction. The other was elegant and refined, exuding class.
Katniss frowned slightly. "Me? I've only seen you twice since I got here."
Once by Tristan's side and once in the lounge on the second floor. She suddenly remembered something.
Lila laughed, tossing her bag on the table. "You bumped into me on the second floor, knocked my bag down, and helped me pick up my stuff. Our family heirloom jade ring was in my bag, and now it's gone."
Katniss wasn't naive enough to think this was just a simple slander from Lila. She also remembered Isla bumping into her earlier. And Isla picked up her bag.
If she guessed right, Lila's jade ring was now in her bag. If it was found in her bag in front of everyone, not only would Tristan be embarrassed, but she wouldn't be able to keep her job as a tutor.
Who'd let a thief teach their kid?
Wren seemed to realize something too, quickly turning around and whispering the whole story to Daniel.
The whisper reached Tristan's ears, his cold gaze sweeping over Lila's face. "Miss White, that's enough."
"What's wrong?" Lila asked, all righteous. "You didn't stop me from searching earlier, but now that it involves Miss Grey, you want to stop me? If you're protecting her, do it convincingly."
The blatant targeting was obvious to everyone, but they all chose to stay out of it, not wanting any trouble.
"Miss White, your accusation is baseless. Why would Ms. Grey steal your ring? Does she look like she needs money?" Wren argued. Would a woman with Tristan lack money?
People whispered among themselves. Even though some women saw Katniss as a rival, they had to admit Wren had a point.
"Everyone, you might not know about Katniss's background," Isla stepped out from the crowd, raising her voice. "She doesn't come from a wealthy family, and has a mother with a terminal illness. It's not surprising for someone like that to be tempted by valuable items!"
Lila's contemptuous gaze swept over Katniss. "So, even if Miss Grey hasn't touched my bag, she should be my first suspect."
"So many people are waiting, don't waste time. Bring the bag over and let us search it!" Isla was eager to see Katniss humiliated.
Seeing Katniss standing still, she took a big step forward and snatched Katniss's bag. Before anyone could react, she opened the bag and dumped everything out.
Various cosmetics scattered on the ground, some rolling into the crowd, causing a commotion. Everyone's eyes were on the scattered items, but no one saw the jade ring Lila mentioned.
Lila glanced at Isla, whose face turned pale. She thought to herself, 'This is impossible!' She had clearly put the item in Katniss's bag! Katniss's eyes narrowed, as she quickly caught on to the situation.
She discreetly pushed Tristan's hand away from her waist, walked up to Isla, and slapped her hard across the face. "This is my turf. You've crossed a line."
Isla stumbled into the crowd and fell to the ground from the force of the slap.
Katniss's cold gaze then turned to Lila. "Miss White, you were so sure I had the closest contact with you. Now that you've seen there's nothing in my bag, what's next? Who do you plan to search? Don't worry, as the host, we'll make sure all your wishes are fulfilled."
Lila hesitated. Katniss either hid the jade ring after figuring it out, or something went wrong along the way. She couldn't just search others and risk offending them.
"Forget it. No point making a fuss. I just hope Mr. Forbes can ask the hotel staff to keep an eye out, just in case it turns up," she said.
Tristan's gaze was icy as he looked at the disheveled Isla on the ground. "If you lose something, take responsibility for it yourself. We're all adults; don't make things harder for yourself. If this happens again..."
Lila's cheeks burned with embarrassment at the sharp reprimand. She couldn't help but glare at Isla, who was also confused about what went wrong.
Tristan had the staff arrange for everyone to leave, and he took Katniss and the others straight to the underground parking lot.
Wren chattered next to Daniel about what had just happened. "Lila and Isla are no good, but I don't get what they were trying to do. Was it just to embarrass Ms. Grey?"
Katniss couldn't help but smile, tugging on Tristan's arm, and said to the Wilson couple, "The secret is in your bag."
Wren was stunned, looking down at her bag in confusion. "What's in my bag?"
"I get it!" Daniel nodded repeatedly, took Wren's bag, rummaged through it, and pulled out a jade ring.
The dim light in the underground parking lot made the ring's translucent green glow faintly. Tristan glanced at it and recognized it as something valuable.
"How did it end up with me?" Wren was so surprised she almost jumped.
"Isla tried to bump into my bag earlier and put it in but accidentally knocked your bag down too. I think she put it in the wrong place." Katniss felt a lingering fear. If Isla hadn't been so clumsy, she would have been in big trouble today.
Who could have thought this dramatic scene was part of a larger scheme?
She turned and hugged Tristan's strong waist. "I almost embarrassed you and lost my job."
"Lila is too wicked! If this plan fails, she'll definitely come up with another one! How do we guard against such a sinister person?" Wren hated such despicable people the most.
Tristan's eyes narrowed, a sharp glint flashing in his deep eyes. He took off his suit jacket, draped it over Katniss, and kissed her forehead.
His gaze fell on Daniel. "Since the ring was found in Wren's bag, you can handle it as you see fit. But let me remind you, items with family crests are hard to sell privately and could lead to repercussions. However, you can consider anonymous auctions at high-end auction houses, where your identity will be kept confidential."
That would be safer.
Daniel looked a bit uneasy. "Isn't it bad to just sell it like that?"
"What's bad about it?" Wren asked, taking the ring back in her bag. "Mr. Forbes, please introduce us to the owner of a reputable auction house in Velvet City. Once it's sold, I'll treat you all to a big meal and prepare a grand gift for your wedding!"
Keeping the ring was useless, and returning it to Lila wouldn't vent Wren's anger!
"No problem," Tristan agreed, waved to Daniel, and turned to leave with Katniss.
Ryan had been waiting in the car for a long time and quickly opened the door when he saw them approaching.
The car's interior was even dimmer. Katniss leaned against Tristan, burying her head in his chest. Her long hair fell over her face, and his cool fingers gently tucked it behind her ear, his gaze deep.
A business party where Tristan's intended work discussions didn't happen. Instead, his relationship with Katniss was widely reported by the media, which praised Katniss's excellence.
They exaggerated Tristan's affection for Katniss, with photos of them together taken from flattering angles.
Tristan's deep affection was unlike anything anyone had ever seen before, and suddenly, Katniss was thrust into the spotlight as the happiest woman in the world.
Katniss skimmed through the media reports, frowning, not even bothering to eat breakfast. "Is the media trying to make me a target?"
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