Chapter 240 Bought for Nicholas
The sun was setting, and the early autumn evening had a bit of a chill. Katniss, rocking a black trench coat, stood by the roadside outside the school, waiting.
She kept glancing at her watch, casually kicking a small pebble at her feet. The distant lights cast a soft glow on her.
She squinted slightly and looked up, spotting a Range Rover with its lights off slowly approaching. She took a couple of steps closer to the curb.
The car came to a smooth stop in front of her, and the passenger window rolled down just a bit. She opened the door, and a burst of red caught her eye.
A bouquet of fiery red roses, with petals sprinkled with tiny droplets of water, was sitting on the seat.
As Tristan turned the car lights back on, the droplets sparkled like little stars.
"Why'd you get flowers?" she asked, unable to hide the smile tugging at her lips. She picked up the flowers to smell them, then got into the car, holding them close.
Tristan locked the car door and suddenly leaned towards her. She stiffened against the seat, watching his face come closer.
Lowering her eyes, she saw his hand, veins visible, reaching past her waist to pull the seatbelt across her.
He said, "For Nicholas."
Katniss's smile froze.
She'd never gotten flowers from him before, and her heart had swelled when she held them, but then he said they were for Nicholas.
"Just kidding," Tristan's low laugh filled the car. After fastening the seatbelt, he drove off. "Why'd you come down so early?"
He was ten minutes early, but she was already waiting.
Katniss's ears turned a bit red, but she tried to play it cool. "Everyone else had left, and it was boring to stay alone, so I came down early."
Roses, for Nicholas? She shouldn't have believed that.
As the city lights flickered on, the Range Rover sped along the smooth road and soon arrived at the hospital.
Nicholas was in a VIP ward, the same hospital where Sophia had stayed before, so Katniss knew her way around.
After finding out which ward it was, she went upstairs with Tristan. It was evening, so the place was pretty empty.
Stepping out of the elevator, their footsteps echoed in the quiet corridor.Nicholas's ward door was open, and you could hear some chaotic voices coming from inside. "Mr. Kennedy, you can call us the Tudor family shameless or whatever, but the fact is, you were messing around with Saskia before you broke off the engagement with my daughter. Shouldn't you make some compensation?"
"Yeah, especially considering how much Isla suffered while being with you. She only went after Katniss because Saskia provoked her, and now she's in such a mess!" The Tudor couple surrounded Nicholas's bed. Saskia was lounging on the sofa at the foot of the bed, playing with her phone, and Isla was standing in the middle of the room.
Nicholas, lying on the hospital bed, looked fed up and couldn't argue with the Tudor couple.
Standing outside the door, Katniss suddenly felt a sense of responsibility.
Isla didn't want to trouble Saskia; she was just too dumb and got used by others. The Tudors were trying to squeeze compensation out of Nicholas through coercion.
They were shameless to the max.
She glanced at Tristan, whose profile was tense, his eyes coldly fixed on the Tudor couple.
"Katniss?" Isla was the first to notice them at the door and exclaimed.
Sensing the dark vibe Tristan was giving off, she unconsciously took two steps back.
The Tudor couple turned around, their expressions shocked and embarrassed.
After a long while, Grant was the first to speak, forcing a smile, "Mr. Forbes, it's rare to see you. Can we discuss the project again?"
"Where do you get the nerve to talk to me?" Tristan lightly hooked his long arm, holding Katniss as they walked into the ward.
The imposing presence made the Tudors huddle together and shrink into a corner.
"Sit here and wait for me." Tristan gestured for Katniss to sit on the sofa. He thought that dealing with the Tudors would be difficult and would waste a lot of time.
Grant, seeing Tristan's protection of Katniss, felt a pang of anxiety.
He thought that Isla dared to trouble Katniss, wasn't that asking for big trouble?
He immediately turned and looked at Isla. "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and apologize to Mr. Forbes for all the stupid things you've done!"
"Dad!" Isla wasn't unwilling. The family was on the verge of bankruptcy, and her future livelihood was at stake. Yet, she was afraid of Tristan! She didn't know what Katniss had done to make Tristan so infatuated.
"Isla, just bear with it a little." Luna Everett gently pushed Isla.
Isla stumbled and ended up just several feet away from Tristan, the suffocating aura even stronger.She looked back at the Tudor couple with tears in her eyes, finally gritting her teeth and saying, "Mr. Forbes, I'm sorry. I hope you won't hold it against me."
Isla's voice grew smaller, partially drowned out by Saskia's mocking laughter.
She had long told Isla not to be so arrogant.
Hearing Saskia laugh, Isla's face turned red with anger, glaring at Saskia.
Isla's peripheral vision suddenly caught Katniss sitting calmly on the sofa, her fingers twirling her hair as she looked at her with indifferent eyes.
"You should apologize to Katniss," Tristan's voice was chilling and unquestionable.
Isla choked, her eyes wide with shock. She thought, 'Apologize to Katniss? That is impossible!'
Grant hesitated for a few seconds before responding, "You're right, she should apologize to Miss Grey."
"I won't apologize!" Isla screamed, "She doesn't deserve it!"
With that, Tristan's chiseled face grew even colder, his icy gaze cutting into Isla like a knife.
Isla's breath caught as if an invisible hand was choking her, and she took two steps back in terror.
"Bastard!" Grant was furious, grabbing Isla's arm and slapping her hard, "Apologize to Miss Grey now!"
Instinctively covering her face, Isla stumbled and was caught by Luna before she could fall.
Tears instantly streamed down her face as she turned to glare at Katniss.
It was clear that any apology she gave wouldn't be sincere.
Katniss lifted her eyelids and said, "No need. Miss Tudor's apology is more than I can bear."
"Then I'll apologize on her behalf!" Luna said without hesitation, letting go of Isla and walking towards Katniss.
"Mom!" Isla grabbed Luna's arm. "I don't need you to apologize for me, I..."
Under Tristan's piercing gaze, her words were cut off.
The large hospital room fell into a dead silence, the Tudor family trio feeling the pressure of an invisible force.
"Who needs your apology?" Nicholas, who had remained silent, added insult to injury, "If you have any sense, get Isla out of here. The longer you stay, the more likely Tristan will crush you with a flick of his finger!"
Isla was so stubborn that Grant sighed and dragged her out of the room.
Once outside, Isla was no longer under Tristan's oppressive aura and began to regain her arrogance. "Why did you make me apologize to Katniss? She's just a little assistant who slept her way to the top, she..."
Grant couldn't hold back any longer, slapping her even harder than before, "You ungrateful fool, go home and get ready to marry John!"John was the only person Grant could curry favor with, provided Isla could marry him.
He had hoped that if he could salvage the relationship with the Tudor family, Isla could marry into a good family and the Tudors could prosper.
But now, it seemed he could only use Isla to ensure the family's survival.
"Dad! You want me to marry that bald man?" Blood trickled from Isla's lips as she stared at him in disbelief. "Even if you promised Michael to get rid of Katniss, you can't marry me off to someone so old!"
Michael had also offered Grant help, with the condition of dealing with Katniss.
But Grant knew the Tudor family was just being used!
If they failed, not only would the family be destroyed, but Tristan's methods would likely ensure none of them survived!
"Fool, get home now!" Grant dragged Isla to the car, with Luna barely keeping up.
Once home, Isla was locked up, and Grant went to arrange her marriage to John, leaving Isla so furious she went on a hunger strike.
Late at night, Luna, feeling sorry for her, quietly brought food to her.
"Mom, if you really care about me, let me out. John is older than Dad. How can you bear to marry me to him?" through the door, Isla pleaded bitterly.
Luna was anxious and heartbroken. "Isla, how could you be so foolish? You insulted Katniss in the hospital. Can't you see things have changed?"
Isla bit her lip, her hatred for Katniss deepening.
"For the sake of the Tudor family, just bear with it. Eat something, don't starve yourself. Your dad has made up his mind." Luna had made a bowl of pasta, trying to persuade her to eat.
Isla, stubborn, had locked the door from the inside so Luna couldn't get in.
After a standoff, Isla said, "Mom, if you want me to eat, give me a phone."
"Okay, I'll give you a phone, just don't starve yourself." Isla's phone was with Grant, so Luna could only give her a spare phone.
The spare phone didn't have Michael's contact, but it did have Eleanor's. Isla called her, and got Michael's number.
Nicholas's leg injury wasn't severe but required a month of rest.
This meant Saskia had to take care of him in the hospital for a month, much to her dismay. "Katniss, when you have time, come shopping with me. I just got back to Velvet City, and it's getting colder. I seriously need to stock up on some warm clothes."
She had barely finished speaking when Nicholas pulled her close, holding her tightly by the waist, "No, you can't leave my side, not even for a moment."
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