Chapter 245 They Are Cousins
The rain had eased up, making the drive a lot safer than when they first got there.
Even with careful driving, the car couldn't go over forty miles an hour. The heater was cranked up, and maybe because she was finally relaxing, Katniss started to feel uncomfortable.
The drug that knocked her out still had some lingering effects, and as she warmed up, her clothes felt colder and colder.
She curled up in the passenger seat, glancing at Tristan, who looked stern and cold. "I've been missing for so long and dressed like this. How could you believe I'm innocent?"
Her voice was soft but clear in the quiet car.
Tristan stared straight ahead, his thin lips parting slightly as he spoke with determination, "If something had really happened to you, I'd be looking at a corpse right now."
All his emotions stemmed from concern for Katniss's safety.
He was deeply afraid that if he had been a step too late, something irreversible might have happened, something she couldn't bear, something that would shatter her world.
He knew Katniss well, holding her fingers tightly, their fingers intertwined.
Katniss felt weak, her eyes reflecting his serious driving expression. She closed her eyes to rest.
It was already early morning, but the entire hotel was brightly lit, with even the guests who had checked in gathered in the lobby waiting.
After a thorough search, Isla was nowhere to be found in the hotel, except for Michael's room, which the hotel manager dared not enter.
"Which room is Michael in?" Matilda asked. "You may not dare to barge in, but I do."
"Miss Stuart, please calm down. Didn't Mr. Forbes just call to say he found Katniss? Let's wait for him to come back, okay?" the hotel guests' information was confidential. The manager could withstand Tristan's pressure to tell him, but Matilda's status wasn't quite there yet.
If Michael decided to make things difficult, how would he explain it?
Matilda saw through the manager's thoughts immediately. "Do you realize I represent him right now? If Isla or Michael escapes because of a second's delay, how will you explain that?"
The manager was momentarily speechless but quickly made a decision: "I'll only tell you Mr. Astor's room number. I can't accompany you upstairs."
"Fine." Matilda wasn't foolish; she wouldn't rush in and cause trouble, especially since she couldn't overpower Michael.
So she would just block the door and wait for Tristan to bring Katniss back!She grabbed Michael's room key card and headed straight to the fifth floor, snagging a broom along the way.
Outside Michael's suite, she used the broom to jam the door handle, effectively locking it.
When Isla saw the rain had let up and tried to make a run for it, she found the door wouldn't budge and started to panic. "Michael, Tristan must have figured something out. If he starts asking questions, you have to cover for me!"
Michael was unfazed. He wasn't planning on going out anyway; the people outside would have to open the door eventually. "Stay calm and stay put. Don't bother me."
He was feeling a bit sleepy, wondering how far Tristan and the others had gotten by now.
Had they fallen out? Started fighting?
When Tristan brought Katniss back to the hotel, he first took her to their room for a hot shower. Once she was warmed up and changed into the spare clothes from the car, he turned his attention to other matters. "I need to go downstairs to find Michael. Do you want to rest here or come with me?"
"I'll come with you." Katniss had no intention of sleeping. She put on a thicker coat and went to the fifth floor with Tristan.
In the long corridor, Matilda had somehow found a chair and was sitting outside Michael's room.
Seeing Katniss and Tristan come out of the elevator together, she stood up and rushed to Katniss, hugging her tightly and crying. "Katniss, you scared me to death. With the heavy rain outside, all I could think of were those horror movies, like bodies exposed in the wilderness, dismembered and broken."
She was terrified that Michael might go crazy and kill Katniss. She didn't care about anything else, just Katniss's safety.
"Don't say such things." Tristan found her words particularly jarring.
With a somber expression, he asked, "Where's Michael?"
Matilda wiped her tears and pointed to the door she had blocked. "That's Michael's room. We couldn't find Isla anywhere in the hotel, so I guess she must be hiding here!"
As she spoke, she moved back to the door, intending to remove the broom.
"Wait." Tristan suddenly stopped her, his eyes coldly fixed on the door for a few seconds before turning to Katniss. "It's late. You two should go rest. I'll handle this."
Sensing he was about to let go of her hand, Katniss tightened her grip on his wrist. "Stay rational. At least don't cause any deaths."
"Don't worry, killing him would be too easy. I'll make him understand what it means to wish for death." After Tristan's repeated assurances, Katniss took Matilda back to their room.Matilda said, "Katniss, when we realized you were missing, Tristan didn't hesitate to drive out to find you, even though the rain was pouring. Everyone said he was risking his life."
Actually, Tristan only suspected that the car leaving despite the heavy rain was suspicious; he wasn't certain.
He risked his life going out in the rain, gambling with his own life, knowing every second of hesitation meant an extra second of danger for Katniss.
Matilda described the situation vividly, with Tristan going against the flow and her helping him search the hotel thoroughly.
Katniss had seen the road conditions on her way back; it was no exaggeration to say it was a life-and-death situation.
In such weather, Tristan didn't waste a second to find her.
She felt an indescribable emotion, her thin lips tightly pressed together.
"Katniss, what exactly happened? Did they hurt you when they took you?" Seeing Katniss in different clothes, Matilda could roughly guess Michael's intentions.
Katniss followed her gaze and looked down, understanding what Matilda had inferred from her changed clothes.
"Michael handed me over to Samuel. Samuel made it look like he was following orders but didn't do anything to me," she said. As soon as she finished speaking, Matilda grabbed her hand tightly. "Does Tristan believe you?"
Katniss said seriously, "Yes."
Hearing this, Matilda felt even more that Tristan loved Katniss to the core.
Soon, Katniss received a message from Tristan, telling them to rest early to watch the show tomorrow.
The entire hotel gradually quieted down. After a night of rain, the peaceful morning made Katniss feel momentarily disoriented.
It was as if nothing had happened last night, but she knew something had indeed happened.
"Katniss, get up. Didn't you say there would be a show to watch?" Matilda was full of energy, having gotten up early and changed clothes.
She couldn't wait to see how Tristan would deal with that bastard Michael!
Perhaps due to catching a cold yesterday, Katniss had a slight headache, but she didn't want to spoil the mood, so she got ready and went out with Matilda.
Outside, Ryan was waiting. Seeing them come out, he smiled and said, "Ms. Grey, Miss Stuart, good morning."
"What are you doing here?" Katniss looked at Tristan's room and then asked, "Where's Tristan?"
"Mr. Forbes went to the fifth floor. He specifically asked me to wait here for you to wake up and take you downstairs." Ryan made a 'please' gesture. "Shall we?"Matilda had an excited expression on her face, whispering to Katniss, "Do you think he might have crippled Michael? Or maybe he killed him outright?"
Katniss chuckled and scolded her lightly, "What nonsense are you talking about? He knows his limits and won't do anything illegal."
In the elevator, Ryan pressed the button for the fifth floor and couldn't help but laugh at Matilda's words.
"Miss Stuart might not understand. For some people, falling into his hands, death would be a relief. His way of handling things isn't straightforward and is merciless."
'Not merciless? Methods more terrifying than death, and still merciful?' Katniss complained inwardly, but she knew that when Tristan got ruthless, no one could bear it.
As soon as the elevator doors opened on the fifth floor, the corridor was packed with people. Reporters with cameras were crowding around Michael's room.
In the corner of the hallway, Tristan stood smoking, watching the scene with an indifferent expression.
Seeing Ryan bring Katniss down, he extinguished his cigarette and walked over, pulling a key card from his pocket and handing it to Ryan. "The timing is right. Go open the door."
Ryan took the key card, excited. "Okay!"
He then walked to the edge of the crowd of reporters, raised the key card high, and shouted, "Everyone, the dirty secrets of the wealthy are about to be revealed. Please make way; I'll open the door for you!"
The reporters made their way quickly, and as Ryan swiped the key card to open the door, he tried to step back but was swept into the suite by the crowd of reporters.
The large room quickly filled with people, with clothes scattered on the floor, including a particularly eye-catching leopard-print bra.
The bedroom door was wide open, revealing a naked man and woman lying there, fast asleep, oblivious to the crowd of reporters.
"Isn't that Mr. Astor and Miss Tudor?"
"What are they doing? Didn't the Tudor family just announce Miss Tudor's engagement to Mr. Carter?"
"Could it be that Miss Tudor didn't want to marry and came to Mr. Astor for help?"
The reporters, emboldened, took photos and discussed the scandalous scene.
Outside, Katniss heard their conversation and gasped, looking at Tristan in shock. "Did you drug them?"
"Just a little something to make them unconscious," Tristan replied, giving a signal to Ryan, who had just emerged from the crowd of reporters.
Ryan understood and shouted, "You're missing the point! Mr. Astor and Isla are cousins!"
The reporters' chatter turned into a frenzy as they realized the gravity of the scandal. Katniss couldn't help but feel a mix of shock and awe at Tristan's calculated move. He had managed to expose Michael and Isla in the most humiliating way possible, ensuring their reputations would be tarnished beyond repair.
Tristan turned to Katniss, his expression softening. "Let's get out of here. There's nothing more to see."
Katniss nodded, still processing everything that had just happened. As they walked away, she couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. Tristan had not only saved her but had also ensured that those who wronged her would face the consequences of their actions.
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