Chapter 248 Wait for My Notification
Katniss figured Tristan would just stop the Astor family from silencing the press and get Michael's scandal out there.
But boy, was she wrong. The news didn't hit the media; it spread in the most grassroots way possible.
The Astor family owned a bunch of malls and hotels, all smack dab in the city center.
On the massive screens of each building, like five to six hundred square feet big, Michael and Isla's bed photos were on a constant loop.
With a cheeky caption: [This guy owns the mall, and the lady is his cousin!]
High society folks didn't need an intro, and everyone else got the gist of Michael's identity right away.
People were buzzing with gossip, and in no time, tons of regular folks snapped pics and plastered them all over social media.
What really burned Michael was that the photos were playing on screens owned by the Astor family!
The system got hacked, and they couldn't stop the photos, so the staff had to cut the power, which caused a big hit to business.
But the power to the big screens had been messed with and hooked up to another source!
With no other choice, Michael ordered the screens in the malls to be smashed, adding to the losses.
But compared to the Astor Corporation's tanking stock market, these losses were peanuts.
Shareholders stormed in, demanding answers, and it took the whole security team to keep them from barging into Michael's office.
He sat there, looking stressed, his eyes icy cold.
Samuel barged in, standing in front of the desk, "Mr. Astor, the shareholders won't leave. They're in the conference room, demanding an explanation."
"An explanation?" Michael shot up, grabbed the papers on his desk, and hurled them at Samuel. "If I said I didn't touch Isla, would you believe me?"
Samuel stood firm, letting the papers hit him and fall.
Seeing this, Michael got even madder, storming around the desk, "Why is Tristan still with Katniss? Didn't you mess with her? How could Tristan go to such lengths for her!"
Michael grabbed Samuel's suit, his anger making Samuel step back.
Samuel steadied himself, looking at Michael with calm, indifferent eyes. "Because he loves Katniss too much, Mr. Astor. Why are you so obsessed? Miss Astor's already hit rock bottom. Do you think breaking up Katniss and Tristan will make him marry Miss Astor?"He had no clue that Michael, who had buried his feelings for Eudora deep down, was actually targeting her. Michael couldn't let anyone find out about his 'mutual affection' for Eudora.
If people knew, Eudora would be shamed, being the daughter-in-law raised by the Forbes family since she was a kid but falling for him.
But how could he know what Eudora thought? All his obsession was just a foolish one-sided crush!
Michael snapped, "Do I need you to tell me what to do? Don't you like Katniss? I'll make it happen for you. Go spill the beans that you and Katniss spent the night at a bed and breakfast!"
If the news got out that Katniss and Samuel spent the night alone at a B&B, Tristan would be humiliated.
Whether he married Katniss with everyone mocking him or broke up under pressure, it would be a tough spot!
Samuel's brows furrowed. If this got out, no one would believe in Katniss's innocence like Tristan did.
Seeing his hesitation, Michael smirked coldly. "Remember who your boss is! Find out where Tristan is; I want to see him. Get the story ready and wait for my call."
"Okay." Samuel nodded slightly and walked out of the office. His eyes were filled with coldness where Michael couldn't see.
The night dragged on, and darkness covered the city like an invisible giant hand.
After dinner, Adelaide left after a pleasant chat. She had discussed the wedding plans with Sophia.
At first, she was reluctant to leave, but after getting a phone call, her face soured, and she decided to go.
Sophia got up to see her off, but Adelaide stopped her. "Don't bother. Take care of yourself and get well soon so you can give Katniss away at her wedding!"
"Katniss, see her off!" Sophia signaled Katniss to escort Adelaide out.
But Adelaide wouldn't have it, "Katniss, just stay with your mom. Let Tristan see me off; I need to talk to him."
"Alright then, take care." Katniss sensed something was up and didn't push it.
Tristan helped Adelaide into the elevator. Adelaide smiled and waved to Sophia and Katniss.
Once the elevator doors closed, her smile vanished. "What's so important that you went to such lengths to mess with the Astor family?" It wasn't a reproach, just a question.
"It has to do with Katniss," Tristan explained briefly.
Hearing this, Adelaide's face turned colder. "Michael really has no sense. Bella is already mentally unstable. Does he still expect her to marry into our Forbes family?"Tristan knew Michael wasn't going to let things slide and was out for revenge for Bella.
He raised an eyebrow but kept it to himself. Adelaide was getting on in years, and he didn't want to worry her.
After seeing Adelaide to the car, she mentioned the phone call, "Your father isn't thinking straight. Michael invited him to tomorrow's press conference, and he agreed."
Even though Tristan didn't acknowledge him, to the public, Travis represented the Forbes family's stance.
If Travis went and said something he shouldn't, it could cover up Michael's mess, but it could also have a big impact on the Forbes family.
"Don't worry; I've got it under control," Tristan reassured Adelaide. She trusted him, and then he left.
The luxury car driving away stood out in the neighborhood. Tristan watched it turn at the gate before looking away.
But he didn't head back right away. Under the streetlight, a swarm of small insects buzzed around. He lit a cigarette.
The smoke slowly rose, scattering the insects. His tall figure looked lonely.
After a while, he finished the cigarette, took out his phone, and made a call.
Ryan had been swamped these past few days and was exhausted. He finally had a break and went to bed early.
He was sleeping soundly when the phone woke him up. He knew it meant work, "Mr. Forbes, what do you need? Okay, I'm on it."
He got up, dressed, got in his car, and sighed, driving towards the suburbs.
Adelaide had left, but Katniss and Matilda were busy late into the night, organizing the gifts she had brought.
The house was packed, and there were still a few boxes that couldn't fit.
"Katniss, we don't drink tea or wine. Take it down to Tristan; there's no room here," Matilda said, having searched for a spot for ages.
Katniss, who had been resting on the sofa, got up, grabbed the items, and headed downstairs to Tristan's place.
The night was long, and moonlight filled the living room. The study door was ajar, with light spilling out.
She quietly put the items down. No wonder he hadn't come to find her; he was busy.
She didn't want to disturb him, so she took a shower and waited for him in the bedroom, wanting to talk about the wedding.
She didn't want to interfere, feeling somewhat unreal.
Half an hour later, Tristan finished his work, his brows creased with fatigue from the sleepless night.After showering, he climbed into bed and pulled her into his arms, feeling particularly satisfied with the faint fragrance she carried.
"Tristan, are we really getting married?" she asked, her head buried in his chest, her breath warm against his skin.
His voice came from above her head, "Yes, if you have any ideas about the wedding, you can tell Grandma, and she will make them happen."
Katniss was quiet for a moment before asking softly, "So, when do you plan to have children?"
The question had just popped into her mind, and she couldn't stop thinking about it.
A child could help him secure his position as Travis's heir. He was worried about the dangers of pregnancy now, so he didn't want it.
But what about two months later, after they got married? Would it still be dangerous?
They couldn't wait until Travis died to have a child.
"After we get married, the time will be right," Tristan said firmly.
With his words, Katniss knew he had other plans.
He was secretly planning how to get married and have children smoothly.
Her heart settled a bit, and her hand rested on his strong waist. Listening to his powerful heartbeat, she said no more.
The room was quiet, their steady breathing in sync, and they gradually fell asleep.
The next day was the weekend, and Katniss had to go to the Brown family for tutoring in the morning.
She got up early to get ready.
"When will you finish tutoring?" Tristan asked as he made her breakfast and changed his outfit.
Seeing this, she was curious. "I'll be done by ten. Are you going out?"
Tristan responded, "I'll take you there, and after your tutoring ends at ten, I'll take you somewhere."
"Is it to Michael's press conference?" Katniss had seen the news early in the morning.
The incident with Michael and Isla had skyrocketed in popularity, becoming a legendary event that would be talked about for generations to come.
Michael could stop the reporters from reporting the photos, but he couldn't stop them from reporting the large screens playing Michael and Isla's bed photos on a loop.
Now that Michael was willing to address the issue publicly, they had prepared well in advance!
The press conference officially started at ten-thirty in the morning, just in time for her to go after tutoring.
"Yes." Tristan's eyes reflected her makeup-free face. "You don't need to say anything then. Just leave it to me."
Katniss agreed, packed her things, and let Tristan take her to the Brown family. Downstairs, they ran into George, who was carrying gifts to visit Sophia.
"Tristan," Matilda warmly called out as soon as she saw him, which almost made George drop the gifts in his hands.
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