Chapter 256 Don't Push Your Luck
Katniss snapped back, "Enough already, what do you want from me?" Ember's words cut deep, like a knife to Katniss's heart.
If she could, Katniss would rather just give her life back to Ember!
"Of course, I have something to say," Ember shot back without missing a beat. "Do you even care about me? I've come all the way to Velvet City, and you haven't even bothered to find me a place to stay."
Katniss looked at them coldly. "Where you stay isn't my problem. My duty to you is just to send you your monthly retirement money. I'm not letting you live with me," she said.
Jessica jumped in, "Katniss, that's so heartless. You can spend money on strangers, but you can't let your own mother stay with you?"
Ember put her hands on her hips and stomped her foot. "Exactly! Now that you're successful, you want to ditch me? Why don't you ask the law if that's okay!"
The autumn wind carried Ember's voice down the street, making sure everyone heard. "Are you done?"
Katniss tried to stay calm and said, "Do I need to remind you of everything you've done? When you were on top, did you ever think of taking me with you?"
"I see how it is," Ember said through gritted teeth, turning to shout, "Everyone, come see for yourselves! My daughter doesn't recognize me anymore! She's marrying into a rich family and doesn't care if her mother lives or dies!"
She was lying, but her shouting drew a crowd.
It was rush hour, and people were coming from all directions.
Seeing this, Katniss had nothing more to say and turned to head back to the educational institution, but Jessica grabbed her wrist.
"Everyone, come see! The child I carried for ten months is heartless!" Ember shouted while Jessica held onto Katniss to stop her from leaving.
Faced with such shamelessness, Katniss had no way to fight back.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, she growled, "When did I say I didn't recognize you? I said I'd send you money every month as the law requires, so you can go back home and retire in peace!"
"I knew you'd come around," Ember's attitude shifted quickly, but she immediately brought up a new issue. "Then why are you trying to kick me out of Velvet City? Is it because I'm in the way of you marrying into a rich family?"
Before Katniss could respond, Ember turned to the crowd and shouted, "Do you know the Forbes family? My daughter is marrying into the Forbes family. She's from a low background and doesn't fit in, but she's insisting on marrying. It must be the Forbes family that doesn't want her supporting me, doesn't want us to be together..."Ember dropping the Forbes family name was a curveball Katniss didn't see coming.
Just a few days ago, thanks to Michael's news, the press conference was packed. Tristan's announcement about the marriage had everyone buzzing.
People initially tuned in to see if there was any truth to the rumors of incest. Instead, they stumbled upon a Cinderella story of an ordinary girl marrying into a wealthy family.
So when Ember mentioned the Forbes family, everyone immediately connected the dots and realized Katniss was the girl marrying into money.
But was marrying into a rich family really worth all this drama?
This mom was a piece of work—unreasonable and shameless. No wonder the Forbes family wouldn't want her around.
So, did Katniss really choose love over her own mother?
Katniss snapped, "This has nothing to do with the Forbes family. You've been divorced from my dad for almost twenty years. I don't have any feelings for you. Apart from the legal obligation to support you, I don't want to live with you. Got it?"
Katniss was fuming, shaking off Jessica's grip, and glared at Ember, saying in a low voice, "Don't push your luck. I'm telling you to leave Velvet City. If you keep bothering me, I'll make sure you leave!"
Maybe it was her fierce demeanor, but Jessica and Ember were momentarily stunned.
Katniss then signaled her bodyguards to back off and tried to push through the crowd herself.
That's when she spotted Lila standing by the roadside, with a well-dressed lady next to her.
The lady didn't mind Katniss staring and turned to ask Lila, "Lila, is she really the future daughter-in-law of the Forbes family?"
Lila smiled and replied, "Yes, Mrs. Gomez, she is."
Madeline Eve frowned slightly, looking a bit disappointed. "With so many wealthy daughters to choose from, why pick someone like this? If they've accepted her, they should support her mother too. So what if she's a bit greedy? A country bumpkin like her wouldn't even know how to spend a few million dollars. It's not like they can't afford it, forcing the mother and daughter to sever ties."
Lila replied, "We were just passing by, and I insisted on stopping to watch the commotion. I didn't expect it to be someone we know."
She then linked arms with Madeline and walked away. "But it has nothing to do with us. Let's go."
"Let's go. I have an appointment with Adelaide tonight..." Madeline's words trailed off as she got into the car.
Katniss pressed her lips together, seemingly deep in thought, and glanced at Ember, who was now surrounded and comforted by the crowd, her eyes cold.Katniss returned to the office, but the indoor warmth couldn't thaw her cold body. She realized she had been used by Lila; the public opinion wasn't aimed at her, but rather at the Forbes family.
She sat at her desk, deep in thought, and after a while, called Ryan.
"Ms. Grey, what made you think of calling me?" Ryan sounded surprised.
Katniss replied, "I need the contact information for the two people who have been protecting me. I have something I want them to do."
Her voice was flat, and she added, "Don't tell Tristan about this."
Ryan responded quickly, "Okay, I'll send it to you shortly. Miss Grey, if you encounter any problems, don't try to handle them alone."
Although he hadn't met Ember, he had heard about the incident at the dinner, and it seemed like she was trouble.
"Got it," Katniss replied.
In no time, she received Ryan's message with the contact information and made a call. "This is Katniss. Please follow Jessica and Ember, find out where they are staying, and if there is anyone else with them."
The two bodyguards immediately agreed.
After thinking for a long time, she decided to call Rupert, someone she had been in touch with for over a year.
If she calculated carefully, it had been about two or three months since he last messaged her.
Now that Ember and Jessica were in Velvet City, where had he gone?
The phone rang a couple of times before being hung up. When Katniss called again, it was turned off.
A sense of unease rose from the bottom of her heart.
She didn't know how long she had been sitting there, but as it got darker, the room was engulfed in darkness.
The lights came on, illuminating her, and suddenly her phone screen lit up with Tristan's name flashing.
Katniss composed herself, cleared her throat, and answered, "Are you here? I'll come down now."
"Katniss, there's a situation with Grandma. I need to go over there. You should go home first." Tristan seemed to be driving, with the sound of car horns constantly in the background.
Hearing this, Katniss stood up and asked, "What happened to Mrs. Forbes? I'll go with you."
"I'll handle it myself. Be safe on your way home." After a straightforward refusal, Tristan didn't hang up immediately. After a few seconds of silence, when she didn't say anything, he finally hung up.
At the Forbes Mansion, the lights were bright as Travis and Ivy stood in the living room, confronting Adelaide, who was sitting on the sofa.
"Mom, when has the Forbes family ever been so disgraced? That Mrs. Gomez is just someone who likes to talk nonsense, spreading rumors that we're forcing Katniss to sever ties with her mother. How am I supposed to face people in the future?" Travis spoke with conviction.Tristan walked in briskly, tugging at his tie, feeling anger rising. He retorted, "If you can't face people, then don't. The Forbes family doesn't need you to show your face anyway."
The already tense atmosphere became even more charged with his arrival.
"With so many wealthy daughters to choose from, why pick someone so unpresentable? Are you satisfied with disgracing the Forbes family?" Travis finally found Tristan's weak spot and spoke with confidence.
Adelaide waved her hand to interrupt, "I don't feel disgraced. On the contrary, I think Katniss is a good girl. Her mother, on the other hand, is a real piece of work! Tristan, we need to stand united. At worst, we'll be the bad guys. The Forbes family has the means, and Tristan is capable. We're not ashamed, and we're not afraid of being criticized!"
Her words left Travis speechless, and she continued, "If you're feeling disgraced, you can cut ties with the Forbes family. Just hand over your shares and walk away."
"Mom!" Travis gritted his teeth in anger, struggling to find the right words.
"Travis, since Mom has a solution, let's not worry about it." Ivy walked over and patted Travis's chest. She said, "Let's go."
After all, everyone knew about Travis's discord with his son. If people laughed, it would mostly be at Tristan.
Instead of arguing with Tristan and Adelaide now, it was better to manipulate things behind the scenes and make the Forbes family lose even more face.
Ivy thought, 'Let's see if Adelaide can really hold her ground then!'
Then Travis listened to Ivy and turned to leave.
In the large living room, only Adelaide and Tristan remained.
Yet Adelaide's earlier confidence was gone, and she sighed, "Katniss's mother is really troublesome. Mrs. Gomez, with her impeccable sense of timing, said those things in front of so many people. I almost lost all my face."
When Tristan arrived, he had already asked Ryan to investigate the whole farce.
He said in a deep voice, "They are truly shameless. When dealing with such scoundrels, we can only use tough measures."
"Using tough measures is fine, but you can't get involved. If this matter gets linked to you again, the Forbes family will have to bear the responsibility!" Adelaide said without hesitation, "Isn't it just about money? Let Katniss ask them how much they want to leave. We can pay for it."
She would defend Katniss in front of Travis, but it would be best if the situation could be resolved. After all, no one wanted things to get to the worst point.
She didn't mind being laughed at, but she was worried about Tristan being criticized.
"Grandma, I don't care what others think. I'm only concerned about how Katniss feels." Tristan checked his watch and said, "Leave it to me. She should be home by now. I'll go find her."
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