Chapter 258 Let's Fight to the Death
Katniss's life was getting pretty messed up thanks to all the crazy stuff Ember was pulling. If Ember kept it up, Katniss was ready to take her to court and make her pay for it.
"By the way, the apartment your mom's staying in is under Lila's name," Benjamin reminded Katniss when she brought up where Ember was living.
Katniss knew that, but she sighed, "We don't have any proof that the apartment is Lila's. If this gets out, Lila could easily take control of the place. Without solid evidence, we might just end up pissing off the White family."
Without solid proof, she couldn't go after the White family.
Out of nowhere, Saskia chimed in, "A lawyer's letter from Benjamin doesn't need evidence. If he says it's Lila's, then it's Lila's."
Lila? Benjamin?
Katniss started to piece things together. The high society in Velvet City was pretty tight-knit, and two people with the last name White were probably related.
But if they were family, why would Benjamin help Katniss go after Lila?
Remembering what Saskia had said about the lawyer being a real pain for Lila, Katniss guessed this was some family drama within the White clan.
But that was their business. She thought for a bit and said, "As long as it doesn't cause any trouble for Benjamin, he can say in the lawyer's letter that Lila put Ember up to this and make her explain herself to me."
"Not only will it not cause trouble, but it'll make me feel great." Benjamin's fingers flew over the keyboard, already adding that bit about Lila.
In half an hour, Benjamin had the lawyer's letter ready and handed it to Katniss to check out.
From a legal standpoint, if Ember kept pushing, Katniss only had to give her a small allowance.
If Ember kept spreading lies, Katniss would take her to court.
At the same time, Lila was accused of bribing and pushing Ember. Since Ember lived with her, she had to give Katniss a good explanation.
If Lila couldn't explain, she'd have to apologize publicly.
"Looks good." Katniss quickly read it over, thought it through, and posted the lawyer's letter on all her social media accounts.
Benjamin also put a copy on their law firm's website, publicly backing Katniss and spilling the beans.
Even though it was late, the lawyer's letter spread like wildfire on all the major platforms.
After all that, Benjamin's phone rang. The room was super quiet, and the voice on the other end was crystal clear.
It was a woman, speaking softly, and a smile crept onto Benjamin's face.
He answered, "Sweetie, I'll be home as soon as I'm done..."Katniss packed up her stuff and gave Saskia a nod, signaling they’d head out once Benjamin was off the phone.
Benjamin, ever the gentleman, wrapped up his call quickly, reassuring the person on the other end before hanging up.
"Benjamin, it's late, and we really shouldn't be bothering you at this hour. We'll talk about the fees another time. Thanks for all your help," Katniss said as she stood up and headed for the door.
Benjamin didn't try to stop them. He grabbed his coat and said, "Perfect timing, I'm heading out too. Let's go down together."
The elevator was cramped, and Benjamin had this faint gardenia scent, like a woman's perfume.
Saskia couldn't resist teasing, "Benjamin, are you married? She sounded really sweet."
"Not married yet," Benjamin replied, totally unfazed. Then he turned to Katniss, "So, what are you up to these days?"
Caught off guard, Katniss hesitated before answering, "I'm tutoring."
"That's a shame," Benjamin said, looking a bit disappointed. "You were top of your class, and after working with Mr. Forbes for so long, you must be really skilled. Have you thought about getting back into that field?"
Katniss hadn't really thought about it and didn't know what to say.
"Just curious, no pressure," Benjamin said, noticing her hesitation. He changed the subject, "I heard you're planning to marry Mr. Forbes?"
"We haven't set a date yet; we're still figuring things out," Katniss replied honestly.
They parted ways at the building entrance, and Katniss and Saskia drove off. It was already past two in the morning.
Honestly, the lawyer's letter could've waited until tomorrow.
But Katniss was too anxious; she needed to explain everything to Tristan right away.
Her late return only made Tristan more worried.
He'd been standing by the window, waiting the whole time she was gone.
As soon as he heard the door open, he moved and appeared in front of her.
Only the warm hallway light was on, casting a soft glow on Katniss's tired face.
She was leaning against the hallway cabinet when Tristan suddenly showed up, startling her.
She thought he was asleep since the lights downstairs were off.
"Why aren't you asleep?" she asked, walking up to him and looking into his eyes.
"Where did you go?" Tristan's voice was soft but had a slight tremor.
He hadn't checked his phone and had no idea about the lawyer's letter.
Katniss softened her tone. "I went to see a lawyer to get a letter. By tomorrow morning, those rumors will be cleared up. I won't let you suffer because of me."
"I don't care," Tristan said, frowning slightly. When Katniss mentioned the lawyer's letter, he had a rough idea of what it was about.The most important part of that lawyer's letter wasn't just about suing Ember; it was the painful past it exposed—details that could finally clear up her relationship with Ember. As Katniss laid out the past she had tried so hard to forget, all those buried memories came flooding back.
After a long pause, Tristan took a deep breath and pulled her into a tight hug. "As long as you're okay, I don't care about the Forbes family's reputation. I'd give you my life!"
His chest was firm and warm, gradually warming her cold body. Katniss felt like she must have done something amazing in a past life to deserve someone like Tristan.
She hugged him tightly, her eyes welling up, but she kept her voice steady. "Tristan, you need to stay alive and well. I want to have a child with you."
She felt Tristan tense up and hugged him even tighter. "I want someone in this world who shares my blood and can love me deeply. I'll love this child with all my heart, and together we'll create a loving home for them, okay?"
Even though Sophia treated Katniss very well, she had strong boundaries. She cared so much about Katniss's feelings, even more than her own daughter, Matilda. This kind of love brought an invisible burden to Katniss.
She had never wanted a child as much as she did now.
"Okay." Tristan let go of Katniss, noticing her teary eyes and the redness around her eyelids.
His heart softened, and he kissed the corners of her eyes, wiping away the tears.
Their breaths mingled, and his kisses moved down to her lips, wishing he could magically create a child right then and there to stop Katniss from being so sad.
The world was exceptionally quiet in the early morning, the temperature outside kept dropping, but inside, it was getting warmer.
At that moment, Katniss questioned her sanity for bringing up such a crazy idea. They were only two months away from getting married.
But she found herself giving in to Tristan's affection. He was especially eager tonight, as if he wanted to create a child right then and there.
As the sky gradually brightened, the orange light crossed the clouds, illuminating the entire city.
Katniss's long hair was sticky with sweat, clinging to her body.
Her curvaceous figure was fully visible under the thin blanket. She lay in Tristan's arms, his slightly rough hand on her waist.
She was asleep, but he wasn't. He held her with one hand and scrolled through his phone with the other.
After a night of spreading, the lawyer's letter was everywhere, with many people condemning Ember's despicable actions.
How could this be a deep relationship with Katniss?
It was clear that Ember had heard Katniss had money and wanted to extort a large sum.But how could such a foolish and contemptible woman think she could pressure the Forbes family into manipulating Katniss?
So when people read the lawyer's letter questioning and warning Lila at the end, it became clear that she was involved.
Lila had a wild nightlife and didn't get home from the bar until after four in the morning.
Having just extricated herself from a few men, she was exhausted and didn't check her phone. She went home and crashed immediately.
But she hadn't been asleep long before a call from her family woke her up, scolding her harshly and demanding she fix the situation.
"Considering what you've done for the family in the past, I won't say anything about you messing around and tarnishing the White family's reputation, but if you cause trouble, I won't let you off!" Her father, Terrence White's words echoed in Lila's mind, and she hesitated, gradually waking up.
Cause trouble?
Lila quickly opened her phone and saw the lawyer's letter, her face changing drastically.
The White family's tolerance for her was limited to her messing around with men and having a bad reputation.
But if she caused trouble, the White family wouldn't protect her.
At this, Lila quickly called Eudora, starting by scolding her to vent her anger. "How can Ember be considered Katniss's mother?"
If she had realized that Ember and Katniss hadn't crossed paths for twenty years, and that Ember had abandoned Katniss without hesitation during the divorce, she would have never dreamed up such a terrible plan.
Eudora had seen the lawyer's letter first thing and was in a bad mood. Being scolded by Lila for no reason, her tone was very poor. "Don't you think before you act? If Ember had such a good relationship with Katniss, why wouldn't Katniss support her?"
Lila couldn't take Eudora's scolding. She retorted, "Alright, if that's how you want to play it, then we'll face the consequences together. Just you wait!"
Clearly, Lila was going to expose Eudora, dragging her down with her.
Hearing this, Eudora felt a pang of anxiety, but the call was hung up. She immediately called back, but couldn't get through.
She had been blocked!
She quickly got up, dressed, and rushed to Michael's place.
Michael had been extremely busy with the company during this time, and they hadn't seen each other since the press conference.
Early in the morning, Eudora suddenly showed up, and Michael was pleasantly surprised. He was about to leave for a meeting but didn't hesitate to call Samuel to postpone it.
"Eudora, why did you come so early?" Michael pulled Eudora to sit on the sofa, his face full of joy.
Eudora replied, "Michael, I've seen how busy and stressed you've been lately, and I was very angry and distressed. So I wanted to vent for you and privately conspired with Lila to target Katniss's mother, but I didn't expect..."
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