Chapter 26 A Scratch
Seeing Tristan just sitting there like a statue, Bella turned to Katniss and asked, "Katniss, what do you think?"
Katniss paused for a sec, then suddenly grinned and said, "Miss Astor, you're barking up the wrong tree. You should be asking Mr. Forbes since you wanna be his secretary."
"I asked you 'cause these tasks are usually your gig. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to swipe your job." Bella waved her hand, shot a shy glance at Tristan, and added, "I just wanna hang out with Tristan more. Running back and forth all day is a drag. If I work here, it'd be way easier."
Katniss kept that gentle smile plastered on her face and glanced at Tristan; their eyes met for a hot second, and she quickly looked away. She didn't say anything, knowing this wasn't her call to make.
"Tristan, you should give Katniss some time off. Otherwise, she won't even have time to date. If it messes with her happiness, can you handle that?" Bella huffed lightly, sticking up for Katniss in front of Tristan.
Katniss felt like Bella was putting her in a tight spot. Tristan's intense stare felt like it could burn her to a crisp.
"As a top dog in the company, earning the big bucks means making sacrifices." Tristan hinted, "If she wants to rake in the cash, she better be ready for a long-term single life."
Katniss's scalp felt tight. How could she not get Tristan's drift?
But Bella was clueless. She kept going, "That's harsh. Katniss is a girl, and she'll get hitched eventually. For girls, youth is short. If she waits too long, how's she gonna find a good guy?"
Get hitched eventually? Tristan felt a weird irritation and said coolly, "Then let her choose, money or a man!"
Bella was floored.
Katniss got a bit jittery and quickly said, "Mr. Forbes, Miss Astor, you're off-topic. Whether Miss Astor becomes Mr. Forbes' secretary has zilch to do with my marriage. Besides, I don't have a say in this, so I'll excuse myself."
Bella quickly stopped her and said, "I'm just worried you might think I'm taking your job, so I wanted your take. It has nothing to do with your marriage. I don't know how Tristan got involved in this, just tell me if you're cool with me being Tristan's secretary."
Katniss felt Bella still didn't get it, and Bella didn't need her approval for anything.
Tristan adjusted his tie with his slender fingers, his chiseled features showing a hint of annoyance. "You don't need to ask her. She doesn't have a say. Go home and ask Michael. If he gives the green light, you can come."
Bella looked at Tristan, puzzled, and asked, "Why should I ask Michael?"
Tristan's breathing slowed as he stood up, walked around the desk, and positioned himself next to Bella and Katniss. With one hand casually in his pocket, he struck a lazy and dignified pose, saying, "You're the Astor family's daughter. If I had you working for me, they'd flip out, right? So, it's more important to get their okay first."
Having seen the Astor family's attitude towards Tristan at the hospital, Katniss guessed that if Bella stayed, they'd be heartbroken.
Bella bought it and said, "Don't worry, I'll smooth things over. They're just mad that I've been back for so long and you're still not divorced. They don't want me to have the mistress label, but I don't care."
Tristan lowered his eyes and smirked. "Alright, you should head back now. I've got work to do today." He glanced at Katniss. "Prep for a meeting in ten minutes."
Katniss nodded and walked out. Bella followed her, standing by Katniss's desk, watching her organize the meeting docs, and whispered, "Katniss, I saw a scratch on his chest yesterday. It was fresh!"
Katniss's hand tightened around the documents. She looked up at Bella. That afternoon, she had been pretty rough and had scratched Tristan, forgetting to be gentle. She didn't expect Bella to see it. She lowered her eyes, hiding the fleeting panic.
"I didn't expect him to still be cozy with that woman at the resort, but I know that woman must be a company employee. I don't want to bug you to investigate for me anymore. Tristan was already super mad about the hotel booking last time, so I want to work here and check it out myself." Bella grabbed Katniss's wrist, tightening her grip, pleading, "You won't misunderstand me, right?"
Katniss quickly pulled her hand back while grabbing documents from the cabinet, steadying herself and saying, "Miss Astor, you're too kind. Thanks for your concern. I won't misunderstand."
Bella let out a sigh of relief, glanced at Tristan's office, then turned back and whispered, "But if I really tell Michael I want to work, he definitely won't go for it, so I probably can't come. I'll still need your help in the future."
Katniss was used to Bella always needing something, but she couldn't help but say, "Miss Astor, I'm Mr. Forbes' assistant. I can only do so much. Honestly, you should just go straight to Mr. Forbes with your issues. It's way better than stressing yourself out."
Bella knew that too, but if Tristan wanted to keep something under wraps, asking him wouldn't help and might even tip him off.
She had to dig around secretly and find out about that woman! She patted Katniss on the shoulder and said, "I get it, but I have my reasons. Help me out, and after I marry Tristan, I won't forget your kindness."
Katniss just smiled without saying a word. When Tristan and Bella got hitched, her true identity would come out, and Bella would definitely hold a grudge.
"Miss Astor, I need to get to the meeting now." She pointed to the documents in her hand and headed to the conference room. She turned on the lights, closed the blinds, and set up the projector. When everything was ready, Tristan walked in.
His custom black suit screamed class, and his polished shoes made a dull thud on the floor. He walked to the head of the table and sat down, his gaze locking onto Katniss at the far end.
"Planning to get married?" he asked.
The sudden question threw her off, probably because of what Bella had said earlier.
"Not yet..."
"No need to hide it, and no need to keep it a secret. If you really want to end our thing, just tell me anytime." Tristan cut her off, his words cold and sharp.
He was decisive and detached, as he was when Katniss tagged along with him on his business deals.
Her heart twisted, but before she could say anything, the conference room door opened, and people started filing in. She had to push her feelings down and move to Tristan's side to take notes for the meeting.
Tristan said she could end their relationship anytime, but Katniss never said anything, not knowing what to say.
After that day, Bella's visits became rare, but her relationship with Tristan turned into a proper boss-employee thing. She no longer had to pick him up in the morning or drop him off at night. Occasionally, she went with him to social events, and if he got drunk, she'd just call a driver for him.
The sudden peace felt like the oppressive summer weather, with dark clouds hanging overhead, making it hard to breathe.
On a weekend, Katniss got up early, planning to pick up Matilda and spend the day with Sophia at the hospital. After working for a few years, she didn't have many friends, and most of her free time was spent at the hospital.
She arrived at Matilda's building and called her.
"Katniss, give me a few minutes. I overslept!" Matilda's sleepy voice was mixed with apology. "I worked late last night!"
Katniss responded, "If you worked late, you should have told me. Get some more sleep; I'll go to the hospital first."
Matilda insisted, asking Katniss to give her ten minutes. Katniss had no choice but to wait in the car.
She suddenly noticed a sports car parked in front of the building. It looked familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen it.
Until George came out of the building with a backpack and got into the sports car, Katniss remembered it was his.
'He lives here?' Katniss found it strange. Before she could figure it out, someone knocked on her car window. It was George; her car was blocking the way.
Katniss rolled down the window and said, "What a coincidence."
George was startled, then smiled. "Katniss! What are you doing here?"
"My sister lives here. I'm picking her up to go to the hospital." Katniss got out of the car and asked, "Are you visiting someone?"
"No, I live here." George pointed to the top floor. "My mom sometimes nags me, so I hide out here. It's a new place I found. You have to keep it a secret!"
Katniss smiled, feeling envious of the relationship between George and his mother.
"Since we ran into each other, how about lunch together?" George scratched his head, embarrassed. "My mom insisted that I take you out for a meal within three days. Today is the last day, so if I don't run into you here, I'll have to call you."
"Katniss!" Matilda ran down, panting, and stopped beside Katniss. "Let's go. I'm ready."
George glanced at Matilda. "And this is..."
"My sister, Matilda." Katniss introduced briefly, "George, a friend."
Matilda, dressed in sportswear with a ponytail, nodded at George. "Hello." She then remembered that Sophia had mentioned a potential match for Katniss named George and took a closer look at him.
"I heard you two talking about lunch?" Matilda said, "Go ahead. I'll take care of Mom."
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