Chapter 272 Don't Easily Trust Anyone
"I'll go with you to the Forbes Mansion first, then we'll head to the wedding house together," Tristan said without a second thought.
Before Katniss could say anything, Adelaide's voice came through the phone, firm and clear. "You go ahead and do your thing. Let Katniss come by herself. I need to talk to her about something that doesn't concern you."
"Alright, I'm on my way," Katniss said, hanging up. She turned to Tristan. "You should get back to work. You always end up running around with me and then have to work late. If you wear yourself out before the wedding, it won't be worth it."
She half-joked as she put on her coat.
Since the wedding house got renovated, she hadn't been there. The wedding photos and dress were in the new house, which felt like a place full of temptation and the excitement of unveiling a surprise.
She really wanted to go see it but didn't want Tristan to go back and forth.
"If I come back early from Mrs. Forbes, I'll just head over there. I have the key anyway," she said.
Hearing this, Tristan let her be. They went downstairs together, each got into their cars, and parted ways at the community gate.
Inside the Forbes Mansion, the morning sunlight poured in, lighting up the bright and tidy living room. Adelaide wasn't in the living room but was sitting in the dining room.
As soon as Katniss came in, a servant led her over. Seeing a pile of thick documents on the table, she was momentarily stunned.
"Katniss, you're here?" Adelaide quickly snapped out of her sorrow and waved Katniss over.
Then, Adelaide turned and signaled the servant to bring Katniss her favorite snacks, along with milk and chicken soup.
There were so many delicious foods that they almost filled up half the table.
"I just had breakfast, so I'm not hungry," Katniss said, smiling apologetically at Adelaide.
Adelaide had these prepared in advance, which was a kind gesture, but today it seemed a bit over the top.
The servant slowly left the dining room, leaving only Royce standing behind Adelaide.
Neither of them made much eye contact with Katniss, but their tone was still warm and affectionate. "If you're not hungry, I can have them keep it warm for you. Just eat whenever you're ready," Royce said as he took the soup back to the kitchen.
"Katniss, you don't look well. Haven't you been resting properly lately?" Adelaide noticed the weariness on Katniss's face and had a thought.
Katniss replied, "Maybe it's because the wedding is approaching, and I'm a bit nervous. I haven't been resting well."
After a moment of contemplation, Adelaide asked softly, "Is it that you haven't been resting well, or are you pregnant?""Not pregnant," Katniss said firmly. "I just finished my period a couple of days ago."
Adelaide's disappointment was clear, but she quickly put on a smile. "No rush. Since you're not pregnant and the wedding is near, you need to find another way to explain things to Tristan. Here, these are the Forbes family rules, set by our ancestors. They're quite cumbersome, with hundreds of them. Take a look."
She pushed a thick stack of papers in front of Katniss.
"The Forbes Family Rules" were neatly written in the center of the first page. Katniss flipped through it, seeing densely packed content spanning over a hundred pages, making her head ache a bit.
"I want to make you part of the Forbes family while I still can, taking care of everything that needs to be taken care of. You don't have any objections, do you?" Adelaide asked.
Katniss paused and asked, "Shouldn't we tell Tristan about this? As his wife, doesn't he need to sign off or do something for me to officially join the Forbes family?"
"It's not as complicated as you think. Becoming a part of the Forbes family only requires the current head's approval. I'm still in charge of the Forbes family. Once you become a part of the family, I'll make you the next hostess of the Forbes family. That way, Ivy can never become the hostess," Adelaide explained.
Katniss didn't quite understand this. Her family was ordinary and had never dealt with such complex procedures.
But she knew Adelaide wouldn't harm her, so she nodded. "Alright, I'll listen to you."
Adelaide's cloudy eyes lowered, and she pushed the red ink pad towards Katniss. "Sign on page thirty-eight, press your fingerprint on page fifty-two, and then sign on the last page."
"Okay." Katniss directly turned to page thirty-eight, her eyes falling on the signature spot, and picked up the pen to write.
"Katniss!" Adelaide suddenly called out. "Aren't you going to read it?"
Katniss smiled and said, "It's over a hundred pages with hundreds of rules. I won't finish reading it in one morning. If I need to remember these rules, you can print me a copy later, and I'll read it carefully."
"Alright," Adelaide said. "Go ahead and sign. I'll print you a copy later."
Katniss lowered her head to sign, while Adelaide continued talking. "There's no need to remember everything; just pay special attention to a few places."
Finally, she shot Royce a glance.
Royce walked over to Katniss, turned to page fifty-two, and handed her the red ink pad.
"Katniss, how's the wedding setup going? There are only seven days left. Once Tristan took over, I stopped worrying about it."Royce's action of turning the pages and handling the ink pad blocked Katniss's view of the document. She could only see the spot for her fingerprint.
While Adelaide continued talking to her, she quickly pressed her fingerprint and then resumed the conversation with Adelaide.
In the blink of an eye, all the necessary signatures and fingerprints were done.
Then Royce took the documents, sat down in the living room, and glanced back at the dining room. Sunlight enveloped Katniss, her golden hair and bright eyes giving her an approachable and modest air in front of Adelaide.
Katniss was a girl who stirred a sense of sympathy.
'What a pity,' Royce thought, pulling out the two pages bearing Katniss's signature and fingerprint. He frowned as he placed them into a sealed bag.
He left the villa and headed to the servants' quarters to pass the items to Emily.
He said, "Take this to Miss Savoy. She'll know what to do."
Royce's sudden appearance startled Emily, and hearing him mention Eudora, she immediately played dumb. "Royce, you should give this to the driver. I don't even know where Miss Savoy lives..." she said.
"Stop pretending. Mrs. Forbes already knows about your little tricks," Royce said sternly.
Hearing this, Emily took the sealed bag and left in a hurry.
She exited the Forbes Mansion and called Eudora, who immediately gave her an address and told her to come over.
They met at a nearby coffee shop, and Eudora quickly opened the sealed bag. One glance at the contents made her eyes light up. "Mrs. Forbes is ruthless. This will ruin Katniss!"
Emily, not understanding, asked, "Miss Savoy, I thought Mrs. Forbes was very kind to Katniss. How did you manage this?"
Eudora's heart raced with excitement and nervousness, almost leaping out of her chest as she exclaimed, "Why do you care? Just go back!"
Eudora snapped a few photos of the documents, then packed up and left the coffee shop. As she reached her car, she was suddenly pushed to the ground by a force.
"Eudora, what do you mean by this? Are you trying to back out?" Jessica angrily confronted Eudora.
Jessica had called Eudora several times. At first, Eudora didn't answer, then she hung up, and finally, she blocked Jessica.
Jessica changed her phone number, but Eudora had turned off her phone, probably changing her number too!
Eudora, in pain and with cold sweat on her forehead, angrily got up and tried to slap Jessica.
But in a fight, she was no match for Jessica. With her eyes closed, Jessica swung wildly, scratching Eudora's chin and landing fists and slaps to her head and face.Emily noticed the commotion and quickly rushed over, pulling Jessica away and saving Eudora from further harm.
"Are you crazy? Why are you hitting her?" Emily scolded.
Emily, being a servant, was strong enough to restrain Jessica.
Jessica, unable to shake off Emily's grip, turned to Eudora and said, "Eudora, don't tell me the information I gave you was useless. You left my place so suddenly; you must have gotten something useful. Pay up!"
Eudora, furious from the beating, didn't bother arguing with Jessica. With Emily holding Jessica back, Eudora quickly got into her car and drove off.
The car sped down the road, and Eudora quickly pulled out her phone to call Tristan.
She said, "Tristan, where are you? I have something for you. Stay calm; it's about Katniss and Mrs. Forbes."
After signing everything, Katniss was drawn into a conversation by Adelaide, who also brought out warmed milk and soup for her to enjoy.
She chatted with Adelaide for a long time, unknowingly finishing the soup.
"Katniss, you might not understand the dirty dealings in high society. Remember, sometimes you can't even trust those closest to you. You're too kind," Adelaide said and turned to look at Katniss. "Tristan's mother was as kind as you, and she ended up dying at Travis's hands."
Katniss's eyes widened. She had heard this before but never asked about it.
Adelaide continued, "Tristan's mother died of a sudden illness. She was taken to the hospital in time, and signing the consent form for emergency treatment could have saved her. But Travis insisted on signing a waiver for emergency treatment."
At that time, Adelaide had gone to pick up Tristan from school, but by the time she reached the hospital, it was too late. In the morning, Tristan was sent off by a beaming, lively mother. But in the evening, he returned home to find a cold, lifeless body awaiting him.
However, Travis didn't hide his actions, openly admitting he did it on purpose.
Travis's repugnant face became a lasting scar for Tristan, a constant reminder of pain for Adelaide. Adelaide remarked, "If one can't rely on a husband you've shared a bed with for ten years, how can one trust anyone else?"
Adelaide's weathered hand trembled as she patted Katniss's hand. "Remember, don't easily trust anyone, even me."
"You're a good person." Katniss believed in Adelaide's goodness simply by the way she fiercely protected Tristan.
The words "good person" felt like a thousand-pound weight, pressing down on Adelaide.
After a long pause, Adelaide said, "In high society, few people end well. Even the best people sometimes can't help themselves."
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