Chapter 277 I Admit I Am Tempted
Cooperation? Yeah, it was about Benjamin wanting back into the White family, just like she thought.
But the kind of 'cooperation' he was talking about? That threw Katniss for a loop.
"What kind of cooperation are we talking about here? What do I have that you need?" Katniss asked, genuinely puzzled.
She didn't shut him down right away, and that got Benjamin all excited. "Oh, you've got plenty. You've been with Tristan for years, you know all the ins and outs of every big-shot family in Velvet City, and you've got skills. Plus, I need someone I can trust."
Benjamin was in a tight spot. He was still plotting his way back into the White family, and he had everything lined up except for one thing: a solid ally.
"You know how it is with rich families. The beef between Tristan and me is just family drama. Why would I leave the frying pan of the Forbes family just to jump into the fire with the Whites?" Katniss had zero interest in getting tangled up in rich family messes again.
Benjamin quickly jumped in, "Because your kid needs a strong enough backing to be born safely."
"You..." Katniss's eyes widened. Not even Saskia knew about this. How did Benjamin find out?
"I didn't snoop on purpose. Your doctor is an old classmate of mine. I was visiting her at the hospital and happened to see your medical record. The name wasn't yours, but I knew Matilda wasn't in the hospital, and the wedding had just been called off, so I figured it had to be you, and you were the one pregnant." Benjamin was sharp, and being a lawyer, he was good at picking up on details.
Seeing Katniss's wary look, he quickly added, "Don't worry, even if you don't team up with me, I won't spill your secret."
"How do you know I'll even keep this baby?" Katniss shot back. She couldn't let anyone have something to hold over her.
Benjamin sighed, "I don't know for sure, and I can't guarantee I can convince you to work with me."
He slumped onto the sofa, looking pretty desperate. "All I can do is try to persuade you from the angle of keeping the baby. You know what the baby means to the Forbes family. Whether it's Travis finding out and wanting to hurt you or Adelaide wanting to fight for custody, you can't handle that on your own. If you team up with me, and I get back into the White family, I'll protect you completely."
"Sure, I can't take on Travis or Adelaide, but what makes you think I can handle the people in the White family who messed with you?" Katniss scoffed. Keeping the baby would bring a ton of trouble, and that was her main worry.If it weren't for this, she wouldn't have hesitated so long to decide to keep it.
"Before I get back into the White family, I don't need you to step into the spotlight. I just need you to help me behind the scenes. If I fail, I won't drag you down with me," Benjamin said confidently.
Clearly, Benjamin had come prepared. He had thought of everything, even a way out for Katniss.
"The most important thing is, as long as I'm by your side, even if your pregnancy gets out, we might still be able to keep it hidden from the Forbes family and avoid a disaster," Benjamin added.
What really got to Katniss was that last part.
Last night, she had been racking her brain on how to make the child legitimate and keep it away from the Forbes family's mess.
It was obvious she needed a man by her side, but just any guy wouldn't do.
Benjamin was actually a solid choice. They had mutual interests and could cover for each other.
"I'll admit, I'm very tempted, but I still need some time to think it over," Katniss said.
She didn't agree right away.
Benjamin wasn't surprised. He nodded, "Alright, contact me anytime. I won't bother you anymore."
He turned to leave and opened the door to find Saskia standing there, wide-eyed.
"I've finished talking. Thanks for your trust," he said.
"You're welcome." Saskia smiled at him, watched him leave, and then rushed into the room.
She looked Katniss up and down, "He didn't give you a hard time, did he?"
Her concern made Katniss laugh. "I don't have any beef with him. Why would he give me a hard time? Why are you always so suspicious, thinking everyone's out to get us?"
Saskia pouted, "You never know what's really in people's hearts. What did he want from you?"
"He wants back into the White family, but after being in the legal field for so long, he doesn't know much about the business world. He needs someone reliable and capable," Katniss explained.
She leaned against the headboard, staring at a ray of sunlight streaming through the window. "He chose me and wants my help," she said.
To be fair, she had worked her way up to become a top assistant and had been with Tristan for years. Her skills were well-known. "What can he offer you? Shares in the White family? But what if he can't get back in? It could bring you a lot of trouble," Saskia said, clearly not wanting Katniss to get involved with the White family's drama.
She muttered, "Haven't you had enough of the Forbes family's mess? How many people in wealthy families can you really trust?"
Katniss knew all too well that they couldn't be trusted. She had learned that the hard way.But her current situation was different; relying on herself was even more dangerous.
"He wants me to work behind the scenes, handling everything while he takes the lead. If he succeeds and takes over the White family, then I step forward. If he fails, I can walk away without any fallout." When Katniss laid out Benjamin's plan, Saskia's interest was piqued.
She settled into a chair, thought for a moment, and said, "The White family has a lot of clout. From what I know, Benjamin's always had his eye on getting back in with them. His whole career as a lawyer has been about making connections and setting the stage for his return. This is a well-thought-out plan. I can vouch for his character—he was really into charity work back in school."
Saskia actually admired Benjamin deep down.
But she naturally didn't want Katniss to take any risks.
"So, did you agree to his plan?" Saskia asked again.
Seeing the spark of anticipation in Saskia's eyes, Katniss realized she was drawn to the safety net Benjamin offered.
"I haven't agreed yet. I want to think it over," Katniss replied.
As expected, Saskia looked a bit disappointed. "Well, think it over carefully. Honestly, I want you to become stronger and more powerful, just to stick it to the Forbes family! Mrs. Forbes didn't hesitate to throw you under the bus when things went south. Would she dare do that to the daughter of another powerful family?" she exclaimed.
She brought up the Forbes family again, and a mix of emotions washed over Katniss.
Two days later, Katniss was discharged from the hospital.
It was December 5th, and Velvet City had its first snowfall. It wasn't heavy, just a light dusting that quickly melted into drops of water on the ground.
Matilda and Sophia supported Katniss on either side, worried she might fall.
Katniss didn't mention the baby again, so Sophia knew she had decided to keep it.
Sophia didn't need much explanation for some things. Talking about it would only dredge up old memories, making Katniss sad again.
So Sophia didn't ask. After handling the discharge, she and Matilda took Katniss home and made delicious food for her every day.
Katniss's morning sickness was pretty bad. She had originally weighed just a hundred pounds and had lost another eight, making her look even thinner.
The wedding was originally scheduled for December 6th, which was the next day. As Katniss stood indoors, watching the snowflakes fall outside, she began to daydream.
On December 6th, it was a rare sunny day. The warm winter sun shone on Katniss as she sat by the window, soaking up the sunlight.
She had become complacent, but there was a deep ache in her chest, as if something inside her was slowly being hollowed out.Even the folks in Velvet City were talking about the wedding that got called off just days before it was supposed to happen. If they felt that way, imagine how much worse it was for Katniss, who was right in the middle of it all.
That day, instead of marrying Tristan, she agreed to team up with Benjamin.
That evening, Benjamin laid out some confidential documents about the White family and the shares he had secretly bought. He shared a ton of inside info, showing he completely trusted Katniss.
Maybe, like Katniss, Benjamin had lost faith but felt he had no other choice. Clinging to that last bit of hope to reach his goal, he wasn't ready to give up. Benjamin held five percent of the White family shares. Every five years, the White family held a shareholders' meeting to vote for the president of White Corporation.
Right now, Benjamin's dad was the president. Usually, White Corporation was pretty stable, and the five-year shareholders' meeting was just a formality, with the current president staying in charge.
In two months, the White Corporation shareholders' meeting was coming up.
Benjamin's plan was to quietly buy up thirty percent of White Corporation's shares before then.
If he could get as many shares as his dad, Beau White, he'd have a shot at competing for the president's position.
Besides buying shares, he also needed to win over other shareholders.
But relying on family ties or cozying up to them wasn't an option.
Benjamin needed dirt on the twenty shareholders of White Corporation, excluding Beau, to use as leverage.
He sent Katniss the names of those twenty shareholders and details about the projects they were involved in.
For two or three of them, Benjamin had already found some useful evidence from the legal field.
For the others, without any legal issues, they'd have to dig into their business dealings.
Katniss knew those seventeen shareholders pretty well and could look into the pros and cons of the projects they were involved in.
Using her business connections, she found a shareholder who might have committed economic crimes in a project within two days.
The rest was up to Benjamin to investigate. Katniss just needed to find the weak spots.
The progress was slow, given the number of people and the complexity of the investigation.
But these tasks kept Katniss busy.
She got so wrapped up in it that she even forgot about Saskia's wedding.
On December 11th, Saskia found some time to visit Katniss. The first thing she said was, "Katniss, are you still going to be my bridesmaid? I had Nicholas ask, and Tristan will be there, just like before, as the best man."
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