Chapter 28 Sorry to Interrupt You Two
George was about to plop down next to Katniss, but she put a hand up to stop him, "We're just here to say hi. We don't want to interrupt your meal. We'll head out now."
Tristan's tone was hard to read. "You're not interrupting us; if anything, we're interrupting you two."
Katniss thought he was being a smartass, but his face was a blank slate, no hint of anything off.
"Yeah, you're right. It would mess up our date. Katniss is usually swamped with work, so it's rare we get to eat together." George saw Katniss's annoyed look and decided not to push it.
"Mr. Forbes, I hope you can keep an eye out for Katniss at work. Thanks." With that, George grabbed Katniss and they left.
Tristan watched them walk away.
Katniss didn't dare look back. She went downstairs, grabbed her bag and flowers, and headed to the front desk to pay, but George had already covered it.
To her surprise, George had also paid for Tristan's meal.
"You didn't have to pay for them." She couldn't quite figure out George's angle. Sure, George had money, but Tristan had way more power.
"Just being polite," George shrugged it off, but inside he was smug.
He played the boyfriend card to mark his territory, then paid the bill just to mess with Tristan. It must've ticked Tristan off.
George saw it as payback for Tristan treating Katniss badly.
"Katniss, Blaze still hasn't added me," George said, sounding a bit whiny. "Can you set up a meeting? I wanna treat him to dinner."
George's moves were always a bit out of left field. Katniss didn't want Tristan and George getting too chummy, so she didn't mention that Tristan was Blaze.
"We'll see if there's a chance, but he's super busy, so don't count on it."
She put the flowers in the car, got in, waved to George, and drove off.
George went back to his car feeling a bit bummed. He sighed, pulled out his phone, and suddenly his eyes lit up!
Blaze accepted his friend request! His Facebook ID was the same as his gaming one, North.
His fingers shook with excitement as he typed a message.
[Hey Blaze, it's George, the game founder!]
No reply.
Katniss spent the afternoon at the hospital with Sophia and Matilda. In the evening, she took Matilda home, listening to her talk about work the whole way.
Even though it was tough, Matilda never complained. Katniss couldn't help but think of how Jessica had loudly announced their relationship when she first joined the company.
Jessica got her foot in the door at Synergy Global Corporation thanks to Katniss, and staying there was also because of her.
By the time she got home, it was already seven. She flicked on the lights, dropped her bag, and took a few steps inside, only to see someone sitting on the couch.
Tristan was there, laptop open, working on something. He didn't even glance up when she walked in.
She stood there, not sure if she should go in or not.
"Mr. Forbes, have you eaten?" she finally asked.
Tristan replied slowly, "Can't eat, had too much free lunch at noon, still working it off."
Katniss almost burst out laughing. She pressed her lips together before saying, "I'll whip up something light for dinner."
She didn't ask why he was there, and he didn't bother explaining.
Katniss remembered the unfinished business from their last meeting.
Despite her initial shock at seeing him, their interaction was smoother than she expected.
But when she finished cooking, Tristan's expression at the dining table wasn't what she anticipated.
"Pasta again?"
Katniss was caught off guard. Tristan had only eaten at her place three times, and each time it was pasta.
Last time there were some greens and eggs, but this time, with the fridge nearly empty, it was just pasta with salt.
She said, a bit embarrassed, "I only know how to make pasta."
Tristan looked up at her and said, "You can learn."
Katniss nodded, got him some utensils, and started eating.
"You two are getting close rapidly. Have you slept together yet?" Tristan suddenly asked.
Katniss was so shocked she choked on her pasta, coughing until tears streamed down her face. Through her teary eyes, she saw Tristan's cold expression.
He handed her a tissue, and Katniss took it to wipe her mouth.
"Do I need to report such things to you, Mr. Forbes?" she asked, her cheeks still flushed from coughing. Her previously calm demeanor was rattled by his question.
Tristan said nothing, just stared at her.
Katniss lowered her eyes, wanting to have an open conversation with him.
"On one hand, you're my boss and I'm your assistant. On the other hand, our relationship is like a transaction in business. I hope you won't use your position to push me around."
"In this transaction, we're equals. I don't care about your thing with Bella, and you have no right to mess with my business."
If Tristan could really separate personal and professional matters, Katniss would have already jumped up and argued with him that he was meddling in her personal affairs.
But she knew that mixing personal feelings with business was something everyone did, whether they admitted it or not.
"You're quite the stickler for principles," Tristan said, pulling a document out of his bag and tossing it in front of Katniss.
Katniss was confused. She took a look and her face went pale instantly.
It was an inter-state contract that needed to go through the final process and was sent via courier. Coincidentally, the courier was Rupert.
But Rupert lost the package, and the contract involved millions of dollars in final payments.
"Rupert immediately asked the company to find an employee named Jessica, claiming she was his wife, but Jessica denied it."
"She said Rupert is your brother. The staff didn't dare to handle it, so they passed it on to me."
Tristan's gaze was indifferent, but seeing her pale face, he felt a twinge of inexplicable pain.
Katniss swallowed, unable to speak. Millions of dollars in final payments—she couldn't cover it even if she sold herself.
"Since you're so clear about separating personal and professional matters, are you planning to handle this officially or privately?" Tristan asked, eating his pasta like their problem could be solved with a few bucks.
Katniss replied directly, "I can't solve it either way."
She looked at Tristan, waiting for him to speak. Since he brought this up, he must have a plan.
"Then I'll give you a solution. Go to Kingstone and get them to sign a new contract to recover the final payment."
It wasn't exactly difficult, but it was a challenge.
Tristan quickly finished his bowl of pasta, stood up, walked over to her, leaned against the wall, and looked down at her. "Leave tomorrow morning, be back in three days. I'll handle the negotiations, and you take care of this issue."
Katniss looked up sharply, accidentally bumping noses with him. She held her breath. 'You are going too?'
Tristan glanced at the tableware and said, "I'm going to take a shower. Clean up and come upstairs."
He walked into the bathroom like he owned the place, and soon the sound of running water filled the air.
If it really came to paying, Katniss couldn't help Rupert. But if there was a way to fix it, she couldn't just stand by.
When their parents divorced, she was old enough to remember Rupert as a cute four or five-year-old, always following her around, calling "Katniss, Katniss."
Now, Rupert was a mess, but he wasn't bad to her.
She got up to clean the tableware. By the time she came out of the kitchen, Tristan had already finished his shower and gone upstairs. She quickly took a shower herself.
After her shower, she wrapped herself in a towel. Her hair was still wet when Tristan came in, his hot body pressing against hers, his voice hoarse and low. "You're slow."
Before Katniss could react, she was already scooped up by him and carried upstairs.
Her long hair, like seaweed, dripped water onto the pillow and down her back, landing on Tristan.
The next morning, Katniss packed a couple of bags and was pulled into the car by Tristan. She was so exhausted from the night before that she was severely sleep-deprived.
So Tristan drove. She thought they were heading to the airport, but they ended up at the bus station.
She stood in front of the car, staring at Tristan in disbelief. "Mr. Forbes, taking a long-distance bus? It takes ten hours, a flight would only take a little over an hour!"
The key point was, Tristan wasn't the type to take a long-distance bus!
"Last-minute decision; couldn't get plane tickets." Tristan dropped this line, grabbed the bus tickets, and got on the bus with ease. He scanned the area and took a double seat.
When Katniss got on the bus, he had already stowed the luggage and was seated, naturally taking her luggage and placing it in the overhead compartment, signaling her to sit inside.
Katniss felt a bit uneasy. In the years she had been with Tristan, it was always flights or driving. But Tristan seemed perfectly at ease.
About ten minutes later, just before departure, a few people in bright clothes rushed in, looking for seats.
Katniss immediately spotted George. He was wearing a hat and mask, the same jacket he wore at dinner.
George saw her while looking for a seat, paused, and then looked at Tristan beside her, even more surprised.
"George, sit here!" someone with George called out.
George turned his head. The seat was right across the aisle from Katniss and Tristan.
He sat down, thought for a moment, and then called out, "Katniss, what are you guys doing here?"
"We have to go to Kingstone for some business negotiations," Katniss explained.
George's expression mirrored Katniss's when she first arrived at the bus station. He asked, "Then why are you taking a bus instead of flying?"
Katniss glanced at Tristan and awkwardly explained, "Couldn't get plane tickets."
George didn't believe it. Someone like Tristan could easily arrange a private jet!
But he was taking a bus, and coincidentally the same one as him?
George had a bold idea but didn't dare to think too deeply.
Tristan opened his eyes, turned his head slightly to look at George, and said, "It seems you and Katniss are fated. Want to switch seats?"
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