Chapter 292 Her Letter
The female doctor paused, decisively finished applying the medicine to Hazel, and then put down two tubes of ointment.
"Apply it twice a day, and don't touch her for at least seven days."
Then the female doctor left. In the dimly lit lounge, the figure on the bed looked particularly small.
Benjamin stared for a while, threw the unfinished cigarette into the trash can, walked to the office, and picked up a file. "Be left; I'm heading to a meeting."
No sooner had he left than Hazel's eyes fluttered open, tears welling up and spilling over as they traced a path down her cheeks.
She changed into the torn clothes, endured the pain in her body, and left the office trembling.
She left without looking back.
She walked away in a hurry and didn't notice that Benjamin was standing by the window outside the office, watching her stride away, his eyes cold and indifferent.
Katniss met with Ronnie and Emory twice more, discussing the project in depth, and Emory decided to sign the contract.
It only took half a month to finalize, and Katniss thought it was good luck.
But Emory knew very well that it was all thanks to Tristan.
He faxed the contract to Tristan's email and deliberately called Tristan in the middle of the night in the U.S.
Unexpectedly, Tristan's side was still lit, with a corner of a wooden bookshelf visible behind him; he hadn't gone to bed yet.
"What's going on with you?" Emory asked in surprise. "Is Synergy Global Corporation going under? Are you so worried you can't sleep?"
"Cut the crap, did you sign the contract?" Tristan gently rubbed a book with his thumb.
This was Serenity Villa; he hadn't stayed here for a long time.
He was somewhat unaccustomed to it. Even though Katniss didn't come here often, he felt her presence everywhere.
"Signed. Do you think I can't handle what you asked?" Emory smirked. "Isn't Synergy Global Corporation keeping you busy enough? You still have time to meddle here."
He subtly probed into the relationship between Katniss and Tristan.
But Tristan pretended not to understand. "Don't release any more funds, no matter how good the project is. When the time is right, transfer everything back to the U.S."
"I must have done something right in my past lives to have a good relationship with you and establish Horizon Venture Capital, but I must have had terrible luck to have to take out all my money to help you."
Emory sighed deeply. Tristan didn't say anything, and Emory didn't ask further.
The busy signal echoed in the room after the call ended. Tristan sat in the chair, motionless.
He seemed to have forgotten how he lived before Katniss appeared in his life.
Endless insomnia left a trace of fatigue between his brows. After a long time, he opened the book, trying to pass the long night.
A letter suddenly came into view, folded in a way that barely revealed the handwriting, but he still recognized it as Katniss's.
His brows furrowed slightly, and he picked up the letter, his breath pausing for a moment.
Scattered memories pieced together in his mind, and he could roughly guess when this letter was placed here.
A plain white Letter-sized paper, with neat and clean black handwriting, not many words, but he read each one carefully.
For some reason, it took him ten minutes to read a few sentences.
She wrote: [Mr. Forbes, I apologize for entering your world in this way and leaving in this manner. I never hoped to gain anything by using the identity of Mrs. Forbes, but I was forced by life to sign a contract with Mrs. Adelaide Forbes. I don't expect you to understand my difficulties, but I beg you to show mercy and let me have a way out after I leave Synergy Global Corporation. I'm sorry, Katniss.]
The words revealed Katniss's humility at that time. How could she not have been oppressed?
She was forced to sign a contract to marry him, just to earn medical expenses for Sophia.
Even when facing exposure, her first thought was how to continue surviving.
Whether in front of Bella at that time or in front of him, Katniss had no choice for happiness, only the desire to survive and not be driven to the point of having nothing.
Everything that happened after getting involved with him was beyond Katniss's control.
When he found out that Katniss was the woman he had been married to for seven years, his shock was overshadowed by the agreement to exchange a child for 14 million dollars.
Seven years, if he had been even a little curious about his nominal wife, he wouldn't have been deceived.
Perhaps, he and Katniss wouldn't have ended up like this.
The humility in that letter made scenes of her being by his side constantly flash in his mind.
Everything abroad was progressing exceptionally smoothly. With Katniss in charge, the big project was settled, and White Corporation's branch gained some reputation.
Smaller projects went even more smoothly. Besides overseeing the project's progress daily, Katniss was also pressured by Sophia to rest for her pregnancy.
She was already in the late stages of pregnancy, her belly growing larger, and the heavy down jacket couldn't quite cover it.
Her visits to the White Corporation branch became much less frequent, and most of her work was handled online.
Occasionally, there were matters from educational institutions, and Matilda would ask for her opinion. She was so busy that she had no time to miss Tristan.
But somehow, she occasionally had the illusion that Tristan was right beside her, severely affecting her sleep at night.
At first, she could use the time difference to brush off Sophia's worries, but later it became impossible to hide.
"If you have something to say, just say it. Don't bottle it up inside," Sophia was afraid that suppressing her emotions would be bad for the baby.
Katniss paused, shaking her head. She felt overwhelmed with thoughts but couldn't find the words to begin.
"Matters of the heart aren't something you can forget just because you want to. It takes time, but it also requires you to open your heart and willingly let him go."
Sophia patted Katniss's hand and added, "I've experienced the pain of unrequited love. I know it's hard, but I'll be here with you."
She thought that once the baby was born and Katniss's attention shifted to the child, things might get better.
"Okay." Katniss hooked her arm around Sophia's, a faint smile on her lips, her eyes clear and calm.
Long after her and Tristan's wedding date had passed, Rupert couldn't hold back and asked her why the wedding hadn't happened.
She honestly said they weren't getting married anymore. Rupert didn't ask further, but she could hear the choked-up sound in his voice on the other end of the phone.
Later, Saskia filmed a video of Jessica beating up Eudora, and she realized Jessica had gotten some money from Eudora.
She had been observing Rupert's movements and noticed that he was still posting his resume for bricklaying on Facebook every day.
Wherever there was a high-paying job, the boss would contact him through Facebook.
So, did Jessica take the money and run?
Realizing this, Katniss later asked Rupert what was going on between him and Jessica.
Rupert was unaware and said Jessica was still considering whether to divorce him.
However, three days ago, Rupert contacted Katniss, saying Jessica had given him some money to pay off Ember's $70,000 loan.
Robert had taken $14,000 less, and Rupert then found out that Katniss had given Robert $14,000, saying he wanted to repay Katniss.
"No need to repay it. Use that $14,000 to open a new pasta restaurant." Katniss naturally couldn't take the money back.
She was relieved that Jessica had used the money to pay off Ember's gambling debt.
"Jessica mentioned there's no development trend in Harmony City and suggested I take Mom to Velvet City. The three of us can work hard to earn some money and then open a pasta restaurant in Velvet City."
A pasta restaurant that could be opened for $14,000 in Harmony City would cost at least $80,000 in Velvet City.
But if the three of them worked hard, they could save up in two or three years.
Katniss agreed such a decision, only telling Rupert that she had gone abroad for work and would meet up for a meal when she returned.
Rupert didn't say much, but when he conveyed the news to Jessica, she was surprised.
"She went abroad? Did she say when she'd be back?"
"No."
Jessica pushed Rupert's shoulder twice. "Then ask her!"
"We're going to Velvet City to find jobs ourselves. We don't rely on Katniss, so what does it matter if she's in Velvet City or not?" Rupert argued, starting to pack his things.
Because Jessica helped pay off the gambling debt, Ember's attitude towards her changed dramatically.
Noticing that Jessica seemed to have some plans, Ember quietly pulled her aside. "Jessica, what's your plan for taking us all to Velvet City?"
The two avoided Rupert and went outside to talk in low voices.
"What else could it be?" Jessica regretted it a lot.
After getting the $70,000, she kept thinking about how to spend it.
But it couldn't buy a house in Velvet City, and buying a car was useless to her.
She wasn't good at business, but she liked the idea of Rupert opening a pasta restaurant.
Katniss and Tristan not getting married probably had something to do with her.
She was afraid Katniss would come after her, so she decided to give the money to Rupert.
That way, her money would be spent usefully, and Katniss couldn't do much to her.
When she heard that Robert had $14,000 from Katniss, Jessica persuaded Rupert to go to Velvet City!
Katniss had a sibling bond with Rupert, even if it wasn't obvious. As long as they behaved well, Katniss would definitely give Rupert more money over time.
Compared to being the owner of a pasta restaurant in Harmony City, she preferred going to Velvet City!
"Once we get to Velvet City, you have to listen to me. If we want to live well, we have to rely on Katniss. If you dare to do anything to her, I won't let you off."
She threatened Ember with a stern face.
Ember quickly shook her head. "I definitely won't. I'll turn over a new leaf and be a good person. Rupert said even a cleaner in Velvet City can earn a few hundred dollars a month. At my age, I can do that."
That afternoon, they bought train tickets straight to Velvet City and rented a cheap two-bedroom apartment.
Rupert resumed his old job delivering food, and Jessica, relying on her connections from Synergy Global Corporation, found a high-paying job at a private company.
Ember played around for half a month, and under Rupert and Jessica's pressure, found a job as a cleaner and started working.
Rupert was waiting to save enough money to open a pasta restaurant, while Jessica was patiently waiting for Katniss to return, seeing hope in that!
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