Chapter 31 He's Not That Petty
Katniss grinned and said, "Nah, he's not that petty."
She noticed Tristan's face darken a bit. He raised an eyebrow, leaned back, and stared at her like he was trying to read her mind.
"So, you two are pretty tight, huh? You know him so well. Ever make him mad sharing a suite with me?"
The phone on the table buzzed, and Katniss casually picked it up.
It was a message from Bella.
Bella: [Katniss, when are you guys coming back? I need you to bring some stuff for me.]
Katniss replied: [Heading back tomorrow.]
Bella sent an address and mentioned the items were super valuable, which is why she wanted Katniss to bring them back.
Bella quickly added: [How about you give me the hotel's address, and I'll have my friend drop it off? That way, you won't have to worry about not having a car to pick it up.]
Katniss sent the hotel name and set up for Bella's friend to deliver the items at 9 AM the next day.
She kept the Facebook chat open and showed it to Tristan. "Looks like we won't make the 10 AM flight tomorrow."
Tristan glanced at it, his eyes darkening. "Then we'll catch the game and head back after."
Katniss just nodded, going along with his plan. Bella sent a few more Facebook messages, all nosy about Tristan's reason for being in Kingstone.
Katniss brushed it off with some vague excuse about work confidentiality. But thinking about Tristan's reasons for being here left her puzzled too.
Tristan had been holed up in the hotel all day, glued to his laptop, not mentioning any business deals.
Was he here just to keep her company for the contract renewal?
She scoffed and shook her head, dismissing the silly thought.
As evening rolled in, George called her down for dinner. She glanced at the busy Tristan and said, "I'm heading down to grab some food. Want me to bring you something?"
Tristan lifted his eyelids slightly, his intense gaze fixed on her for a moment before he suddenly smiled, leaned forward, and pulled her into his arms.
She ended up on his lap, his arm wrapped firmly around her waist. He cupped her chin with one hand and kissed her.
She had just had some honey tea, leaving a faint sweet taste on her lips.
He usually wasn't into sweet stuff, but he found this taste irresistible.
By the time he let go, their breaths were already ragged, and her lips felt swollen and tingly. She shot him a look.
Her flushed cheeks made her look even more adorable. She got up, went to the bathroom, washed her face, and the redness subsided a bit.
But it couldn't hide the slightly swollen lips that had clearly been kissed.
When she came out, Tristan was back at his laptop, his voice a bit raspy. "Anything you bring back will be fine."
She nodded and left the room.
The hotel had lunch on the third floor. When Katniss got there, George and his crew were already seated, with a table full of dishes.
"Katniss, I ordered some stuff you liked last time. Hope it hits the spot." George pulled out a chair for her.
Katniss sat down and glanced at the table, surprised to see it was packed with her favorite dishes. They'd only eaten together once before.
He actually remembered what she liked.
"That's cool, thanks," Katniss said.
"Katniss, no need to be so formal with George," one of his buddies chimed in. "Can you come to our game tomorrow?"
Katniss replied, "If nothing comes up, I can make it."
George was thrilled. "Blaze might show up too!"
Katniss was taken aback and looked at him in surprise.
George had bragged about his close ties with Blaze in front of his friends, worried Katniss would spill the beans that he couldn't even add Blaze as a friend.
So he vaguely explained, "Just a guess. It's a big national event!"
Katniss's mouth twitched, thinking about Tristan still grinding away in the room. Could he be here for the competition? All signs seemed to point that way.
He was like a mystery, getting harder to figure out by the minute.
Halfway through the meal, Katniss excused herself to the restroom and paid the bill, also ordering a fancy dinner for Tristan.
Most of George's crew was chatting about the upcoming game, and she listened quietly from the side.
Though she couldn't join in, it was clear George was super serious about the game.
She checked the time; there was still nearly an hour until her appointment with Oliver. She needed to go.
"You guys keep going. Good luck with tomorrow's game. I have some stuff to handle."
As she finished speaking, George turned and took a room key card from his bag, handing it to Katniss. "I saw someone check out today, so I snagged a room."
Katniss hesitated for a moment, took the card, and had to admit George's actions always caught her off guard.
Seeing her reaction, George put down his utensils and stood up. "You guys keep eating. I'll walk her back."
He led Katniss out and let go of her wrist as soon as they got in the elevator.
"Thanks," Katniss said.
George scratched his head awkwardly. "Katniss, I heard your mom's illness needs a lot of money?"
Katniss nodded. "Yeah, it does."
"If you really need cash, you can tell me. I don't have much, but I can swing a few hundred thousand dollars."
George also didn't push Katniss to resist Tristan, knowing he didn't have enough money to cover her mom's medical bills.
But he couldn't just stand by and watch Katniss suffer under Tristan without doing something.
Katniss could tell that despite George's young age, he was pretty sharp and had likely already noticed that her relationship with Tristan was a bit off.
"Thanks, but I'll figure out the money situation myself."
Seeing that George wanted to say more, she added, "Of course, if I really run out of options, I'll ask you for a loan."
George finally breathed a sigh of relief. When the elevator doors opened, he stepped out first. "I'll help you pack and move to another room."
"No need," Katniss said with a smile. "I can handle it myself. Don't worry."
Seeing her insistence, George had no choice but to return to the elevator.
Katniss held the room key and went back to her room. Tristan was in the shower, and the dinner the hotel had delivered was still untouched on the coffee table.
She left a note for Tristan, telling him she was going to meet Oliver and that they’d talk about the room change later that night.
The meeting spot with Oliver was close by, just a twenty-minute walk. It was a swanky five-star hotel.
She got there ten minutes early, but Oliver was already there. The big private room had just the two of them.
A thick red tablecloth covered the long table, set with white dishes and two wine glasses next to a funky-shaped decanter.
The reddish-brown liquid in the decanter reflected the sparkling crystal lights in the room, giving off a fancy vibe.
This dinner was on Katniss, and it seemed like Oliver intended to make her spend big.
But if spending more money could solve the problem, she thought it was worth it.
She signaled the waiter to hand the menu to Oliver and smiled politely. "Mr. Smith, please, go ahead."
Their last negotiation had tanked, and Oliver's face showed he was still ticked off, his eyes full of annoyance.
He ordered the priciest dishes and then handed the menu to Katniss. "I wonder how much your salary is, this meal shouldn't be too expensive to treat, right?"
Katniss handed the menu to the waiter. "I can afford it, Mr. Smith. Don't worry."
After the waiter left with the menu, Katniss got straight to the point about renegotiating the contract.
Oliver had brought two contracts in advance, one was an agreement to nullify the lost one, and the other was a revised final payment contract.
Both had already been stamped with Horizon Innovations Group's seal. All Katniss needed to do was stamp them with Synergy Global Corporation's financial seal.
Just as she was about to take them, Oliver pulled the contracts back. "The recording?"
"I'll destroy the recording as soon as I get the contracts," Katniss said, her negotiating stance strong, maybe thanks to her time with Tristan.
Oliver nodded and smiled. "Alright, let's eat first. You can take the contracts when we leave."
Katniss glanced at the opened bottle of red wine and called the waiter back. "Could you bring me something a bit lighter?"
She then looked at Oliver. "This wine's a bit too strong for me. Hope you don't mind, Mr. Smith."
Oliver gave her a knowing look but shrugged. "Sure, bring a few more bottles to choose from."
The waiter nodded and soon returned with three or four bottles of red wine, all milder than the one on the table.
Katniss randomly picked one and had the waiter pour it into another decanter.
Knowing they'd have to meet again for future collaborations, she didn't want to offend him. She stood up and poured wine into both her and Oliver's glasses.
A shallow layer of red swirled in the glasses. She smiled and said, "Mr. Smith, thank you. Let me toast to you first."
Oliver held his glass with his short, thick fingers and stared at Katniss. "One glass isn't enough. Three."
"Alright." Katniss knew her limits. Though she wasn't a heavy drinker, three glasses of red wine were manageable.
She downed her glass, then poured and drank two more.
"Good," Oliver said, smiling. "Katniss, you're straightforward. This matter doesn't really concern you or me."
"We're both just doing our jobs. It's only right for us to help each other."
He drank his wine, no longer as aggressive as before, and seemed to want to build a rapport with Katniss.
He poured another glass for Katniss, but she didn't drink much, knowing it was best to stay sober.
After a while, Katniss started feeling dizzy, her vision blurring.
She felt a sudden warmth on the back of her hand and saw that Oliver was holding it.
Her heart sank, and she quickly pulled her hand back. "Mr. Smith, I've had too much to drink. I need to use the restroom."
As she stood, the dizziness intensified, her face paling. She bit her tongue hard.
Once fully awake, she walked out of the private room, appearing normal.
The pain in her tongue subsided, and the dizziness returned. She nearly collapsed at the sink.
Realizing something was wrong, she knew the wine was spiked!
Oliver had bribed the waiter!
Ignoring the unsigned contract, she washed her face to clear her head and headed for the restaurant exit.
A waiter noticed her unsteady steps and quickly approached. "Miss, are you alright? Do you need help?"
"Yes," Katniss said, grabbing the waiter's hand and giving her hotel name.
The waiter nodded and helped her outside, but they were soon stopped by Oliver.
Oliver held Katniss's bag and coat, naturally taking her unsteady body from the waiter.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
