Chapter 321 You're Noble and Amazing!
Katniss was in a meeting when she received a message. She glanced down and saw it was from Emory. After hesitating for a few seconds, she picked up her phone.
She opened it and saw a few pictures, like a quick snap of a GIF, clearly capturing Tristan's panicked expression.
Evie was lying in his arms, her big round eyes full of confusion, staring at Tristan. She seemed startled but didn't cry, just looked dazed.
Unconsciously, she tugged at the corner of her mouth. Emory suddenly sent a text message, hitting Katniss's heart unexpectedly.
Emory: [Forgot to tell you, the day you gave birth abroad, Tristan went to the hospital. He was the first to hold Evie when she was born. This is definitely a father-daughter bond, destined by fate!]
Tristan actually went to the hospital that day? And he held Evie!
"Ms. Grey."
Someone called her. She quickly put down her phone and looked up to find everyone in the room staring at her.
She calmly placed the document in her hand on the table and said, "Report it again."
Emory arranged for Tristan to work in the villa in the same neighborhood as Katniss. It had three floors, and he had the living room set up as an office area in advance.
There were a few potted plants on the long rectangular table, with chairs lined up on both sides.
At the end, there was a projector. It was fully equipped.
It looked like a very professional venue, except for the occasional "ah" sound in the quiet villa.
Evie couldn't speak yet, not even making sounds with her mouth, but rather from her nasal cavity.
She was sitting on the sofa in Emory's arms, her beautiful big eyes scanning around, mostly looking at Tristan.
Tristan was sitting at the head of the table, listening to the executives report on the progress of Zenith Group's upcoming IPO.
Now, they just needed to sell The Astor Corporation shares and get the money back.
"As far as I know, Ms. Grey from White Corporation has already started negotiations for the acquisition. It's very likely to happen."
"If I remember correctly, Ms. Grey was brought up by Mr. Forbes. Mr. Forbes is really impressive."
"Yes, it's a pity that our Zenith Group was a step too late. Otherwise, if Ms. Grey came to Zenith Group as the general manager and collaborated with Mr. Forbes, Zenith Group would have skyrocketed."
A burst of suppressed laughter interrupted the serious conversation.
Everyone looked towards the sound to see Emory holding Evie in one hand and covering his mouth with the other, his face red from holding back laughter.
What to do? So excited! The Katniss they were talking about was Evie's mom!
And Tristan was Evie's dad!
The key point was, Tristan didn't even know!
He was struggling to hold back his excitement!
The urge to shout to the sky was driving him crazy.
Tristan threw the pen in his hand. Emory's arrogant demeanor made everyone feel uneasy.
Instinctively, he reached into his pocket for a cigarette, but before he could light it, Emory sternly said, "Tristan, my Evie is only a few months old. Throw that cigarette in the trash!"
Tristan's face darkened as he threw the cigarette on the table, his veiny hand resting on the table edge.
Emory didn't dare to really force him to throw it away, so seeing him put it down, he decided to let it go.
Meanwhile, Evie turned over and propped herself up on Emory, straining to look at Tristan, her beautiful big eyes reflecting Tristan's gloomy face.
That look made Tristan feel like smoking was a heinous crime, so he grabbed the cigarette and threw it in the trash.
Finally, he scanned the room and said, "From now on, anyone coming here for a meeting should quit smoking."
'You're noble and amazing! What does Emory's goddaughter have to do with you? You quit if you want, what does it have to do with us!' they thought to themselves.
"Yes, Mr. Forbes." A group of people rebelliously retorted in their hearts but obediently complied with their words.
"Alright, it's my turn now. Come over and hold Evie." Emory was very satisfied, handing Evie over to Tristan.
Tristan took off his jacket, unbuttoned his cuffs, and rolled up his sleeves, revealing his well-defined forearms.
He had held her twice before, so he was no longer clumsy. Imitating Emory, he placed Evie on himself.
But Emory was wearing sportswear, while he was in a suit, with a metal belt buckle that might poke Evie.
So, in a moment of mental blank, he unbuckled his belt.
Emory had just sat down, organizing his materials to speak, when he heard a sound.
He looked up, stunned for a moment, then rushed over and picked Evie up from Tristan.
"Tristan, why are you taking off your pants!"
"I was afraid it would poke her, so I took off the belt!" Tristan's ears turned red as he growled.
Emory looked down and saw him holding the belt he had just taken off. His pants were a bit loose but wouldn't fall off, just not very neat.
"I'll hold her during the meeting." Emory turned and walked away with Evie.
Tristan threw the belt onto the sofa and sat back at the conference table, his gloomy expression scaring everyone into silence.
Sometimes, Evie made these two big-shot men look like fools, and sometimes she brought the atmosphere to a freezing point.
Sensing the tense atmosphere, Evie moved a bit, then whimpered unhappily.
Emory was about to share some overseas resources with everyone, which would benefit Zenith Group's development once it went public.
He couldn't soothe Evie, so he turned and stared at Tristan for a while before saying, "You hold her."
"No," Tristan averted his gaze, coldly refusing but quickly glancing at Evie.
"Are you really not going to hold her?" Emory randomly pointed at someone, "Then you hold her for me."
The person looked flustered, "Mr. Buckner, I don't know how to hold a baby, especially one this small!"
"And you?" Emory scanned the room and picked the youngest person, "Are you a father? You know how to hold a baby, right?"
The man, in his thirties with a three or four-year-old child, didn't dare to say anything. Evie was precious, and if he didn't hold her properly, he might lose his job.
He quickly waved his hands, "Mr. Buckner, I have no experience."
"Perfect time to learn," Emory said while observing Tristan's expression.
Seeing that Emory was determined to hand Evie over to the thirty-something man, Tristan finally couldn't take it anymore.
He got up and took Evie from Emory's arms, carrying her to the carpet by the floor-to-ceiling window to soothe her.
Evie had just eaten and wasn't hungry. The new environment intrigued her for a while, and she soon fell asleep.
Lying on his side, propping his head with one hand, Tristan watched Evie sleep. On a whim, he took a photo and sent it to Katniss.
He didn't say anything, just wanted to show her.
But she didn't reply, which made him a bit unhappy. After more than ten minutes, he sent another message.
[I'll pick you up from work tonight.]
This time, Katniss replied quickly: [No dinner.]
He angrily responded: [Then we won't eat.]
Katniss didn't reply again, staring at the photo Tristan sent for a while, never mentioning what it meant.
Today was their first day together. She tried her best to make up for him as Evie's father.
In the evening, she drove to the coffee shop near White Corporation, parked her car, and got into Tristan's car.
In the cramped space, the scent of pine cologne was strong, just like on him.
His veiny hand rested on the steering wheel, casually controlling the car's direction, without saying a word.
Katniss couldn't hold back and spoke first, "What's wrong? What did the photo you sent today mean?"
"That's Emory's goddaughter," he said sullenly, with a hint of jealousy in his tone, "He brought her to work, and I helped out."
Katniss responded, leaning against the car door, tilting her head to look at him, "And? Do you like her?"
When she asked this, she was a bit nervous, biting her thin lips and staring at him without blinking.
Tristan glanced at her, and after a few seconds of eye contact, he blurted out, "I think she looks a bit like you."
"Hmm?" Katniss's heart tightened.
He quickly added, "I mean, she should be very pretty in the future, so I was thinking, if the wedding hadn't been canceled, you know..."
She looked at him, the setting sun casting an orange glow on his profile, revealing the regret in his eyes.
It turned out he didn't mention it because he was afraid of losing control, not because he didn't regret it.
His thin lips pressed together, looking at the cars ahead, he braked at the red light, took a deep breath, and said, "That child is quite cute. I don't know where Emory got her from, she's not even his, but he keeps showing her off in front of me."
"You haven't answered my question," Katniss said, her voice deliberately casual, "Do you like that child?"
"It's hard not to like such a small baby. Someday, I'll take you to see her." Tristan smirked. The red light turned green, and he stepped on the gas, not saying another word.
Maybe he was thinking about Evie, so after dropping Katniss off, he only kissed her before she got out of the car.
The White family
Benjamin had returned, but everyone in the White family was wary of him. After dinner, everyone went back to their rooms.
Beau and his second wife, Rowan Blair, sat on the bed, looking serious.
"Letting him come back is to ensure White Corporation remains the White family's property. It doesn't mean we've given up. Now we need to cut off his power."
Rowan analyzed the situation, pinpointing the key issue, "I've investigated Katniss and Samuel. Samuel joined Benjamin after White Corporation was established, but Katniss seems to be the one advising him from behind."
The night was long and quiet, the room even quieter. The villa had good soundproofing, but they still spoke in hushed tones.
Beau nodded in agreement, "She disappeared for a while before, probably went to White Corporation's overseas branch. I think we should start with her."
"Speaking of which, I remembered something. A few days ago, I met Mrs. Forbes at a card game. She was very friendly, almost ingratiating, probably because Tristan and Katniss seem to have an unusual relationship. She's afraid we'll target Tristan as well," he added.
Rowan turned to look at Beau, "Given the current situation, it's not wise to make enemies. So we should just deal with Katniss. What do you think?"
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