Chapter 35 Go to the Office
Realizing this possibility, Bella bit her lip, her eyes getting all red and teary, feeling even more bummed out.
Michael scrunched up his face, shot a look at Tristan, and said, "Tristan, there's no other suitable position for her expertise at Astor Corporation. We can't just let her get treated like crap somewhere else. Since she wants to stick around with you, let's keep her here."
Tristan raised an eyebrow, his deep eyes reflecting Bella's image but staying super chill.
Seeing him stay quiet, Bella hung her head lower, her shoulders shaking like she was crying.
Michael, noticing this, patted her shoulder and said, "Hey, it's okay. Pack your stuff and get ready to leave. Tristan's just worried about you. But if you really wanna do it, who's gonna stop you?"
Hearing this, Bella looked up, her tear-streaked eyes showing a glimmer of hope, and she turned to Tristan.
Tristan lowered his head, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it with his thin lips.
Seeing this, Bella felt a bit let down again and turned to leave the office.
Michael took a couple of steps towards Tristan, but Tristan sidestepped him and went back to his desk.
Blowing out a smoke ring, Tristan squinted at Michael and said, "Just this once, it won't happen again."
Michael was stunned for a few seconds, then turned back and stopped in front of Tristan, leaning on the desk with both hands. "Alright, let's hang out tonight. I'll call Nicholas. I owe you one."
Tristan didn't say anything, which was basically a yes.
At noon, Katniss whipped up a bowl of pasta for George, loading it with meat and eggs for extra nutrition.
The pasta was even worse than George had imagined, making it almost impossible for him to swallow.
When Matilda came back in the evening, she cooked while listening to George complain about Katniss's cooking skills.
Katniss's mouth twitched. How could it be that bad? Tristan had eaten it twice and never said anything.
But seeing George's genuine disdain, could it be that Tristan was just putting up with it?
She furrowed her brows, finding Tristan even more of a mystery.
Taking care of George wasn't too demanding. Besides making him lunch and cleaning up, it took less than two hours a day.
The rest of the time, Katniss was idly holding her phone, watching as Bella was added to the company group chat.
Bella was laughing and joking, giving everyone money and asking them to take care of her since she was new and didn't know anything.
So Bella had joined Synergy Global Corporation, and from their conversation, it seemed she had become Tristan's secretary.
The one leading the charge in buttering up Bella was Jessica, and even her punctuation screamed eagerness to please.
"Katniss." Matilda had been watching her for a while, and seeing her zoning out at her phone, she came over.
One glance at the company group chat on Katniss's phone, and she seemed to get the gist. "Does Bella know something?"
Katniss turned off her phone and shrugged. "I don't know."
"If you're feeling down, just talk to me. I'm grown up now. I might not be able to do much, but I can listen." Matilda said, concerned.
Katniss couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, I'm a bit down. Bella joined the company and became Tristan's secretary, which means my workload's gonna drop, and so will my paycheck."
"That's not a big deal. I make money too, don't I?" Matilda smiled and pulled her up. "Go wash your hands, dinner's ready."
Katniss nodded and headed to the bathroom.
When Matilda turned around, she saw George leaning against the dining room door. She wasn't sure if he had heard their conversation, so she quickly got up and went into the kitchen.
Halfway through dinner, Matilda's phone rang. Her boss needed her to deliver a document to the Skyline Club.
It was almost nine, and the buses had stopped running, so Katniss grabbed the car keys to drive her there.
Half an hour later, they pulled up in front of the Skyline Club.
This was a private club, and without a VIP card, entry was a no-go. Matilda called her boss several times, but no one picked up.
She sighed and looked at Katniss. "My boss is such a pain. If I can't get in and delay things, she'll blame me."
"She doesn't answer her phone either. I bet she's doing this on purpose, but she always has a good excuse."
Hearing this, Katniss unbuckled her seatbelt. "Get out, I'll take you in."
She often came to places like this with Tristan, and her face was basically a membership card.
Matilda's eyes lit up, and she got out of the car and followed Katniss. Before they even reached the entrance, the security guard had already opened the door for them.
"Katniss, you're here." The security guard led them inside, the dazzling lights shining down.
They weren't in business attire, just simple T-shirts and skinny pants, which made them look a bit out of place.
Katniss nodded at the security guard and then went to the front desk, intending to ask Matilda who her boss was and check which room they were in.
But before she could speak, the front desk said, "Katniss, why are you here so late? Mr. Forbes is in his usual room. Are you here to pick him up?"
Katniss was stunned. Tristan was here?
Just as that thought crossed her mind, the front desk's gaze shifted behind her, towards the elevator. "What a coincidence, Mr. Forbes and the others are coming down."
Katniss turned around and locked eyes with Tristan. He was rocking a black suit, his tall and slender frame standing out.
One hand was in his pocket, and the other held a cigarette that was still burning, his eyes reflecting her delicate features.
Bella was the first to react, instinctively linking her arm with Tristan's. She asked, "Katniss, are you here to pick up Tristan? How'd you know he was here?"
Katniss's gaze fell on Bella's hand linked with Tristan's arm. After a moment, she looked away, forced a smile, and walked over to them.
She explained, "Mr. Forbes, Miss Astor, Mr. Astor, Mr. Kennedy, I'm here to deliver some documents with my sister."
Michael's eyes landed on Matilda, and he raised an eyebrow. "Is this your sister? She looks kinda familiar."
Katniss instinctively didn't want Michael to know that Matilda worked at the Astor Corporation.
But before she could think of what to say, more people came out of the elevator.
"Matilda, why are you taking so long to deliver some documents?"
A plump woman in her forties approached and stopped immediately upon seeing Michael and the others. "Mr. Astor, what a coincidence, you're here too?"
Michael glanced at the plump woman and said, "Just meeting some friends."
The plump woman nodded and quickly signaled Matilda to come over, then briefly introduced her, "Mr. Astor, this is our new intern, Matilda. I asked her to deliver some documents."
Michael understood, giving Katniss a knowing look before smiling. "Katniss, so your sister works at the Astor Corporation."
Then Michael turned to the chubby woman and instructed her to look out for Matilda. The chubby woman naturally knew Katniss's identity, but she hadn't realized that Matilda was Katniss's sister!
She smiled at Katniss, took the documents, and left to accompany the clients.
Throughout, Katniss was a bit nervous because Tristan kept looking at her.
Finally, after delivering the documents, she was about to leave quickly.
Suddenly, Tristan said, "She came just in time, so you don't need to take me home."
He walked over to Katniss, and Bella's hand naturally fell from his arm. She bit her lip and looked at him, then unhappily at Katniss.
Katniss looked at Tristan in surprise, not understanding why he was doing this, but as his subordinate, she could only say, "Yes, Mr. Forbes."
He stood beside her, his faint scent mixed with the smell of smoke and alcohol, which wasn't unpleasant.
It even had an addictive quality.
Nicholas gave Katniss a meaningful look, then led everyone outside.
Nicholas chimed in, "This is perfect. Bella just said she was tired. Michael, you can take her home to crash. Looks like Katniss is destined to serve Tristan, even bumping into him while on a break."
His words dripped with sarcasm.
Katniss followed Tristan, with Matilda beside her, whispering, "Katniss, I'll grab a cab home. You take Mr. Forbes."
Katniss thought for a moment and nodded. Tristan's place wasn't on the way to Matilda's.
Once outside the Skyline Club, Matilda hailed a cab and left.
Katniss drove the car over, waiting for Tristan to get in. Seeing Matilda leave made Bella's face look even worse.
Tristan opened the car door and got in. Just as Katniss was about to close the door, Bella stopped her.
Without looking at Katniss, Bella directly spoke to Tristan in the car, "There's an international meeting at five in the morning. Tristan, I'll stay at your place tonight. It's better than getting up early to join you for the meeting."
The dim light in the car made Tristan's features even more striking.
From Katniss's angle, she couldn't see his expression clearly, only his thin lips moving, his voice cold. "I'll handle the meeting myself. You don't need to come in the morning. Go home and rest early; you've had a lot to drink tonight."
Then, his tone shifted, becoming commanding. "Close the door, let's go."
The different tones were clearly not directed at the same person. Katniss immediately responded.
She respectfully looked at Bella. "Miss Astor, be careful not to hit your head."
Her slender arm reached across Bella and closed the car door.
After bidding farewell to Michael and Nicholas, she turned and got into the car.
Before she could fasten her seatbelt, there was a knock on the window—it was Bella.
"Katniss, let me know when you get Tristan home. You should go home early too and be safe. After all, you still have to take care of your injured boyfriend," Bella said.
Her words carried a warning. Katniss looked at Bella's heaving chest and smiled. "Sure, thank you for the reminder, Miss Astor."
With that, she started the engine and drove away.
In the rearview mirror, Bella and the others' figures gradually shrank until they disappeared around a corner.
The half-open window let in a gentle breeze. The streets were quiet at this late hour, and the car was silent.
But Tristan's presence was palpable, an oppressive feeling emanating from behind, almost swallowing her whole.
"Go to the office," he suddenly said.
"Okay." Katniss turned the car around and headed straight for Synergy Global Corporation, which was closer than Tristan's home.
The car entered the underground garage, which was empty. Katniss parked near the elevator.
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