Chapter 350 A Dilemma
The wariness in Hazel's eyes was heartbreaking, and her hand, tightly gripping the glass shards, was already bleeding.
"No, I just happened to know you were here, so I came to check on you."
Katniss raised both hands. "I came quite suddenly, didn't even buy anything."
After looking at her for a while, Hazel finally put down the shards, her eyes dimming a bit, "I was just scheduled for an abortion, haven't had it yet, no need to bring anything."
She sat back on the hospital bed, looking through the window outside the door where someone was standing guard, and asked, "How many people are guarding?"
"Four." Katniss turned and went into the bathroom, took out a broom to clean up the glass shards on the floor, and finally stopped by the window.
"I don't want an abortion." Hazel hugged her legs, and as soon as she said that, she started crying, "This is my only family in this world."
"Did you ever think about this situation the moment you found out you were pregnant?" Katniss asked.
After a moment of silence, Hazel nodded, "I thought he might find out, after all, Velvet City is only so big."
Hearing this, Katniss frowned almost imperceptibly, "Since you thought about this possibility, why didn't you leave Velvet City? Were you gambling? Gambling with the child's life?"
Hazel quickly raised her head and denied, "I didn't mean to gamble! It's just that I've lived in Velvet City for so many years, my savings are less than $10,000, how can I survive in a strange city? At least my friends are here, someone will help me after I have the baby, but if I leave..."
"Hazel, the card he gave you is enough to ensure you live comfortably in another city, let alone the Bell family."
Katniss couldn't help but interrupt her. She could understand Hazel's difficulties, but that was under the premise of not having that card!
"I don't want to owe him any favors, I don't want him to think I'm a woman who can be bought off with money." Hazel turned her head stubbornly.
Ever since Benjamin had supported her, he had never treated her poorly.
She had spent a lot of his money on the best food, drinks, and everything.
No matter if they were now at odds or if Benjamin had kicked her out, she didn't want to owe him more.
Unless necessary, she wouldn't use that card.
"But you made him think you're a woman who can't even be bought off with money, so he keeps being so ruthless to you."
Katniss somewhat understood her, just like when she was with Tristan, she was determined that once Sophia didn't need money, she wouldn't be his bed partner anymore.
At the very least, she wanted to ensure she wasn't inferior in front of him.
She even had the wild idea of paying Tristan back once she made money.
Back then, what held her back was Sophia, and now what held Hazel back was the child in her belly.
Hazel probably couldn't afford to raise this child, and now that Benjamin knew, she faced either an abortion or having the child taken away... either way, it was cruel.
"What else could I do?" Hazel looked up at her, very seriously, "Should I take his money and leave, only to be seen as a woman who only loves money in his eyes?"
After staring at each other for a while, Katniss suddenly had nothing to say.
It seemed Hazel realized she was indeed very stubborn, so she lowered her head again, tugging at the corners of her mouth, "I admit, I do like him, hoping for a miracle while not wanting to be looked down upon by him, unwilling to leave but also not willing to give in."
Perhaps, if Hazel gave in, Benjamin wouldn't be so ruthless.
Katniss thought so too. "Regret is useless, you both have come to this point, you need to make a good decision."
A small life, she couldn't persuade her to keep it, nor could she cruelly persuade her not to.
"He gave me a day to think about whether to have an abortion or let him raise the child." Hazel's hand covered her lower abdomen, even though it was just a tiny embryo at the moment.
But she seemed to feel the existence of that small life.
It wasn't just the child that would be aborted, it was her life!
"Ms. Grey, if it were you, what would you do?" She looked up, her face full of confusion.
Hazel was very stubborn; if this child was born, she definitely couldn't cut ties cleanly and start over.
But if she didn't have the child, Hazel's life would be ruined.
"I can't tell you what to do, but I can give you a piece of advice: go with the flow, as long as there's life, there's hope."
Katniss always had mature thoughts; she couldn't be too explicit, after all, Hazel might not always have the patience.
Whether Hazel could understand her meaning depended on whether she could calm down and think about this matter.
Think about the child, not about her future with Benjamin.
She stayed with Hazel for a dozen minutes before leaving, not returning to Saskia's ward.
Walking out of the inpatient department, she finally saw two fathers and a godfather playing around in the small garden.
It was Nicholas and Emory fooling around.
Tristan wore a black brimmed hat, looking mature and steady, but the curve of his lips had a hint of mischief, sitting on a bench watching them.
"Katniss!" Emory saw her and immediately rushed over, his eyes smiling, saying: I want to see Evie.
Probably frustrated with Tristan again, he came running to her.
"Katniss, control Tristan, he's too much," Nicholas said, unable to hide his jealousy. "He had a daughter and couldn't stop talking about Evie. Today, my son is supposed to be the star."
"Exactly, you're stealing his thunder, aren't you just attracting resentment towards Evie?" Emory added fuel to the fire. "If you're so capable, can you announce to the world right now that Katniss is your wife and she gave you a daughter? If you're so bold, can you take Evie out for a walk?"
Nicholas slapped his thigh, "Isn't that right? My son is having a birthday party, and he'll have his first birthday celebration too. What about your Evie?"
Tristan's thin lips tightened, his eyes fixed on Nicholas's arrogant and proud expression.
"My goddaughter is being wronged by staying with you!" Emory complained, "Do you dare to take her out? She's so big now, and you keep her cooped up at home all day. Just thinking about it makes me feel sorry for her."
Saying this, he turned his head slightly and bumped Katniss's shoulder, "I can take her out."
Katniss thought, "I have to admit, I'm a bit tempted, but not much."
Thinking about how Evie rarely gets to go out openly with them, Katniss felt a bit sad.
On the way back, she was very silent, with only one thought in her mind: the Forbes family issue needed to be resolved.
Travis didn't have much business acumen, and now Synergy Global Corporation was managed by Eudora.
Thinking about the trouble Eudora caused her during the Warren acquisition last time, her lips pressed into a tight line.
The car slowly came to a stop, and she and Tristan didn't get out simultaneously.
She turned her body, leaning against the car door, looking at him, "Who do we start with?"
"Eudora," Tristan said decisively.
Katniss raised an eyebrow and said, "Alright, I'll do it!"
Eudora had caused them a lot of trouble behind the scenes, both in the past and now, and would likely continue to oppose them in the future.
"Thank you," Tristan pulled her over, kissed her forehead, and said, "If there's anything, let Ryan handle it. He's my man, and I'm giving him to you to use. He's very capable, so you should praise me too."
His long, clean fingers pinched her nose, with a hint of warning and dissatisfaction, "Understand?"
Katniss's nose felt a bit itchy, unable to avoid his little gesture, she could only endure it and verbally submit, "Understood."
Although they decided to target Eudora, Katniss still planned to find the right opportunity, not to create trouble out of nothing.
But she didn't expect the opportunity to come so quickly.
She arranged to meet Warren to sign the acquisition contract, as they had almost finalized the deal, so she came alone.
Warren was also very straightforward, signing the contract in seven or eight minutes, but out of courtesy, they still had to have a meal together.
The restaurant had an elegant environment, a high-altitude restaurant overlooking the entire Velvet City.
There were no private rooms, at most, there were curtains for separation.
She seriously discussed the recent upheavals in the business world with Warren, sensing the undercurrents.
Back when she was with Tristan, wherever he went, he was the focus, and with him in control, there were hardly any major changes.
Now that Synergy Global Corporation had fallen, Tristan had stepped back, Benjamin had taken over, and the Astor family had collapsed, the rapid changes were astonishing.
Eudora's position was very strategic; they couldn't see her, but she could see them.
Seeing Katniss's every gesture exuding a hint of Tristan's commanding presence, Eudora found it particularly glaring.
"Miss Savoy, did Mr. Astor send you here to daydream?" The man opposite her, about forty years old, was very displeased with her distraction.
Eudora's gaze returned to the man, who wore gold-rimmed glasses and had thick hair like a monkey.
He had a lot of facial hair, making him difficult to describe in words.
"He sent me to discuss a collaboration," Eudora said, realizing her lapse. "What kind of collaboration are you discussing with him?"
"You don't even know what kind of collaboration we're discussing, so why are you asking?" The monkey-like man took a sip of his drink, his eyes scanning her, and bluntly said, "He almost finalized the deal with me, saying he'd send me a gift that would surely satisfy me."
So, Eudora was here to be the gift today, not to discuss a collaboration for Michael?
Instantly, her face turned a bit pale.
She had anticipated this, but when it actually happened, she couldn't help but feel hurt.
"I'm not very satisfied with the place you chose," the monkey-like man put down his glass. "I'll give you another chance, choose another place."
At the very least, it had to be a place with no people, like a hotel, preferably one with a themed bed.
From the look in the monkey-like man's eyes, Eudora could tell he was someone who enjoyed using adult toys.
She couldn't help but feel disgusted, being targeted by such a person... she was extremely angry and embarrassed.
Hadn't Katniss encountered such people before?
"How about changing the person?" She pointed to Katniss not far away and asked, "I think a woman like her would give you more of a sense of conquest, right?"
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