Chapter 36 In a Hurry to Leave?
Katniss spun around and spotted Tristan kicked back in his chair, eyes half-shut, arms crossed like he was catching some Z's.
A colleague had told her there was a mountain of stuff to do 'cause of that Kingstone trip from the last couple of days. Katniss had been MIA from the office, and Bella, the newbie, was pretty much useless, leaving Tristan swamped.
Katniss figured Tristan showing up this late meant he still had a ton of work to plow through.
She took a deep breath, unbuckled her seatbelt, hopped out of the car, and swung open the back door. A whiff of booze hit her.
The noise from the door seemed to bug him. His eyebrows scrunched up a bit, and his half-closed eyes twitched.
"Mr. Forbes," Katniss called out, testing the waters, "we're at the office."
Tristan's deep eyes snapped open, still foggy with sleep, glaring at her with a hint of annoyance. "In a rush to bail?"
Katniss shook her head instinctively and said, "Nah, not in a rush. Just don't wanna hold up your work. The quicker you wrap up, the sooner you can crash."
Tristan raised an eyebrow, unbuckled his seatbelt, and got out of the car. His tall frame loomed over her, just inches away.
In a deep, magnetic voice, he said, "I gotta set up a video call. Since you're not in a hurry, stick around and take some notes."
"Okay," Katniss replied, looking up and noticing the tiredness in his eyes, feeling a twinge of sympathy.
She shut the car door and followed him into the elevator, hitting the button for the top floor as they ascended.
The elevator started heating up. She wasn't sure how it happened, but next thing she knew, she was pinned between Tristan and the elevator wall.
The kiss was fierce, his eyes barely open but burning with desire.
Caught in his familiar scent, Katniss couldn't fight back. When the elevator doors opened, he scooped her up in his arms.
Leaning against his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat, she felt oddly at peace.
Thinking about what was coming, Katniss felt a mix of sour anticipation and hope, while also kicking herself for not being able to resist Tristan's pull.
The office lounge felt the same, but this time it was different. His tenderness had a hint of dominance, like he wanted to claim her, making her feel like they truly belonged together.
She didn't know when she dozed off, but when she woke up, it was already morning.
Tristan was still out cold beside her, looking peaceful.
She watched him for a few seconds, then got out of bed, got dressed, and picked up his clothes scattered on the floor, placing them at the foot of the bed.
"Slipping out without a goodbye?" Tristan's raspy voice cut through the silence.
Katniss glanced up at him. He hadn't even opened his eyes. She walked over to the bedside and whispered, "That day when Miss Astor went to Kingstone, was it you who hid my luggage?"
Tristan's eyes opened, red veins crisscrossing them. "I don't like unnecessary drama. If we can fix a problem easily, why not?"
Katniss frowned. A problem? Was he talking about her? If she was such a hassle, why keep her around?
Tristan propped himself up, the thin blanket sliding down to his waist. He reached for the cigarettes on the bedside table, lit one, and the faint smell of smoke filled the room.
"Is his hand okay?" he suddenly asked.
"No worries." Katniss paused, realizing Tristan was asking about George. George's hand injury wouldn't have any lasting effects, but missing the game was a bummer.
Seeing her pursed lips and furrowed brows, Tristan's jaw tightened. "What? Feeling guilty now?"
Katniss looked at Tristan's darkened expression, confused by his sudden change in attitude from last night.
She replied stiffly, "He got hurt because of me. It's normal to care."
"Come back to work tomorrow." Tristan snorted, tossing off the blanket and heading to the bathroom.
Within seconds, the sound of running water echoed from inside.
Katniss sensed his anger but couldn't figure out why. She just turned around and left the office.
When she got back to Matilda's place, Matilda had already gone to work, leaving her a note and breakfast.
After eating, she went upstairs to find George. He had just finished the breakfast Matilda brought, sitting on the sofa fiddling with something.
Seeing Katniss, he tossed his phone aside and asked, "Matilda said you left with your boss last night?"
"Yeah," Katniss replied, collecting the dishes from the table and heading to the kitchen to wash them.
"I'm getting my meds one last time today, then I'll just rest. You should go back to work; you don't need to babysit me."
George knelt on the sofa, watching her.
Katniss quickly finished washing the dishes, grabbed a paper towel to dry her hands, and came out.
She said, "Work's pretty hectic, so I do need to go back. How much were the medical expenses in Kingstone? I'll transfer it to you."
After all, George got hurt because of her, so she should cover the medical expenses.
George was stunned and asked, "Didn't you already pay the medical expenses in advance?"
When he got discharged, there was still some cash left in his HSA. He figured Katniss had paid upfront.
He had the staff refund the leftover balance to the original account.
Katniss stood by the sofa, hesitated for a moment, shook her head, and said, "Nope."
"Could it be your boss?" George stood up, looking at her, and asked, "Did he go to the hospital?"
Katniss shook her head again. She didn't see Tristan at the hospital, but she did spot Bella.
"Forget it, anyway, you almost got into trouble for the company, so it's only fair he covers it," George, clueless about the details, waved dismissively. "This afternoon, take me to the hospital for one last dressing change, then you can head back."
"Okay," Katniss agreed, then she started cleaning the house.
By noon, George couldn't stand her pasta and insisted Katniss take him out for lunch.
Katniss couldn't say no, so she took him out for some light food and then to the hospital for a dressing change.
That evening, Matilda heard Katniss would be back at work early the next morning and took on the responsibility of looking after George. "Don't worry, Katniss. I'll make sure he gets meals in the morning and evening until his hand's all good."
George, having grown fond of Matilda's cooking, readily agreed, "Honestly, I feel a bit guilty, but this is what real care looks like. Katniss's cooking is torture."
Katniss listened woodenly to George's complaints about her cooking.
After dinner, she tidied up briefly and headed back to Oakwood Hills. The moment she opened the door, she paused.
The faint fragrance in the room was stronger than when she left, and the men's slippers at the entrance had been moved.
Tristan had been here.
On the cabinet in the hallway, there was a bank card and a jewelry box.
There was a sticky note on the card, clearly indicating it was for their intimacy during the Kingstone trip.
As for the jewelry, it was probably for last night.
The box was beautiful, and inside was a crystal necklace with a purple glow.
She loved purple, and Tristan had given her several pieces of jewelry in various shades of purple.
He had a good memory, but she wasn't sure if these were casually chosen gifts or if he had painstakingly sought them out.
Anyway, he didn't forget to pay her even once, quite "professional".
Katniss smirked, put the bank card in her bag, took the jewelry box upstairs, and placed it in the bedside cabinet.
The cabinet was filled with similar jewelry boxes, all gifts from Tristan, worth quite a bit of money.
At the bottom of those jewelry boxes was their marriage certificate.
Her phone suddenly rang, pulling her thoughts back. It was a call from Rupert.
Rupert's voice was very soft as he said, "Katniss, it's me."
"You're out?" Katniss was a bit surprised, considering she hadn't settled things with Horizon Innovations Group, and the $80 million balance was still hanging over them.
"Yeah," Rupert hesitated before saying, "Jessica pulled some strings to get me out. I heard you haven't been to work for several days."
"Is it because of me?" he asked.
Katniss denied it, "No, I haven't been to the company for other reasons. It's good that you're out."
She had been thinking about how to help Rupert during her free time these past few days.
Rupert responded, then said, "But I can't keep working at the courier company. I lost my job, and Jessica spent a lot of money to get me out."
Now, Rupert and Jessica were renting a place in a good location, and with their daily expenses, they had little left.
Spending money to pull strings to get Rupert out, and now Rupert being jobless, they were certainly strapped for cash.
Katniss instantly realized that he made this call to ask for money. "I'll give you $50,000 for now. Find a job as soon as possible."
Rupert immediately said, "Don't worry, Katniss. I'll definitely pay you back. I'll find a job soon."
"Pay back what? She didn't help you at all, so giving you money is the least she can do." Jessica's sharp voice faintly reached Katniss's ears.
Then came Rupert's voice, arguing, "Stop talking. She's helped us a lot!"
The sound of a door opening and closing suggested Rupert had gone inside, but Jessica's raised voice could still be heard through the door.
Rupert, very embarrassed, said, "Katniss, I will definitely pay you back."
"Okay," Katniss replied. Although Rupert was unreliable, he at least had a conscience. She hung up and transferred $50,000 to him.
Rupert received the money and felt uneasy, knowing how Katniss earned it.
He felt guilty taking the money.
"You useless bum!" Jessica found the key and came in, sneering when she saw Katniss had sent money.
"I spent tens of thousands of dollars to pull strings. If she doesn't pay, who should?"
"She could have just asked Mr. Forbes for a favor, and you would have been out. She didn't even do that, so what's there to feel bad about?"
Rupert looked at the text message notification of the $50,000 deposit and remained silent.
"Rupert, she's living much better than you think. You don't need to feel bad. Besides, she's already gone this far; even if she wants to get out, it's not that simple. I don't think she'll last long in her position. Miss Astor is joining Synergy Global Corporation with much fanfare and even invited us to dinner tomorrow. It looks like she's going to replace her. Katniss should grab as much money as she can now, or she'll miss out!" Jessica analyzed confidently.
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