Chapter 372 The Whereabouts That Cannot Be Disclosed
"Afterwards, I'll talk to Rupert."
Katniss guessed that Ember must have come to see her while Rupert was away.
Otherwise, Rupert wouldn't have let her come over.
"That's fine, take your time talking. If it doesn't work out, just give her some more filial support. Whether I move out or not is up to you, but I don't think she can move in. Otherwise, your life will be a mess," Sophia was always making plans for Katniss.
Katniss felt a warmth in her heart and smiled at her, "What are you planning to buy? I'll take you there."
With Ember causing such a scene, Sophia had forgotten she came out to shop, "Forget it, take me to the education center. I'll go see Matilda and come back in the evening."
She was worried Ember hadn't left yet, and going back would just cause trouble.
Katniss took her to the education center, parking at the entrance and letting her go in alone.
White Corporation had been urging her several times; she was already late for a high-level meeting.
Sophia entered the education center and was immediately recognized by the receptionist, "Ms. Stuart, what brings you here?"
"I'm looking for Matilda. Is she busy?" Sophia asked with a smile.
The receptionist checked her watch and said, "Matilda hasn't arrived yet. She hasn't been in good shape lately and only comes in around ten in the morning. Should I call her for you?"
Hearing this, Sophia frowned.
Matilda had always been very dedicated, working early and late for the education center for the past two years.
Why was she suddenly late every day?
"I'll wait in her office. You go ahead with your work," she smiled at the receptionist and went to Matilda's office with her doubts.
Around ten, Matilda appeared in the office. "Mom, why are you here suddenly without telling me?"
Sophia waved her over to sit down. "It was a sudden decision. Katniss brought me here. What's been going on with you lately? The receptionist said..."
"It's nothing," Matilda forced a smile, "I've just been having trouble sleeping alone lately, so I go to bed late and wake up late."
She put down her bag and didn't sit next to Sophia, instead opening the window to let some air in.
Sophia didn't suspect anything, thought for a moment, and brought up a matter, "I think it's time to resolve things with George. I'll talk to Odette about it. Once you two are settled, I'll move to your neighborhood. When you have kids, I can help take care of them."
This was the conclusion she had come to after much thought. She couldn't continue living with Katniss.
Ember would also cause a scene because she was living with Katniss. Besides, Evie didn't need her anymore. She couldn't just stay with Katniss as a freeloader, always intruding on their married life, which would eventually become annoying.
"Why do you suddenly want to move out of Katniss's place?" Matilda sat down next to her. "Did something happen?"
Sophia recounted the morning's encounter with Ember, "Katniss doesn't need me there. Why stay and give her something to hold against me?"
Matilda thought for a moment and said, "You have a point. I saw a rental sign in our building this morning. I'll contact them right away."
She called the property management to get in touch with the owner, while Sophia thought of a way to explain things clearly to Odette.
While Matilda was on the phone, she sent a message to Odette.
[Mrs. Russell, since things are already like this with the two kids, let's not drag it out any longer. Let's find a time to meet and talk.]
The message went unanswered, so she had to wait patiently. After all, Matilda's rental issue wasn't resolved yet.
At Velvet City Mall, Tristan was sitting at the edge of a café with Evie in his arms, basking in the sun.
Evie lay on him, attracting many curious glances.
This man was so handsome, and the baby was so cute.
The onlookers were visibly excited.
Across from him, Emory looked dejected. "Tristan, you're being unfair. Did you come out just to sit here? Aren't you considering my feelings?"
He pointed to his face, "I'm her godfather. Don't I deserve some respect?"
"What? Do you want to take Evie?" Tristan retorted coolly, teasing the little kid in his arms.
Seeing Emory's frustration, Tristan smirked, his pride and show-off intentions clear.
"Fine, you win," Emory sipped his coffee, grumbling internally but unable to stop glancing at Evie.
Though they hadn't seen each other for a while, Evie still recognized him. Seeing him look at her, she smiled, her dimples making her even more adorable.
Emory's heart softened. Just as he was about to beg Tristan to let him hold his goddaughter, his phone suddenly rang.
"Hello," he answered without checking the caller ID, still focused on Evie, making faces at her.
Suddenly, his expression changed, and he quickly hung up after a brief response.
"Tristan, I'm in trouble! My ex-wife and her brother are here!" He fidgeted, not knowing where to put his hands.
Tristan's mischievous eyes narrowed slightly, "So what if they came? What are you afraid of? She tricked you into giving her your sperm and ran off, and now she won't even let you acknowledge your child. What are you scared of?"
"She wants to take me back to marry into her family!" Emory scratched his head, looking at Tristan's calm demeanor, and then muttered, "I'm not like some people who have to marry into a family, even the child doesn't have their surname."
"Does your child have your surname?" Tristan hit back sharply, "Not only does the child not have your surname, but you haven't even seen them. You don't even know if it's a boy or a girl. Your ex-wife wants to reunite you with your child, and you're not grateful? You'd rather have your pride than your family?"
This was something he had experienced firsthand. Having pride without a wife was pointless.
Thinking of something, Emory's face fell, and he said, "Do you think I care about marrying into her family? She tricked me!"
Realizing he had said too much, he snorted, leaned back on the sofa, spread his hands, and crossed his legs without saying another word.
Tristan gently played with Evie's hand, his eyes darkening as he thought of something. "They came back to the country for what?"
"I told you to take me back to marry into her family," Emory retorted irritably.
Tristan sat up straight, thought for a moment, and decisively refuted, "Impossible. Your ex-wife's brother has a special status. He can't travel freely between countries. He wouldn't come here just for your ex-wife."
A thought began to form in his mind.
Emory quickly realized something, too, "You mean they're here for Sam's biological father? But he's not in our..."
Before he could finish, he realized that people have legs and can go wherever they want.
"I'll ask her. This isn't something to joke about." Emory called his ex-wife back, "Why are you here? Don't fool me. Your brother can't just travel around... Damn it, I won't see you! I..."
The other side said something that made him hang up abruptly.
Emory threw his phone on the table, running his hands through his short hair, "She wants to see me before she'll tell me why they're here."
As he finished speaking, Tristan took out his car keys from his pocket, placed them on the table, and gently pushed them towards Emory.
"Take my car."
Emory had just landed at the airport and taken a taxi to the café.
After a few seconds of hesitation, Emory cursed him for being heartless, "If I go and she takes me back, you're just helping her!"
"I'm just being helpful," Tristan raised his chin, "Forget the coffee, go now."
Emory thought for a moment, realizing nothing was more important than a friend's safety, and grabbed the car keys.
His ex-wife was a foreigner, a mixed-race woman with striking blue eyes and a great figure.
He had met Lyanna Patel while managing a venture capital company abroad, during a period of constant drinking and socializing.
A one-night stand led to mutual satisfaction, and they got married within three days.
It was the craziest thing he had ever done.
He was deeply infatuated with Lyanna at the time, and within three months, she was pregnant.
Lyanna then revealed her true intentions: she just wanted his sperm to have a child to inherit her family's estate. If he still wanted to be with her, he had to marry into her family...
Emory was furious and parted ways with Lyanna.
They hadn't been in contact for years until recently, when he thought Lyanna's brother might know something about Tristan's situation and reached out again.
Lost in thought, he arrived at Lyanna's hotel and found her room.
After two knocks, the door opened, and a slender figure rushed out to hug him tightly.
"Emory, it's been so long!" Lyanna's pronunciation was not very fluent, but understandable.
Emory's face fell as he pried her hands off, walked past her into the room. He spoke to a tall, muscular man with blonde hair, nearly 6.5 feet tall, who was standing by the window. "Nelson, are you here because of the person I asked you about?"
Nelson Patel turned around, his blue-brown eyes looking at him, "No, Lyanna missed you. I happened to be on vacation, so we came to see you."
Emory scoffed, "Don't play games with me. Can a liar tell the truth?"
Lyanna handed him a cup of coffee, her smile faltering as she approached, "A liar? Are you referring to me? I may have hidden my identity, but my feelings for you were real."
Her sincere gaze met Emory's cold eyes, and he quickly looked away.
Ignoring her, he spoke to Nelson again, "Let's put the past behind us. Just tell me why you're here."
Nelson spread his hands helplessly, "I am here partly for Lyanna and you, but also for some work-related matters that I can't disclose. But I can assure you, it has nothing to do with the person you mentioned."
Being a former soldier, Nelson's words were always trustworthy.
Emory believed him, "Fine, if that's all, I'm leaving."
"Wait." Nelson grabbed Emory's shoulder, and Emory, like a small chicken, was thrown back into the room while Nelson left, "Talk to Lyanna."
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