Chapter 40 You Are A Rockstar!
The ride was dead silent. Tristan was kicked back in his seat, catching some Z's. Even after sitting through a bunch of red lights, he didn't budge or crack an eye open.
But when they hit the fork in the road to Katniss's place and his pad, he suddenly piped up, "Let's crash at your place."
Katniss floored it towards Oakwood Hills without a peep, which threw Tristan for a loop.
He figured she'd be all hesitant again.
They got inside, kicked off their kicks, and Tristan's warm hand wrapped around her wrist. In a low, husky voice, he said, "Let's hit the shower together."
"It's not really convenient," Katniss started to say, but then she saw Tristan arch an eyebrow, giving her that curious look.
Before she could explain, her phone buzzed. It was George. Then Tristan let go of her wrist.
He headed to the bathroom, and in no time, the sound of running water filled the air.
"Katniss, you're a rockstar!"
Katniss stood by the French window, phone to her ear. Hearing George's excited voice, she raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's up?"
"I told my mom if I lost this competition, I'd quit gaming. Not showing up is the same as losing. But when she heard I got hurt 'cause of you, she was stoked. She thinks we're getting serious and said as long as you don't mind, I can keep gaming!"
George laughed, and she could almost hear him slapping his thigh in excitement. "Katniss, as long as you don't tie the knot, let's just fake being a couple. Give me two more years, and I'll take this game global!"
By then, with bigger wins, his folks wouldn't think he was wasting his time.
Hearing his joy, Katniss felt pretty good too. Even though George missed the competition, at least he could keep gaming without any hassle.
"Got it. How's your hand?" Katniss asked.
"Don't sweat it, it's healing way faster without you fussing over it. Matilda's cooking is bomb, and she's super responsible. Even though she's swamped with work and has to pull overtime, she still preps three meals a day for me. I just gotta heat 'em up."
Talking about Matilda, George couldn't help but sing her praises again.
Katniss got the feeling that to George might thought she was nothing special, overshadowed by the slightest detail of Matilda.
"That's cool. You live close, so keep an eye on Matilda for me," she said.
After a few more low-key instructions, she heard the bathroom door creak open. She said goodbye and hung up, turning to see Tristan strolling out with just a towel around his waist.
Water droplets trickled down his ripped chest, sliding over his eight-pack and crotch.
The water droplets from his damp hair traced the same path, and Katniss quickly looked away.
"Did I mess up your call?" He was drying his short hair with a white towel. Soon, the water droplets were gone, but his half-dry, half-wet hair looked even more tempting.
Katniss said, "Nah, it's late. I'm gonna hit the shower and crash."
She still had a mountain of work to tackle, and this grind would last for a couple more days.
But thinking about Tristan being here gave her a bit of a headache. If he kept her up all night again, she'd be a wreck the next morning.
"Listen to me tonight, and I'll take half of your workload tomorrow," Tristan suddenly said.
After some serious thought, she shook her head and said, "Not worth it."
Tristan looked a bit surprised, standing with his hands on his hips a few feet away from her, his lips parting slightly as he said, "How is it not worth it?"
"I can handle the work myself. It'll just take a couple more days. Just give me money instead."
After all, Sophia's medical bills were coming up again.
Tristan was speechless, then laughed in frustration. "So short on cash? I guess your boyfriend can't keep up. Dump him."
"Mr. Forbes, you have a wife, a girlfriend, and then there's me. Seems like none of them can keep you happy. Why not just ditch them both? They're just for show anyway." Katniss shot back, not holding back at all.
Tristan's eyes darkened, and some words got stuck in his throat. After staring at her for a moment, he turned and went upstairs.
Katniss sensed something was off. Given the current situation, Bella was just a figurehead by his side, so they might as well break up. But then what? Was she supposed to sneak around with Tristan for the rest of her life?
She laughed sarcastically, realizing she was daydreaming, then tapped her forehead and headed to the bathroom.
Unexpectedly, Tristan didn't touch her. After she got into bed, he just kissed her neck and shoulder lightly, then went to sleep.
The next day, they went to work together. At the office, they kept a safe distance. She was swamped in her office and didn't need to serve Tristan coffee or water.
Bella even took over the task of getting Tristan's signatures, which she used to do to see him.
Now, Bella was intentionally keeping Katniss from seeing Tristan, taking over these tasks.
Katniss didn't mind. She'd see him at night anyway.
Although Bella still caused her some trouble in private, Katniss didn't get angry. Instead, she felt a small sense of revenge because Tristan slept with her every night.
The head of the project department, Simon Williams, came straight to Katniss's office, only to be stopped by Bella.
"Simon, what's up?"
Simon grinned and said, "Miss Astor, our team pulled an all-nighter on a bid proposal, and we need Katniss and Mr. Forbes to finalize it."
"Leave it to me. I'll pass it on to Tristan," Bella motioned for Simon to hand over the proposal.
But Simon hesitated and said, "This proposal is top-secret. Only Katniss and Mr. Forbes are allowed to see it."
A few days ago, Bella had treated Simon to dinner, and now Simon felt guilty after saying this, not daring to look at Bella.
Bella didn't seem mad but patiently explained, "Is Katniss higher up than me? She's young and might quit when she gets hitched. I'll be sticking around with Tristan for the long haul. Why are you wary of me?"
Simon looked at Bella in surprise. Did this mean Katniss was getting married and planning to quit?
No wonder Tristan was grooming Bella!
With this thought, Simon handed the proposal to Bella and said, "That's not what I meant. In that case, please pass the proposal to Katniss and Mr. Forbes."
After saying that, Simon left. Despite being in his forties, he was quite the gossip. Upon returning to his department, he spread the news that Katniss was about to get married and might quit soon.
Katniss and Tristan had gone to a meeting. After returning, she organized the important meeting notes and prepared to deliver them to Tristan.
But as soon as she stepped out, Bella predictably blocked her and asked, "Katniss, do you need something from Tristan?"
"I'm delivering the meeting notes to Mr. Forbes." Katniss handed the notes to Bella and said, "Please do me the favor, Miss Astor."
Katniss volunteering to hand it over made Bella seem naive. Bella took the meeting notes and added, "I was just about to discuss the bidding with Tristan, so I could help you submit it on the way."
Bidding? Katniss was slightly surprised. She knew the company was preparing to bid, and the proposal should be finalized by her and Tristan today.
"Honestly, I don't get bidding, but Tristan wants me to learn. He's teaching me how to study the proposal, so I'll go in first." She waved at Katniss and then turned to enter Tristan's office with the meeting notes.
Katniss frowned as she watched her go in, then turned back to her office, her mind in turmoil.
She had always been in sync with Tristan at work because he had initially promoted and patiently taught her when she joined the company.
Now, was he starting to promote Bella?
Unable to calm her chaotic thoughts, she decided to head to the break room to make some coffee.
In Tristan's office, Bella placed the meeting notes and the proposal in front of him.
"Tristan, Katniss asked me to bring in the meeting notes and a proposal. She wants you to review them together."
Tristan's long fingers flipped open the notebook with the meeting notes. The clean and neat handwriting was Katniss's; he was very familiar with it.
"Where is she?"
Bella pursed her lips and said, "Katniss said she's swamped and didn't come in. She wants me to handle these tasks from now on. But I really don't get the proposal, Tristan. Can you teach me?"
"It's normal that you don't get the proposal. You're not in this line of work. Let Katniss handle it," Tristan's voice had a hint of frost.
Bella looked troubled and said, "Tristan, I heard people in the company saying this morning that Katniss is getting married soon and will quit. If she resigns, someone has to take over these tasks. You should teach me in advance to be prepared."
Tristan's eyelids lifted slightly, and he looked at Bella sharply for a moment before pointing to the seat opposite. "Sit."
This was a sign of agreement. Bella beamed with joy, sat down, and propped her hands on the table, watching him open the proposal.
But Tristan had no intention of teaching her. He studied the proposal alone, making notes and revisions.
Bella could only sit back in her chair. She secretly took out her phone, snapped a picture of the proposal, and then took a photo of Tristan seriously studying it.
Katniss overheard gossip about herself in the break room. People were saying she was getting married and would quit after the wedding. They even speculated that the sudden news of her marriage might mean she was pregnant.
She looked down at her flat stomach, doubting her ears. How could she hear such ridiculous gossip?
She stood outside the break room door with an empty coffee cup for a while until someone called her name, and the lively chatter inside abruptly stopped.
She smiled and followed the person into the break room. Five or six female employees nodded at them.
"Katniss."
"Katniss, what a coincidence. We're done here, so we'll head out."
Katniss nodded. "Go ahead."
In an instant, the break room was empty except for the female employee who had come in with Katniss. The employee assumed they had been caught slacking off and ran away.
Smiling, she made coffee and said, "Look how scared they were. Katniss, you have more authority in the company than Miss Astor. Miss Astor had sneaked off to the break room several times to chat and take breaks with others, so they weren't afraid of Miss Astor."
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