Chapter 415 Always Doing Such Tormenting Things
Katniss quickly replied: [Got it.]
Then she postponed the meeting to tomorrow, grabbed her bag and coat, and left the office.
Soon, Sam sent a location, far out in the suburbs, which would take several hours to drive to.
It was a suburban café, usually not very crowded, especially near dusk when it was almost empty.
The quiet café was filled with the aroma of coffee, and as soon as Katniss entered, a waiter approached her.
"Hello, are you Miss Grey?"
Katniss paused, frowning unconsciously, "What did you say?"
"Miss Grey, Mr. Forbes has reserved a private room on the second floor. Let me take you up." The waiter led her upstairs.
She hesitated. Did Sam know she was chatting with him using Eudora's tone?
"Miss Grey, Mr. Forbes said if you didn't want to go up, I should tell you that he's not here and just left something for you." Seeing her reluctance, the waiter nodded slightly and smiled.
Another waiter came over and said, "Miss Grey, don't worry. Our shop is open for business, not for harming people. If Mr. Forbes had any bad intentions, we wouldn't condone it."
Katniss shook her head and said, "Please bring the item down for me, thank you."
Upon hearing this, the waiter went upstairs and soon came back down with a small box for Katniss.
The small box was exquisitely crafted, with a combination lock on it.
Gently shaking it, there seemed to be the sound of liquid inside.
"This is the small box. It's a six-digit code. Mr. Forbes asked us to remind you not to drop it, to keep it safe, and to find a way to crack the code. You have a maximum of three attempts; if you get it wrong, it will automatically reset."
Katniss carefully examined the small box, which looked quite ordinary.
The contents inside must be fragile and couldn't be accessed by breaking the box open.
After pondering for a moment, she thanked the waiter and then drove away.
She took Evie to the hospital but didn't go directly to the ward. Instead, she called Emory out first.
Seeing Evie, Emory was very happy, "How about you take care of Tristan tonight, and I'll take care of my goddaughter?"
"Stop dreaming." Katniss put her hands in her pockets, letting him hold Evie. "Tristan is looking for Sam to get something from him?"
Emory paused and said, "The drug developed in Duke's lab was a collaborative effort by many people. Now, based on those who have been captured, most of the drug's components have been deciphered, but one person is still missing."
Katniss's expression changed slightly. She quickly took out the wooden box from her bag and said, "So, this should be the last component of the drug?"
Seeing her suddenly take something out, Emory was so shocked that he almost dropped Evie.
"You saw Sam?"
"No, I contacted him using Eudora's phone, but he realized it was me and had someone pass it to me." Katniss took Evie from his hands and went straight into the ward.
Evie's voice instantly brought life to the quiet ward.
Sitting on the bed and looking at Evie's photos on his phone, Tristan quickly looked up and tossed the phone aside.
Before he could react, Katniss had already placed Evie in his arms.
"This is from Sam."
The reason she didn't ask Tristan directly was that she feared he wouldn't tell the truth. Now, hearing that the contents of the box might be the antidote, she couldn't care less.
She fiddled with the small box, examining it again.
Tristan couldn't focus on the item in her hands. With the soft Evie in his arms, he was flustered, afraid that the now more agile Evie might fall off the bed.
"The thing that concerns your life is with Katniss. Give Evie to me first." Emory didn't want to miss any chance to hold Evie.
Emory moved quickly; with Tristan's current mobility, he could only watch as Emory took Evie away.
Then his attention shifted to the small wooden box in Katniss's hands.
He took it and shook it twice, frowning slightly.
"There's liquid inside, it's fragile, and we can't use force to open the wooden box. We can only use the code..."
Katniss, afraid he might break it with too much force, grabbed his wrist.
"Three attempts, then it resets?" Emory exclaimed, "As expected of Duke's son, always doing things to torment people!"
A glimmer of hope appeared in Tristan's eyes as he turned to Emory, "Get the tech guys here."
Even if the tech guys came, they wouldn't dare to tamper with it easily. It would probably take a lot of time.
This was a big deal. Emory couldn't care less about holding Evie and contacted Nicholas to directly catch some lock-picking experts.
Katniss spent the night in the ward with Evie and Tristan.
Evie slept peacefully in the new place, nestled comfortably between Katniss and Tristan.
Early the next morning, Katniss had an early meeting, so she took Evie home.
Before leaving, even though Tristan reminded her not to always bring Evie to the hospital, she still saw the deep reluctance in his eyes.
He was also deliberately controlling and distancing himself from her.
Her emotions were complicated.
Katniss drove into the neighborhood and saw Sophia standing still in one spot from a distance.
She parked the car by the roadside, walked over slowly, and was about to speak when she suddenly heard a flood of gossip coming from the pavilion.
"Now her own daughter is said to be doing quite well, but she still follows Katniss."
"Didn't Katniss's husband pass away? She doesn't seem sad at all. Maybe she's become heartless."
"A stepmother's heart is always cruel. How good can someone be who doesn't even care about her own mother?"
"I think the reason Sophia's biological daughter could get married so smoothly is because of Katniss's status. Katniss is so powerful now, managing several companies."
"So, Sophia does have some skills, training her stepdaughter to be so obedient."
Rumors kept coming, and there were even more unpleasant words waiting behind.
Katniss's delicate face was filled with anger. Seeing Sophia about to rush out, she quickly pulled her back.
She handed Evie to Sophia and strode towards the pavilion in her high heels.
The sound of high heels hitting the ground finally caught the attention of the group. Someone immediately signaled, and they all fell silent.
"Everyone, it's meaningless to talk behind someone's back." Katniss stood on the steps, looking down at the group of elderly women sitting there. She pointed to Sophia behind her and said, "My scheming stepmother trained me, her heartless stepdaughter, to be so obedient. You must despise us very much."
She smiled and continued, "Talking behind our backs isn't satisfying, is it? Now that we're here, say it to our faces."
"Miss Grey, don't talk like that. We all live in the same neighborhood; we see each other all the time."
"Are you afraid I have no dignity to see you, or do you think you have no dignity to see people after slandering them behind their backs?" Katniss interrupted, "If necessary, I'll hold a meeting, and you can tell everyone about us."
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