Chapter 416 Her Marriage Is None of Your Concern
Most of the people sitting under the pavilion were noblewomen. Although they couldn't match Katniss's status, they were still elders and couldn't stand being spoken to like that by a junior.
After exchanging glances, a few of the noblewomen immediately stood up, blushing with anger, and started arguing with Katniss.
"Katniss, we call you Miss Grey out of respect, not because we're afraid of you."
"How can you, as a junior, speak to your elders like this?"
"Indeed, those taught by stepmothers are no..."
Before she could finish, Katniss picked up a glass of water from the table and splashed it directly on her face.
"Those taught by stepmothers don't slander others behind their backs. You people with both parents open my eyes!"
Her face was cold as she heavily placed the glass back on the table, causing the noblewomen in the pavilion to shudder.
"If I hear such gossip again, I will hold you accountable!"
With that, she turned and walked down the steps, pulling Sophia into the car and driving back to her own home.
Sophia remained silent the entire time, and the car was quiet.
After parking the car for a while, no one got out. Only Evie was fiddling with the buttons on Sophia's clothes, occasionally making a sound.
"When did this kind of gossip start?" Katniss couldn't hold back any longer and looked back at Sophia. "You knew about this a long time ago. Why didn't you tell me?"
Sophia sighed and said, "It started a long time ago, but then Evie had an accident, and Tristan... However, after Tristan's accident, they were quiet for a while, and only recently started talking again."
Those people were older than Sophia, and most of them had business dealings with each other, forming cliques.
She didn't want to trouble Katniss and was too lazy to deal with the gossip.
But today, she couldn't stand it anymore when they started slandering Katniss, so she wanted to rush over.
"Katniss, don't take it to heart. It's just some gossip. I won't get hurt, and after what you said today, they definitely won't dare to say anything again."
"Mom, I'm worried about you. There's no need to endure such unjust accusations, and..."
Katniss paused; according to Sophia's calculations, these people started gossiping around the time Ember showed up.
She guessed it had something to do with Ember. However, after Tristan's accident, Ember had never come back.
Rupert came by now and then, bringing her lots of nutritional supplements and food.
But Rupert wasn't good with words and didn't know how to comfort her. Every time he came, he left after saying just a few words.
She could tell Rupert really wanted her to visit the small restaurant again, instead of staying at home all day, which wasn't good for her mental and physical health.
"Let's get out of the car first." Katniss got out of the car, changed into a different outfit, and went to the company for a meeting.
The meeting ended around eleven o'clock. She left the conference room, handed the documents to her secretary, and went straight to Rupert's pasta restaurant.
It was a workday and lunchtime, so Rupert's restaurant was extremely busy.
All the seats in the restaurant were full, and there was a long line of people waiting for takeout.
Jessica was busy taking orders at the front desk, while Ember was cleaning up.
Seeing this, Katniss joined the line and waited for about ten minutes before it was her turn.
"Hello, may I..." Jessica looked up and saw it was Katniss, and was stunned for a few seconds. "Katniss, why didn't you say something when you came?"
"It's fine, just give me a serving of pasta." Katniss smiled at her. "Last time I came, I didn't get to try Rupert's pasta. Give me a bowl of his best."
Jessica immediately chose the most expensive one and said, "This is the signature dish. I'll add a few extra pieces of meat for you. It costs over fifty dollars a serving."
She printed out the receipt and handed it to Katniss, smiling without saying anything.
Katniss looked at the receipt for a few seconds, opened her bag, and took out a hundred-dollar bill.
Seeing the money, Jessica beamed with joy, but didn't take it. "Katniss, you don't have to be so formal. Coming to our restaurant, we can't let you pay. Consider this pasta on us."
"She makes a lot of money. Does she need you to treat her?" Ember saw Katniss and quickly walked over, taking the money and handing it to Jessica. "You're pregnant, you need to make more money. There will be many expenses in the future."
Hearing this, Katniss's gaze shifted to Jessica's belly.
There was no noticeable change, but Jessica had indeed gained some weight.
Jessica stuffed the money back into Katniss's hand. "Katniss, my restaurant, my rules. If I say it's on the house, it's on the house!"
With that, she called another server to take orders and pulled Katniss towards the kitchen.
There was a small room in the kitchen where they ate their meals.
It was just a window away from the kitchen, and Katniss could see Rupert, who was busy and didn't see her.
"Katniss, you're on your own now. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. If you ask, how could we not help?"
Jessica pulled her to sit down and started to get closer.
Although she was trying to get closer, her words carried a hint of condescension.
Katniss had heard from Rupert that the pasta restaurant was doing very well, making nearly two hundred thousand dollars in profit in just a few months.
In a year, it wouldn't be a problem to make several hundred thousand dollars.
Therefore, Jessica's sense of superiority had risen, even though Katniss had more money than her.
Jessica touched her belly as she spoke, "A few days ago, Rupert and I spent money to have a check-up. They told us it's likely a boy. Mom is very happy and told us to save money to settle down here for the child in the future."
"That's good." Katniss didn't pay attention to Jessica's little thoughts. Although Katniss didn't like Jessica, she was Rupert's wife after all.
Rupert liked her, and their life was getting better, so Katniss had no reason to interfere.
"Katniss, don't be envious. While Evie is still young, finding another husband won't be a problem. But you have to be careful not to be deceived, especially since you have so much money."
Jessica poured a cup of coffee and handed it to Katniss. "I can't drink coffee, but you can help yourself."
Katniss took the coffee as she was pondering whether to tell them that Tristan was back.
"But given your current situation... Finding someone who hasn't been married before might be difficult. They would definitely be after your money, so you might have to find someone who's been married before." Jessica seemed to kindly plan Katniss's marriage.
"Her marriage is none of your concern." A clear voice suddenly came.
Jessica was so startled that she bumped her leg against the table, grimacing in pain.
But she didn't care, staring in disbelief at Tristan, who walked in slowly.
"What are you doing here?" Katniss looked at the suddenly appearing Tristan in shock.
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