Chapter 42 I Haven't Done You Dirty
Bella straight-up confronted Katniss.
Katniss kept her cool when Bella started grilling her. She said, "Look, as an assistant, I've done my job. Even if I wasn't the one with Tristan, I got no reason to spill his secrets. I haven't done you dirty, especially since you're not even his wife."
In the car, Katniss's voice was steady. She had one hand on the wheel and turned slightly to face Bella.
Bella took a sec to get what she was saying. "Quit making excuses! I..."
"If I wasn't Tristan's assistant, would you even be friends with me?" Katniss cut her off.
Bella's face twisted with anger. "You think you're good enough to be my friend? I'm from the Astor family. Who do you think you are? Katniss, if you had any self-awareness, you should stay away from Tristan!"
"If you care so much about Tristan, why don't you go talk to him instead of bugging me?" Katniss sighed and rolled down the window a bit, trying to ease the tension.
The underground garage was chilly, and she pulled her coat tighter. "Because you know you can't change Tristan's mind. Even as an Astor, you can't sway him. Do you think I can?"
Katniss's words seemed like a mix of sarcasm and self-deprecation. Sadness flickered in her eyes.
Katniss really didn't know what Tristan wanted. Was he just hooked on her body?
Yet he thought she wasn't good enough to marry, so he kept their thing on the down-low.
Was he planning to keep her hidden forever?
Bella snapped back, "I never thought you were so manipulative. Are you trying to make me fight with Tristan and mess up our relationship? You're shameless! You must know how prestigious the Forbes family is; you're not even in Tristan's league."
"Just because you've been his assistant for a few days, you think you're hot stuff? Keep dreaming. No wonder your parents ditched you when they split. No class!" Bella shot Katniss a look of pure disdain, then got out of the car and stormed into the elevator.
Bella had always lived the high life, with the best of everything and endless love from her family, radiating that rich-girl vibe.
Her figure seemed burned into Katniss's mind, lingering long after she left.
Katniss sat in the car, her head resting on the seat, staring out at the dark parking lot. When her parents' marriage fell apart and they divorced, they looked at her like she was nothing.
If it weren't for Sophia's care and affection, her life would've been wrecked by those looks.
Even now, just thinking about it made her heart ache.
In the midst of her parents' impending divorce, where did the fault lie with her?
Caught between Bella and Tristan, where exactly was her mistake?
Bitterness bubbled up inside her, and she let out a long sigh, trying to shake off the heaviness in her chest.
In the private room, Tristan glanced at his watch. Bella had been upstairs for half an hour, but there was no sign of Katniss.
His deep eyes showed a hint of impatience. Just then, Bella handed him a glass of wine, and he asked, "Where's Katniss?"
"When I came up, she was still in the car, saying she had some things to do, probably chatting with her little boyfriend." Bella's face no longer showed the expression from the underground garage; she smiled sweetly, acting as if nothing had happened.
Tristan took the glass and placed it on the table, pinching the bridge of his nose as he stood up, his tall figure heading towards the door.
Bella hurriedly stood up to follow him. "Tristan."
Her voice caught the attention of Michael and Nicholas, who were playing games in the corner. They both looked up at Tristan.
Tristan had already reached the door, his slender hand about to touch the doorknob when the door opened.
Outside the door, apart from the emotions hidden deep in her eyes, Katniss appeared no different from usual.
Seeing Tristan's handsome and aloof features before her, she hesitated for a moment and quickly asked, "Mr. Forbes, do you have any instructions?"
Tristan withdrew his hand and put it in his pocket. His eyes, like the vast night sky, immediately noticed her unusual emotions but said nothing, turning back to sit on the sofa.
His tall body sank into the soft sofa, instantly adopting a lazy posture.
"Nothing, come and sit." He nodded towards the single sofa beside him.
Katniss responded, closed the door, and sat down on the sofa. She had accompanied Tristan to his private gatherings countless times, but today she suddenly felt uncomfortable.
The bottles and jars of alcohol in front of her reflected the dazzling lights of the room. The marble floor and crystal chandelier highlighted the luxury of the place.
As a driver, she should have waited in the car for Tristan, but at some point, she had been coming inside to wait, and the drinks on the table had been free for her to drink.
The juice here was top-notch. She had been loving it from the first sip, and since then, it had always been there whenever she showed up.
This time was no different; it was right in front of her.
A pair of hands handed her a cocktail. She looked up and saw it was Bella.
"Katniss, I misunderstood you today. I'm sorry. I'm new to the company and don't get a lot of things yet. Please don't take it to heart," Bella said.
Katniss thought Bella had a real knack for acting; she could totally win an Oscar.
She didn't call her out, just smiled and said, "Miss Astor, you're too kind. I'm just an assistant doing my job. No need to apologize to me. If I work overtime, Mr. Forbes pays for it. Any loss from your actions, it's on him, not me."
She then placed the cocktail Bella handed her back on the coffee table. "Sorry, I gotta drive later, so no drinks for me."
Next to her, Tristan crossed his long legs, a cigarette between his fingers. The smoke from his lips blurred his sharp features, but his eyes cut through the haze, locked on Katniss.
He raised an eyebrow but stayed silent.
Michael put down his phone and walked over, ruffling Bella's hair affectionately. "Silly girl, why apologizing to her? She can't handle it. The one you should really apologize to is Tristan. You've caused him trouble."
He then sat down next to Tristan with Bella, handed over a glass of wine, and started chatting to lighten the mood.
Nicholas, holding a glass of wine, walked over to Katniss, pulled up a chair, and sat down. "Katniss, how's your boyfriend doing lately? Haven't seen him online for games recently."
"His hand got injured. It'll take a few days to heal," Katniss explained.
"Injured, huh? No wonder. I was wondering why a game addict like him would be MIA. Thought he had quit." Nicholas sighed and noticed Katniss occasionally glancing at Tristan.
His eyes sparkled, and he grinned. "Katniss, don't you have any hobbies?"
Katniss glanced at Tristan and the others before looking away. She thought for a moment and said, "Work, making money."
"You're really boring," Nicholas said. "Just like Tristan, always buried in work. Michael and I are also heirs to our families, but we still find time to hang out. He always waits for us to call him, never takes the initiative."
"What do you think could make him take the initiative?" Nicholas asked, his tone full of implications.
Katniss said nothing, just looked at Nicholas calmly.
"Did Bella give you a hard time?" Nicholas suddenly asked.
Katniss's eyes flickered, and she looked at the colorful drinks on the coffee table.
"Bella wears her heart on her sleeve. Even if she doesn't say it, I can tell she knows something," Nicholas continued, ignoring her silence. "She only bullies the weak. She can't mess with Tristan, so she picks on you."
He was still going, "And Michael, I've disliked him for a long time. He always protects Bella, making her act recklessly. But let me remind you, unless you're sure Tristan will back you up, don't provoke her."
Nicholas sniffed and pursed his lips, looking at Katniss, who looked like a college student without makeup. He couldn't help but say, "I've known you for a while, and I really can't stand it. Let your boyfriend play games with me. If you ever need help, come to me."
Katniss's mouth twitched. She wasn't close to Nicholas, but she found him the most easygoing among the three.
She had a good impression of Nicholas, limited to friendship, but she knew her status wasn't even high enough for that.
It seemed Nicholas really liked playing games, which was why he kept trying to get along with George.
"Mr. Kennedy, you're joking. If you like playing games, just find George. He'll definitely play with you," Katniss replied.
Without thinking, Nicholas said, "It seems you don't know. Your boyfriend blocked me. Before blocking, he even cursed at me."
Nicholas looked equally puzzled. "I tried adding him back, but he didn't respond. Luckily, he hasn't deleted me from his game friends list, so I can still see his game status."
Katniss felt something was off but couldn't pinpoint it.
"I'll ask him for you."
Nicholas nodded repeatedly. "Please do. If he wants to expand his game, I can invest! He should also be mindful of my status. If anyone else dared to block me, I would..."
He made a throat-slitting gesture, and Katniss couldn't help but smile.
"Here, have some cocktail. I'll have my driver take you home later." Nicholas handed Katniss a cocktail.
Katniss hesitated before taking it. She wasn't in a good mood and thought a couple of drinks might help.
But she didn't expect her alcohol tolerance to be worse than her mood. After just two cocktails from Nicholas, her eyes started to blur, and she reached for another.
Seeing the trouble, Nicholas quickly stopped her and shouted to Tristan, "I didn't know she had such a low tolerance. She's drunk after just a little!"
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