Chapter 451 Under Ember's Name
Jessica finally let out a sigh of relief.
This gathering was a bit dull, and if it weren't for Rupert, Katniss wouldn't have come at all.
Jessica's emotions were a whirlwind. She forced herself to stay for over half an hour, just in time for Tristan to call, giving her an excuse to leave.
She chatted briefly with Tristan, explaining she was at Rupert's. When she heard Tristan was home, she hung up and prepared to leave.
"I was hoping you'd stay for dinner," Rupert said, following Jessica to her car.
"There'll be plenty of chances for dinner. You go handle your business, and we'll plan another day," Katniss said as she got into the car, rolling down the window to speak to Rupert before driving off.
In the room on the second floor, as soon as Katniss and Rupert left, Jessica turned on Ember in a fit of anger.
"What did you say to Katniss?"
Ember shook her head. "I didn't say anything."
Jessica got off the bed, pushing Ember away from the child. "You didn't say anything? Then how did Katniss know this apartment was bought?"
"I just mentioned she wouldn't have expected us to live here. I didn't say anything about buying the apartment!" Ember's heart raced.
"You're always messing things up. Katniss is so perceptive; she can see right through you. Why did you have to say so much? If she finds out where this villa came from, you won't even know how you died!"
Jessica was furious, baring her teeth at Ember.
Ember wanted to retort, but held back.
Although the house was obtained by Jessica and Katniss's biological parents in exchange for information about Katniss's whereabouts, the deed was in Ember's name!
In other words, Jessica was living in her house and still treating her like this!
But knowing it wasn't wise to escalate things, especially since Rupert didn't know the house was bought, Ember held her tongue.
"Don't think just because the house is in your name, you have the upper hand." Jessica seemed to read Ember's mind and sneered. "Do you really think I put it in your name for your benefit? I did it to avoid trouble. If you don't want to get arrested, you'd better behave!"
Ember felt a chill. "So that's your plan! You did all this, demanded the house, and..."
"What about me?" Jessica interrupted. "Their family was desperate to get Katniss back to see her grandmother for the last time. They were willing to spend their entire savings of just two million dollars. Katniss wouldn't acknowledge such poor relatives. I found a stand-in to fulfill their wish. Perfect!"
Jessica had taken their money and sent a colleague who had been a kept woman to pose as Katniss and visit the grandmother.
The tricky part was that the colleague called to say the grandmother hadn't died and had recovered, meaning she couldn't leave anytime soon.
Jessica promised to pay her colleague two thousand dollars a month to keep her there acting.
Once the grandmother died, the colleague would return, claiming she had a husband and kids, and everything would be clean.
Katniss grew increasingly suspicious. Two million dollars was no small amount for Rupert's family.
She called Ryan to investigate the apartment's ownership and transaction details.
By the time she hung up, she was already home.
Katniss spotted Tristan playing with Evie in the small park.
Seeing her car, Evie stretched her little arms towards her.
Through the black fence, Evie's hands reached out, grabbing at Katniss.
Katniss got out of the car and kissed Evie through the fence.
Before she could stand up, Tristan pulled her into a kiss.
Evie's big eyes watched them kiss for a few seconds.
Evie, showing a few small teeth, stared with wide eyes.
Katniss blushed, quickly pushing Tristan away, her lips curling into a smile at Evie's excitement.
Evie struggled again, aiming her little mouth at Katniss's lips.
She wanted to kiss where Tristan had kissed!
Tristan, amused, pulled Evie back. "That's Daddy's special spot. You can kiss her cheek."
Evie, frustrated, flailed her arms.
Unable to reason with her, Tristan put her down. She held the fence, trying to squeeze through, looking up at Katniss for a kiss.
Tristan occasionally tugged at her clothes, and she would wave her arms before turning back.
This back-and-forth continued until Evie finally sat on the grass, crying.
Tristan, who had been teasing her, relented and picked her up, still trying to explain things she didn't understand.
"Sweetie, you can have anything but Mommy. That's Daddy's."
Katniss laughed, heading inside.
Sophia, cooking in the kitchen, smiled, having watched the whole scene from the window.
"I'm so happy for you," she said, tearing up. "It's been so long since I've seen you smile like this."
Since Tristan's plane crash, over half a year had passed.
Whether working or spending time with Evie, Katniss's face always had a shadow of sadness.
Sophia saw it and felt her pain.
But she didn't want to push Katniss, fearing she'd break down.
"I think we'll only have smiles from now on," Katniss said, handing Sophia a tissue. "Mom, I'm sorry for worrying you."
Sophia wiped her eyes. "You're my daughter. Who else would I worry about?"
As they talked, Tristan, unable to resist Evie, brought her inside.
Evie immediately sought Katniss, clinging to her and demanding a kiss.
Tristan was speechless.
He rolled up his sleeves, looking ready to fight.
Especially when Evie, after kissing Katniss, turned to Tristan with a challenging smile.
Tristan playfully punched her back, making her cry and cling to Katniss.
Katniss ignored her, and Evie cried harder.
As expected, Tristan took her, kissing and comforting her until she was happy again.
Ryan called Katniss back. She left the father-daughter duo to take the call in a quiet spot.
"Ms. Grey, I found out the apartment is in Ember's name. The transfer happened about two weeks ago."
Katniss asked, "Can you find out where Ember got the money to buy the apartment?"
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