Chapter 467 He Has Died Eight Times
Who would ask someone else to hold their baby while they eat?
Tristan couldn't eat while holding the baby, so he handed her over to Katniss.
Anyone who didn't know their relationship would think Tristan was out of his mind.
Clearly, no one knew.
Everyone craned their necks to see what was happening.
Katniss took a deep breath, glared at Tristan when no one was looking, and then said formally, "Sir, I don't believe we know each other."
"Exactly, which is why I'm asking you for a favor. Can you help me out?" Tristan replied earnestly, as if this was a normal way for strangers to interact.
Katniss held back her frustration.
Across the table, Atticus suddenly kicked her under the table. She looked at him, and he nodded.
She put down her utensils, stood up, and smiled at Tristan. "Sure."
She took Evie in her arms. Evie stirred, opened her eyes slightly, and then went back to sleep.
Tristan quickly returned to his seat and resumed eating. Dwayne, sitting next to him, was quietly discussing some business deal.
Dwayne kept his voice low, probably to prevent Katniss from overhearing. Tristan also responded quietly.
Throughout the meal, which lasted about ten minutes, Tristan never revealed to Katniss that he was the CEO of the company.
Once he finished eating, Tristan immediately stood up, walked over to Katniss, took the baby back, and returned to his seat to continue listening to Dwayne.
Atticus used this time to finish his meal, then placed his tray back and joined Tristan to discuss something.
Katniss continued eating while listening to Marigold chatter. "Oh my gosh, the stories about Mr. Forbes are incredible. I've heard on the news that he's supposedly died eight times and come back to life."
Katniss looked at her, speechless.
Marigold nodded enthusiastically. "Really, the first time he got into a car accident was for his wife. It made the news, and they weren't even married yet."
"Then, before their wedding, he starved himself and had to be rushed to the hospital."
"The third time..."
"The fourth time, he was kicked off a plane by some bad guys, with his wife and kids still on board. It was so dangerous."
"Then he lost his memory and regained it, which counts as a rebirth, right?"
"Later, he had surgery and took a long time to recover. That's another one."
The half-true, half-false news had become completely exaggerated by the time it reached Marigold.
Katniss found it amusing and shook her head. "Is there more?"
"Yes, now he's fine, but his wife died." Marigold pouted sadly.
This time, Katniss choked on her food and quickly grabbed a napkin to cover her mouth as she coughed.
"You feel sorry for him, too, right?"
Marigold continued, "After all those near-death experiences, he finally survived, only for his wife to die. He must be devastated. This could be considered another rebirth, living for his kids. So, eight times, right?"
Katniss rubbed her temples and resumed eating.
Such ridiculous stories required a few more bites to calm her nerves. She had no idea the rumors had gotten this wild.
Since Tristan took over the company, she had stayed out of the public eye. There were plenty of news stories about their supposed relationship issues.
But this was the first time she'd heard a rumor that claimed she was dead.
"You should stop digging into Mr. Forbes and focus on Atticus instead," Katniss said, trying to steer the conversation away from the absurd stories about her and Tristan.
Marigold sighed. "It's not that I don't want to, but Mr. Banks is married. There's no point in researching him."
Katniss turned to her sharply. "Atticus is married?"
"Yeah, he got married a few months ago, and they just had a baby. The baby just turned a month old," Marigold said seriously.
"He's married with a baby, and you still like him? You're still pursuing him?" Katniss looked at Marigold in disbelief.
Marigold shrugged. "What's the big deal? It's a trend among young people. I'm chasing his looks, not actually trying to be with him. It's like being a fan of a celebrity. We call it 'chasing the boss.'"
Maybe it was the age difference, but Katniss had never heard of this trend.
Her mind was now filled with the fact that Atticus was married.
"Let me get this straight. He got married a few months ago, and now the baby is a month old?"
Marigold did some quick math. "He got married less than three months ago. The news was sudden. I wasn't here at the time, but when I came back, I heard that many single female employees were heartbroken. Atticus is quite impressive, but the speed of his marriage and having a baby was too fast. Many people doubt if the baby is really his."
Based on the timeline, it probably wasn't.
But with modern relationships, premarital pregnancies were common. No one had seen Atticus's wife, so no one knew the truth.
Katniss finished her last bite of food when her phone suddenly rang.
She checked it and saw a message from Tristan: [Ready to leave?]
She put her phone away, placed her tray down, and walked out of the dining hall.
To investigate Dwayne's situation, she needed to keep her relationship with Tristan completely under wraps.
She didn't look back, even when she heard Evie wake up and cry. She steeled herself and quickened her pace.
But as she waited for the elevator, a young girl caught up with her.
The girl stood beside her, openly scrutinizing her.
"Where are you from?"
"Velvet City," Katniss replied.
The girl nodded knowingly. "No wonder Mr. Forbes trusted you with the baby. It's probably because you're from the same place."
Katniss remained silent, and after a few seconds, they both entered the elevator. Marigold had mysteriously run off to take a call, so Katniss had to go down alone.
In the elevator, it was just her and the girl. Through the reflection, Katniss could see the girl was still watching her.
She decided to ask, "Do you work for the company? What's your name?"
"I'm the company director. My name is Elara West." Elara glanced at Katniss's intern badge. "You can call me Ms. West."
Katniss responded, "Nice to meet you, Ms. West."
Elara waved, her young age not diminishing her authoritative demeanor. She then pulled out her phone to play with.
When the elevator reached the floor, Katniss exited first. She looked back as she walked out.
Elara was also watching her, with a hint of hostility in her eyes.
Katniss turned away and returned to her workstation. She finished her tasks early and left right on time, catching a ride to follow Elara and Dwayne as they left the company.
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