Chapter 50 I Think It's Worth It
"Samuel dragged you into that collab talk, but he didn't even step into the private room. You had to haggle with like seven or eight people. That's not networking; that's just setting you up to fail," Katniss said, straight-up.
And the waiter Matilda asked for help? Yeah, they totally didn't call Katniss. It was clear Matilda was green at handling this kind of mess and had no clue how to watch her own back.
Matilda's face was all tight. After a beat, she said, "Katniss, I'll be fine. If all I gotta do is drink a bit more to pull in that kind of cash, I think it's worth it."
She didn't want Katniss busting her butt so much.
A few extra drinks didn't seem like a big deal compared to what Katniss had to put up with as Tristan's girl.
"Have you thought about what would've gone down if I hadn't shown up yesterday?" Katniss shot back.
Matilda went quiet.
"And that was just Michael giving me a warning. He leaked your location on purpose. Next time, it won't be so easy, and he sure as hell won't give me a chance to bail you out," Katniss said, dead serious.
Katniss was trying to get Matilda to see the real deal—that bailing on Astor Corporation was the safest move.
But deep down, she felt kinda guilty 'cause it was her beef with the Astor family that got Matilda in their crosshairs.
Her brows knitted, and her eyes were a mix of emotions.
Matilda let out a big sigh and then grinned. "Katniss, don't sweat it. I'll just quit. I don't even like Astor Corporation. Sure, the pay was sweet, but it's whatever!"
Katniss thought for a sec about bringing Matilda over to Synergy Global Corporation, but then she nixed the idea, figuring she might have to bounce soon anyway.
"It's on me for not thinking it through, just chasing that big paycheck and pushing to join Astor Corporation. But if I make less at the new gig, don't think I'm a loser when I hit you up for cash."
Matilda put on a funny face to lighten Katniss's mood, hoping to ease her guilt.
Katniss couldn't help but laugh, feeling more touched than anything. "Alright, the contract was signed yesterday. They probably won't give you too much grief about quitting. Let's go, I'll take you there."
They cleaned up the dishes together, and Katniss drove Matilda to Astor Corporation. She watched Matilda head inside before taking off.
At Synergy Global Corporation, Katniss needed to grab the meeting notes from last night to whip up an evaluation report. Bella hadn't shown up yet.
She headed straight into Tristan's office to grab the notes, but before she could shut the door, a strong arm yanked her into a hug.
That familiar scent hit her. Her back pressed against Tristan's solid chest, and before she could even turn around, he planted a kiss on her earlobe.
She couldn't help but scrunch her neck. "You didn't go home?"
"I wanted to see you first," Tristan's words made Katniss's heart do a little flip.
Just two days ago, Katniss had sworn she'd keep her distance from Tristan, but now all that resolve was crumbling.
His arm around her waist tightened a bit, then he let go, looking a bit miffed. "You're too skinny. Putting on a bit more weight would be perfect."
Katniss couldn't bring herself to look at him, scared he'd see the emotions in her eyes, which would be super embarrassing. She couldn't resist even one kiss from him.
"Let Matilda come to Synergy Global Corporation. You can set her up with any job," Tristan said.
Tristan was sharp; he instantly figured out that Michael was behind Matilda getting wasted at the social event.
Katniss was stunned and blurted out, "Why? Aren't you worried Miss Astor will flip out?"
She'd asked this question more than once, but never got an answer.
This time, Tristan still didn't give her a straight answer. Instead, he said, "It's a matter of principle."
Tristan was always a man of principle. After all, Katniss was his, and Matilda was getting messed with because of him.
Katniss could only see it that way. She didn't feel happy, but at least she wasn't mad.
His kiss landed again, and she found herself lost in his tenderness. Being with him, Katniss could sometimes catch a glimpse of his unique side.
A thought suddenly popped into her head.
Should she have a serious talk with Tristan? Even though Bella was his beloved, she was not only his harmonious bed partner but also his wife.
Maybe, with his principles, he would accept her!
She let out a soft moan, her misty eyes trembling as she looked into Tristan's eyes.
His gaze held a warning, disapproving of her distraction. He didn't say anything but occasionally did things to keep her focused.
The work clothes Katniss had just changed into were carelessly tossed on the floor. The room's temperature soared, and the early morning sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, barely lighting up her flushed cheeks.
Forty minutes later, Tristan walked out of the lounge, still looking unsatisfied. Behind him, Katniss's ears were still red, but her loose hair falling over her shoulders covered some of it.
With the meeting notes from last night in hand, Katniss saw Tristan frowning deeply, looking very displeased, and couldn't help but laugh.
Tristan glanced over, clearly annoyed. "Not in the mood to work anymore?"
"No," Katniss quickly stifled her laughter and turned to leave.
As soon as she stepped out, she saw Bella sitting at her desk, lost in thought. Hearing the door open, Bella looked up.
Stunned for a few seconds, Bella quickly stood up. "Why are you coming out of his office?"
"I came to get the meeting notes," Katniss answered and tried to walk around her.
Bella raised her arm to block her. "Do you really need half an hour to get meeting notes? Is Tristan in there too?"
She had been sitting there for half an hour, thinking Tristan hadn't arrived yet!
But she hadn't realized that Katniss and Tristan were already in the office.
Realizing something, her face turned livid. "Katniss, you're such a slut! Do you really think I can't do anything about you?"
"It's not that you can't do anything about me. You just can't mess with Tristan." Katniss had nothing more to say to her, didn't want to stick around for more insults, and simply walked past her.
Bella gritted her teeth as she watched her leave. The phone on the desk rang, and she grabbed it, walking to the corner. "Hello."
Her tone was harsh, startling Isla on the other end. "Bella, what's wrong?"
"What else? I'm pissed off by Katniss." Bella couldn't tell anyone that Katniss had slept with Tristan; it was too humiliating. She asked, "Did you call for something?"
"Yeah, my dad's company is having an anniversary party, and he wanted me to ask if Mr. Forbes could make an appearance," Isla explained.
Bella thought for a moment. "He has plans tonight, but I can get him to go. But you have to do something for me."
"Okay." Isla agreed without asking what it was.As long as it could get Tristan to attend the anniversary party, her purpose was fulfilled.
Katniss didn't know why Tristan's evening plans suddenly shifted from discussing cooperation to attending the Tudor family's anniversary banquet.
But since Tristan had already made the decision, she could only call the client to reschedule. At five o'clock sharp, she went downstairs, got into her car, and waited for Tristan at the company's entrance.
Bella came out with Tristan. She went down to open the car door, but Bella ignored her and chatted and laughed with Tristan as they got into the car.
Katniss closed the car door quietly and drove off, the whole car filled only with Bella's giggling voice.
The Tudor family's anniversary party wasn't at a hotel but at a natural lake resort in the western suburbs.
Although the attendees were all from the business world, the Tudor family's anniversary party had a rule of not discussing business.
So the atmosphere was very cheerful, with people gathered in small groups, toasting each other.
Tristan's arrival caused quite a stir. Rocking a black suit, hands casually in his pockets, he walked in with that effortless elegance.
Trailing behind him were the delicate and charming Bella and the poised and professional Katniss.
Grant Tudor lit up when he saw Tristan. "Tristan and Bella, welcome! Got some fine wine over there. Michael's already there; you should join him."
Tristan gave a slight nod and scanned the crowd. "Where's Mr. Rivera?"
Grant was momentarily thrown off but then pointed. "He's been here for a while, chilling over there."
"I'll go check on him." Tristan changed direction. Katniss was about to follow when Bella stopped her.
"Katniss, Mr. Rivera is an old teacher of mine and Tristan's. The two of us will go; you don't need to."
Katniss looked at Tristan, and only after getting his nod did she respond, "Okay."
She watched Tristan and Bella walk away, piecing together why Tristan had ditched the dinner meeting to come here.
She knew Sawyer Rivera. Every holiday, Tristan would visit Sawyer, and she had met him a few times. Although she didn't know the specifics of Sawyer's significance to Tristan, it was clear from their interactions that Sawyer was very important to him.
Since this event wasn't a business obligation, it wasn't as tough for her to bear. She just needed to find a quiet spot to chill.
She played a couple of rounds of George's game, taking the opportunity to memorize the names of the characters.
It wasn't just Sawyer who was there today; his wife, Mira Parker, was also present.
Bella hadn't seen them since she went abroad, and Mira kept asking Bella how she was doing.
Eventually, the conversation circled back to Tristan and her.
"When you two split back then, Sawyer and I thought it was a shame. But it's good that you're back together now."
"I always said, true feelings can't be severed," Mira said lovingly, looking at Bella and Tristan.
Bella blushed and looked at Tristan. He was calmly talking with Sawyer, not hearing their conversation.
He didn't even seem to notice Bella's intense gaze, not giving her a single glance.
Seeing this, Sawyer found an excuse to take Tristan a bit further away and asked directly, "It's been years. Has the relationship faded?"
Tristan frowned slightly, took a sip of his drink, and asked, "If there are true feelings, can they fade?"
"That's a fair point. True feelings can't be washed away by time. You'll always want to see her, and everything you do will remind you of her," Sawyer said with a smile, glancing at Mira. "Not seeing her makes you feel empty."
In an instant, Katniss's image flashed in Tristan's mind. She had been by his side for three years, always present.
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