Chapter 51 Falling into the Water
Sawyer wouldn't shut up about his crush on Mira, and it was driving Tristan nuts. It stirred something weird in his chest, leaving him with just one thought.
He found a way to ditch Sawyer and slipped through the crowd, finally spotting Katniss chilling in a corner.
The glow from her phone lit up her face, showing off her serious little expression, her brows all scrunched up, and her clear eyes glued to the screen.
A tiny smile crept onto his face as he walked over, but he stopped a few steps away.
She was totally zoned in on her game, her fingers swiping through each character.
She mumbled, "Why can't I remember?"
Tristan froze, his smile disappearing, a flicker of anger in his eyes.
He didn't say a word, just tightened his grip on his wine glass and walked away.
Katniss had no clue he was there. Frustrated that she still couldn't remember the game characters, she felt like the days of keeping her distance from George were far from over.
Her eyes dry and itchy, she put away her phone and took a stroll around the lake, letting the night breeze and the reflections in the water chill her out.
Feeling a bit better, the idea of having a serious talk with Tristan and spilling the beans about her identity popped back into her head.
Once that thought was there, it wouldn't go away. She kept thinking about how to pull it off.
It was all about betting on who Tristan cared about more, her or Bella.
But after thinking it over for ages, she still had no clue where to start, how Tristan might react, or how to deal with the fallout.
"Katniss." Bella suddenly showed up, standing right in front of her.
Wearing a sparkly gold spaghetti-strap dress, the lights bouncing off her made her look like some kind of princess, looking down on Katniss with a smug grin.
Katniss frowned and said, "Miss Astor."
"Do you know why I dragged Tristan here today?" Bella asked.
"No," Katniss replied honestly.
A mocking look flashed in Bella's eyes as she said, "I want you to know what place you hold in Tristan's heart and where you stand compared to me."
Katniss, confused by her words, was caught off guard as Bella grabbed her hands before she could react.
They stood at the edge of the lake, pushing and pulling, both of them on the verge of falling in.
"Katniss, you got it all wrong, I really don't want your job, I... ah!" Bella was still adding drama, but before she could finish, she yanked Katniss into the lake.
Even though it was early autumn, the evening air was biting, and the lake water was freezing cold.
The icy water rushed into Katniss's mouth and nose, making her flail her arms instinctively.
Bella wasn't doing much better, her screams grabbing everyone's attention.
The crowd rushed over, and two tall figures broke through first.
Seeing Katniss in the water, pale and helpless, Tristan's heart clenched. He shrugged off his suit jacket, ready to dive in, but Michael stopped him.
"You get Bella, I'll grab Katniss." Without waiting for Tristan's reply, Michael dove in, swimming straight for Katniss.
Screams filled Tristan's ears, and he glanced over to see Bella struggling in the water too. After a moment's hesitation, he jumped in to save her.
Katniss's head pounded from the water she had swallowed, and in her daze, she saw Tristan jump in, but he was heading towards Bella.
Her heart sank, and she started to lose her strength.
Two minutes later, Katniss was back on shore, soaked to the bone, her long hair a tangled mess, sitting on the ground looking miserable.
Her lashes clumped together, her eyes slightly red, as she watched Bella, who was surrounded by everyone.
Someone had already brought a blanket for Bella, but she was still huddled in Tristan's arms, shivering, her wet hands clinging tightly to his arm.
She whispered softly, "Tristan, I almost never saw you again."
"It's okay now," Tristan said softly, a hint of cold irritation in his eyes.
Isla glanced at Katniss standing outside the crowd and sneered, raising her voice on purpose. "Bella, look how much Mr. Forbes cares about you. He jumped in to save you first, not caring about his assistant. If it weren't for Michael, Katniss would probably be dead by now."
Tristan's eyes turned cold, and he looked up, seeing Katniss standing alone, her eyes downcast, her emotions unreadable.
His gaze shifted, and he was about to let go of Bella, but she clung to his arm even tighter.
"Tristan, don't blame Katniss. I just wanted to explain why I canceled tonight's meeting because Mr. Rivera was there. If she can't go to the meeting tomorrow, I'll go with you. I don't want to take her job; I'm just worried she doesn't want to work overtime."
The cold wind swept over Katniss's body, almost freezing her, leaving her unable to muster a sarcastic response to Bella's words.
She hadn't expected Bella to use this stunt to prove that Tristan didn't care about her at all.
In Tristan's heart, she knew she couldn't compare to Bella; she always had a clear understanding of her place. Yet, her heart still ached at that moment.
"A mere assistant, how can she be so arrogant?" Grant sneered. Isla had been humiliated by Katniss earlier, but Grant had held back out of respect for Tristan. Now, at the Tudor family event, he saw his chance to put Katniss in her place and restore Isla's dignity.
"Tristan, I think your assistant's getting too big for her boots. She's been with you so long, she can't even remember her place. It's one thing to clash with Isla, but now she's bullying Bella too!" Grant continued.
No one wanted to cross Tristan, but when it came to Katniss and Bella, everyone sided with Bella without hesitation.
Someone nearby whispered, "She's really too much. How can she compare to Bella?"
"She's just an assistant. Probably got a bit too proud and thought she could hang with high society."
Half-squatting on the ground, Tristan's eyes were cold. He glanced at Bella in his arms, and Bella's body instantly stiffened.
The next second, Tristan looked over at Katniss, his voice flat as he said, "Why are you just standing there? Come over and explain."
Katniss was stunned, her hands at her sides gripping her clothes tightly. She hadn't expected him to give her a chance to explain.
Everyone's expressions varied. Tristan giving Katniss a chance to explain meant he didn't fully buy Bella's story.
Michael gave Katniss a meaningful look and said, "Since Tristan's letting you explain, go ahead. Otherwise, people will say the Astor family bullies you."
Katniss wanted to laugh at Michael's obvious threat, but she only let out a light scoff, not even having the strength to lift the corners of her mouth.
She said, "Whether or not I'm worried about Miss Astor taking my job, both Miss Astor and I falling into the water was an accident. After all, no matter how out of line I am, I know Miss Astor is not someone I can bully."
This statement not only saved face for Bella but also cleared most of the suspicion surrounding Katniss.
And those willing to flatter Bella would continue to do so no matter what she said.
By saying this, she made it impossible for the group to keep targeting her.
"Tristan, the lake water is freezing. We should take Bella to the hospital first." Michael took out his car keys and said, "I'll go get the car."
Tristan took a deep breath, bent down, and picked Bella up. As he walked out, he paused beside Katniss. "Come with me to the hospital."
Katniss stepped aside, bowing respectfully and said, "No need, Mr. Forbes. Take Miss Astor to the hospital. I'll head home first."
After saying that, she headed towards the parking lot. Even after walking a good distance, she could still feel that gaze behind her, almost burning a hole through her.
She got into the car, cranked the air conditioning to the max, and floored it, driving down the smooth road.
Maybe the rising temperature warmed her frozen body, causing her eyes to heat up and mist over.
She pulled out tissue after tissue to wipe her eyes, but the mist only turned into tears. She couldn't drive anymore and had to pull over, burying her hands in her hair, leaning on the steering wheel to calm down.
When Michael had saved her, she saw Bella clinging tightly to Tristan, who had his back to her, his head slightly lowered.
Although she couldn't see his expression, she imagined he must have been heartbroken.
The pampered Astor family princess had almost drowned. When had Bella ever suffered such a fate?
So her life was far less important than Bella's. In the end, he chose to save Bella first.
But as a boss, he was very responsible, not letting her take the blame.
So she couldn't bring herself to hate Tristan, but an inexplicable sense of grievance welled up in her chest, with no outlet.
The earlier thought of telling him she was his wife vanished in an instant.
After a long time, she adjusted her emotions, restarted the engine, and headed home.
But at her doorstep, she saw George's car. She unbuckled her seatbelt, got out, and knocked on George's car window.
George, who had been playing on his phone, finally noticed her return. He quickly put away his phone and got out of the car, ready to open the back door but suddenly saw her disheveled state.
"Katniss, what happened to you?"
"Nothing, just a little accident." Katniss sniffled, her voice trembling slightly as she said, "Why are you here?"
George glanced back at the car, and Katniss noticed Matilda asleep in the passenger seat.
"She said she made your favorite food and insisted on bringing it over. We didn't expect you would came back so late." As he spoke, George opened the car door and took out his jacket, draping it over Katniss.
Looking at Katniss with a complex expression, he added, "Even though Matilda doesn't say it, she cares about you a lot, even feels guilty, and wants to give you everything good."
"I know." Katniss was about to take off the jacket, but George stopped her.
"Keep it on. This jacket is new; I haven't worn it," George persuaded.
Hearing this, Katniss was even more reluctant to keep it and insisted on taking it off. George raised his hand to press her shoulder, not allowing her to remove it.
This scene of their struggle fell into Tristan's eyes from a distance.
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