Chapter 56 You Tight With Katniss?
Samuel strolled into Jasper's hospital room and said, "Mr. Bell's got beef with you. He's just gonna mess things up for Katniss."
Tristan flicked his cigarette ash, giving Samuel a curious look. "You tight with Katniss?"
"Uh..." Samuel hesitated, then said, "We were college buddies. I owe her one, that's all."
Tristan raised an eyebrow, his gaze sharpening. "That's some serious righteousness."
Samuel felt the convo was getting weird but couldn't put his finger on it. "Mr. Forbes, I'm outta here."
"Cool," Tristan replied. After Samuel left, he glanced up at the VIP ward, eyes locked on a lit window.
The real headache for Katniss wasn't Jasper; it was Michael. How could he not see that?
He pulled out his phone, scrolling through news alerts and messages from a couple of execs.
But nada from Katniss. She was really standing her ground. Was she planning to face off with Jasper?
Early in the morning, running on just a couple hours of sleep, Katniss looked a bit washed out. She heard some noise at the door and opened it to find Matilda.
Matilda was sitting on the steps, clutching a breakfast bag. When she heard the door, she jumped up and walked over. "Katniss, I made you breakfast."
Her nervous and guilty vibe reminded Katniss of her old self.
Katniss stepped aside to let Matilda in, saying, "You didn't have to. I could've grabbed something on the way."
Matilda set the breakfast on the table. "Grabbing something on the go isn't healthy. Plus, I'm jobless now, so getting up early is no biggie."
Katniss could see Matilda was trying hard to make up for her past screw-ups.
"Just this once. If you got nothing going on this morning, go job hunting. With your degree, it shouldn't be tough. Don't sweat the salary; just find something you like."
Katniss couldn't really blame Matilda for going to Astor Corp despite knowing her beef with Bella. Matilda needed the cash.
In the clean, simple room, Matilda, in her plain T-shirt and jeans, looked pretty down with her sad eyes and tight lips.
After a long pause, she looked up at Katniss and nodded firmly. "Katniss, I won't cause you any more trouble. I'll find a good job!"
"Alright." Katniss handed her half the breakfast. "Eat up. I'll drop you off after."
Matilda took the breakfast and quickly refused, "Don't bother. I'll take the bus."
After breakfast, they went their separate ways. It was the weekend, time to chill.
But with Tristan stuck in the hospital, a mountain of work had piled up, and Katniss had to come in to catch up.
The empty office was eerily quiet, but she couldn't settle her mind. She headed to the break room to make a cup of coffee and paused at Tristan's office door on her way back.
Her eyes landed on Bella's desk, the spot she had called hers for three years. Now it was cluttered with Bella's knick-knacks, with no trace of her left.
Tristan's office door looked cold and uninviting, yet it had been her drive for the past few years.
The coffee in her hands grew cold, untouched. Whatever was on her mind made her eyes clear. She turned and went back to her office.
It seemed she had made up her mind about what to do, and her thoughts became clearer, making her work way more efficient.
Samuel dropped a report on Michael's desk. "Mr. Astor, here's the quarterly report."
Michael, leaning back in his swivel chair, turned to look at him. "Where's Matilda?"
"She didn't show." Samuel glanced at a few resignation letters on the desk and said, "Today’s the seventh day. I don't think she's coming back."
"Find out where she is and what she's up to," Michael said casually.
Samuel nodded. "Got it."
He left the office and tracked down Matilda within an hour, then returned to Michael's office.
"Mr. Astor, Matilda hit the job market and sent out a few resumes. She's a top-tier grad, and two companies have already lined up interviews with her."
Given Matilda's skills, landing a new gig would be a breeze.
At least within the three days Michael had given Katniss, Matilda would have no problem finding a new job.
"Let them know Matilda's labor contract dispute with Astor Corp isn't settled."
He wasn't about to let Matilda find a job that easily, and Samuel had seen this coming.
But hearing it from Michael, Samuel couldn't help but frown, and Katniss's face popped into his mind.
After a long pause, he nodded and left, making a call and quickly setting things in motion.
Then he sat in his office, torn, wondering if he should tell Katniss about it.
But he had already tipped off Tristan about Katniss last night; he figured he had repaid his debt.
After much thought, he decisively turned off his phone, grabbed the files next to him, and buried himself in work, choosing not to say anything to Katniss.
Matilda, who had successfully sent out her resumes, left the job market feeling pretty stoked. She bought some groceries, planning to cook a nice meal for Katniss that evening.
But before she could finish shopping, she got a call from one of the companies she had interviewed with, regretfully telling her the position was already filled and she didn't need to come in.
She thought it was just bad luck, but then one by one, all the companies she had lined up interviews with called.
In just five minutes, all her interviews were canceled.
If she couldn't see someone was pulling strings behind the scenes, she'd be an idiot. It had to be Michael again.
She wanted to storm over and confront Michael, but that would only make things worse for Katniss.
She stood frozen in front of the supermarket shelf for over ten minutes, tears slowly streaming down her face. She had thought that after graduating, she could help ease Katniss's burden, but now she was just causing more trouble! Why was she so useless?
"Matilda!" George recognized her from behind and walked over with a smile, but his face changed when he saw her tear-streaked face. "Why are you crying? Who messed with you?"
Seeing him, Matilda broke down. "George, it's not that someone messed with me; it's that someone messed with Katniss. I can't help her, and I keep causing her trouble. What should I do?"
Her crying drew the attention of people around them. George quickly smiled apologetically and pulled Matilda away from the spot.
He paid for the groceries Matilda had picked out, got her into the car, and comforted her for over half an hour before she stopped crying.
Matilda asked, "I saw the Facebook comment you left for Katniss that day. You two aren't together?"
George scratched his head awkwardly. "My family has been pressuring me a lot. I had no choice but to ask her to pretend to be my girlfriend."
No wonder. Matilda knew Sophia's temper very well. Katniss probably agreed to help George because of that.
"Who messed with Katniss? Was it her boss, Tristan?" George asked cautiously, "Did he force Katniss?"
Matilda looked at him with tear-filled eyes, sniffed, and tentatively asked, "What do you know?"
The car was silent for a while as they stared at each other. Eventually, George spoke first, "Well, I'll just say it. Last time, Katniss's company had a team-building event at my family's resort. I saw Tristan go into her room and stay there for several hours before coming out. I..."
He didn't finish the sentence, feeling it was too private to discuss, even though they were on good terms.
Matilda looked despondent. "It seems you know everything. Katniss does have an unusual relationship with Tristan, but it's not what you think. It's very complicated."
She didn't want to tell George about Katniss's marriage, as it was a ridiculous situation that wouldn't last.
George, however, thought that what she couldn't bring herself to say was that Katniss was being kept by Tristan, which only made him think worse of Tristan. But he didn't push the topic further.
"Then tell me, what kind of trouble is Katniss in?"
Seeing his concern, Matilda suspected that George cared deeply about Katniss. This made her even more determined not to spill the beans about Katniss and Tristan's marriage, thinking there might still be a chance for George and Katniss in the future.
"It's not really her being bullied; it's me. It's about my job..." She explained everything but left out the feud between the Astor family and Katniss, only saying she was being hassled and couldn't earn money to help Katniss with Sophia's medical bills.
George wanted to suggest there were plenty of jobs at his family's resort, but then he remembered that Matilda was a prestigious university grad, and working as a server wouldn't cut it.
"Don't worry. I'll go with you to look for a job. I don't believe the Astor family can control everything," he conforted.
In the evening, after work, Katniss's car sped down the road, the neon lights casting shadows on her face, highlighting her worried expression.
The car stopped at a red light, and as she watched the sixty-second countdown, she went over her thoughts again.
She carefully analyzed the two choices before her: leaving Synergy Global Corporation or confronting the Astor family.
If she really left Synergy Global Corporation, it would mean cutting ties with Tristan, having no further relationship with him.
If she confronted the Astor family, not only would her future be uncertain, but Matilda would also suffer.
For a moment, she wished she were alone. Then she wouldn't have anything to fear.
She couldn't fight the Astor family, nor could she gamble with Matilda's future.
The cleanest way to cut ties with Tristan completely was to tell him that she was the one who married him.
She wondered what his reaction would be. Maybe she wouldn't even need a resignation letter; seeing the marriage certificate, he might just let her go.
A sharp pain pierced her heart, and the numb feeling made it hard to breathe.
The light turned green, and she stepped on the gas, turning left and heading straight to the hospital.
She drove into the underground parking lot, turned off the engine, and took a long breath. She grabbed the resignation letter and their marriage certificate from the passenger seat and got out of the car.
As she waited for the elevator, her mind was blank, afraid she would lose the courage and regret her decision.
Watching the numbers climb, her breath involuntarily stopped until the elevator doors opened.
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