Chapter 61 Michael's Looking Into You
Even though Bella knew about Katniss and Tristan's thing, seeing it up close for the first time hit different.
Bella saw Katniss and Tristan stroll through that door together, and she just lost it.
Before she could even dial, Michael snatched the phone and put it out of her reach.
"Michael, what the hell? Why are you stopping me?" Bella looked at him, totally confused. "Do you even know how much crap I've taken these past two days? Mom and Dad are on my case, telling me to ditch Tristan because of all the gossip!"
Michael sighed, looking all helpless. "Bella, chill out. Don't push Tristan too hard. You know how he gets, and I know Katniss. She knows Tristan's married but still hangs around him. There's gotta be a reason."
Bella rolled her eyes. "Tristan's a catch; of course, she'd be into him, even if it means trashing her morals! What more reason does she need?"
Michael wasn't shocked by her reaction, given how little she knew Katniss.
But Michael had known Katniss for three years, bumping into her at small gatherings, and he thought he had a pretty good read on her.
She wasn't the type to sleep their way to the top or mess with someone else's marriage.
So, what was the real deal with her sticking around Tristan?
Michael was super curious. "Bella, trust me. I'll help you get Katniss away from Tristan, but you gotta chill and not do anything crazy."
"Michael, I trust you, but I'm scared..." Bella bit her lip, worried she'd be let down.
Michael gave her a reassuring pat on the head. "Don't worry. I got you. Let's get you home first."
He started the car and drove Bella back. After a long, awkward silence, he called Samuel. "Hey, I need you to dig up everything on Katniss."
Samuel, who had been knocked out, woke up instantly. "Katniss? You want me to investigate her?"
Michael replied, "Yeah, I want every detail. I need all her records by tomorrow morning."
After hanging up, Samuel dragged himself out of bed, lips pressed tight.
After a while, he went to his study, grabbed a group photo from the shelf—a graduation pic of him, Katniss, and their whole class.
It was the only group photo he had. In it, Katniss had this pure, lively smile, all innocent and carefree.
But after graduation, he hadn't seen her smile like that again.
After a long pause, he put the photo back, sat down, picked up his phone, and opened his chat with Katniss.
His thumb hovered over the screen, and after a bit, he typed out a message and hit send.
Samuel: [Michael's looking into you.]
But within seconds, he quickly retracted it and got up to dig into Katniss's situation.
On the double bed, fingers intertwined, a thin blanket barely covering them. Katniss lay on her stomach, her smooth back glowing in the soft light, making her look even more delicate and tempting.
Next to Tristan's intertwined fingers with hers, her phone buzzed, the screen lighting up for just a couple of seconds before going dark again.
But he still caught that it was a Facebook message from Samuel, Michael's assistant.
Thinking of something, his eyes darkened, and he pressed closer to her back, kissing her hair.
Katniss was all about him, not even noticing the phone. His breath lingered around her nose, sending shivers down her spine.
His hoarse, low voice murmured softly, making it hard not to get lost in it.
He was tender yet commanding at night, but when Katniss woke up in the morning, he was gone. The space next to her was cold, meaning he'd been gone for a while.
Throwing on some clothes, she got out of bed and saw Tristan smoking by the floor-to-ceiling window, the morning sunlight cutting through the swirling smoke.
His back radiated coldness.
Katniss hesitated before heading to the walk-in closet to change. When she went downstairs and greeted him, he barely acknowledged her.
She went to wash up and start breakfast. Halfway through, she got a Facebook message from Rupert.
Rupert: [Katniss, you in some kind of trouble lately?]
She frowned, her fingers flying over the screen: [No.]
Rupert: [Katniss, if you're really in a jam, just tell me. I'll come over right away.]
Rupert thought she was trying to handle it alone, his words full of concern.
Katniss felt a warmth in her heart but was puzzled. She repeated: [I'm really fine.]
After that, Rupert didn't reply again. Katniss turned off her phone and looked back, suddenly seeing Tristan standing behind her.
His tall frame leaned against the kitchen door, arms crossed, looking at her with an unreadable expression.
"What's up?" she asked softly.
Tristan's gaze flicked to the phone on the counter, his voice flat. "I'm skipping breakfast. I'm out."
He grabbed his coat from the hallway, changed his shoes, and left.
By the time Katniss realized it, she heard the car horn in the yard and saw that Tristan had driven off.
Which meant she had to take the bus to work again today.
She pursed her lips, ditched the idea of making pasta, turned off the boiling water, grabbed her bag, and left.
While riding the bus, Katniss checked out the two test papers Kieran had sent over. After a careful look, she noticed his basics were solid, but he messed up on some of the newer question types.
She corrected them right there and then, and then checked Facebook, noticing that Samuel had sent a message late at night and then retracted it.
She figured he must've hit the wrong button and didn't think much of it.
Instead of going out for lunch when she got off work at noon, she used her break to whip up a presentation and record a video explaining the two test papers to Kieran.
Just two minutes after sending it to Kieran, he replied: [Katniss, I haven't watched the video yet, but just looking at the notes made everything clear. You're awesome!]
Katniss couldn't help but smile. She replied: [Keep the praise coming once your grades improve.]
Kieran: [Katniss, can you pick me up from school tonight and take me out for dinner? I wanna talk to you.]
Kieran, not usually one for words, must've thought about it for a long time before finally asking Katniss to talk. His request was filled with hope and anticipation.
Katniss hesitated for a bit before replying: [I'll check my work schedule for tonight. Wait for my message.]
Kieran: [Okay!]
In the evening, Tristan had a dinner appointment with a long-time client, planning to meet and renew their contract.
Thinking of this, she took the chance to request leave while delivering something to Tristan in the afternoon.
In the past few years, she had rarely taken leave, except for two times when there were emergencies with Sophia, using Sophia's health as an excuse.
Her sudden request for leave reminded Tristan of the last time she mentioned Sophia being in the hospital. He asked, "How's your mom doing?"
"Still the same." Katniss forced a smile, a bit surprised he remembered Sophia's hospitalization.
Tristan thought for a moment and said, "Go ahead."
This was his way of granting leave. Katniss nodded in acknowledgment, prepped the contract needed for the dinner, and left work at five.
Bella was surprised to see Katniss leave and immediately sent a message to Michael reporting Katniss's schedule.
Michael quickly replied: [Wait for my notification.]
Looking at the info Samuel had gathered on Katniss, he raised an eyebrow.
Her parents divorced early, and after her dad remarried, he passed away within a few years. She grew up with her stepmom.
Her stepmom was diagnosed with cancer six years ago and had been in the hospital for treatment ever since.
Michael was surprised to learn that Katniss stayed with Tristan for money. However, now that he knew Katniss's weak spot, he felt confident he could handle her.
Katniss didn't drive but grabbed a cab to Kieran's school. After a few years, Kieran was almost as tall as her. As soon as he came out of the school, he ran towards her.
"Katniss!" He clutched his bag straps, his eyes filled with uncontrollable joy.
Katniss was about to pat his head but realized he was taller than her, so she pulled her hand back. "Alright, what do you wanna eat? My treat."
Kieran replied, "I already have a place in mind. Follow me."
Kieran grabbed her wrist and navigated through the crowd of students, quickly reaching the street and hopping into the Neville family's car.
The Neville family's driver opened the door. "Miss Grey, long time no see. Mr. Neville, please get in."
"Thanks." Katniss got in first, letting the driver take them to their destination.
On the way, Kieran chatted about how he had learned from the mistakes on the test papers and could now apply the concepts to other problems.
The destination was a restaurant with a clean and elegant vibe. They entered a private room.
"Mr. Neville?" Katniss was surprised to see the person sitting inside.
Cedric was equally surprised. "Katniss, why are you here with Kieran?"
Both of them turned their astonished gazes to Kieran.
Kieran, acting all casual, placed his bag on a seat and said righteously, "I haven't seen Katniss in a long time and wanted to have a meal with her. As my guardian, shouldn't you show some gratitude for her tutoring me?"
Indeed, gratitude was due, but it wasn't something a thirteen-year-old should be arranging.
Cedric's face turned red, feeling as if he was being scolded for being inconsiderate.
"Katniss, please sit down. It's my fault. I've been busy these days, and I haven't had a chance to ask how far you've gotten with his tutoring. From what he says, it seems you've already agreed to tutor him?"
Katniss sat across from Cedric, smiling and nodding. "Kieran has agreed to let me tutor him. I'm currently assessing his level, and formal tutoring will start in a few days."
Finally resolving Kieran's study issues, Cedric was overjoyed and couldn't stop smiling. He handed the menu to Katniss. "Katniss, order whatever you like. Just feel free."
The waiter placed the menu in front of Katniss and stepped back to wait.
Cedric and Kieran were straightforward people, so Katniss didn't hold back and started ordering.
With her head down, she didn't notice Kieran kicking Cedric under the table and giving him a meaningful look.
Cedric immediately felt awkward.
Seeing this, Kieran patiently waited until she finished ordering and then casually asked, "Katniss, do you have a boyfriend?"
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