Chapter 68 I Guess Mr. Neville's Not Hurting for Cash
"Mr. Forbes, why you just chillin' here instead of headin' in?" Cedric hollered as he came up from the first floor, spotting Tristan leaning on the railing. He hustled over, trying to guide him to the private room.
Tristan snuffed out his cigarette, flicking it into the ashtray, then turned around with his hands shoved in his pockets, totally ignoring Cedric's outstretched hand.
Cedric felt like a total idiot for a few seconds, awkwardly pulling back his hand, wondering what the heck went wrong.
Sure, folks said Tristan was a cold dude, but Cedric had dealt with him a few times. Tristan was tough and not much of a talker, but he at least had some basic manners.
Today, even those were out the window.
But Cedric needed a favor, so he forced a smile and stepped into the private room, spotting another guy, Nicholas.
"Mr. Kennedy?" Cedric blurted out.
Nicholas was sipping tea and grinned at him. "Mr. Neville, long time no see. I had some business to chat about with Tristan today. Hope you don't mind me crashing your dinner?"
Cedric quickly said, "No problem at all, Mr. Kennedy. I'm thrilled to have you here... Hey, bring the menu for Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Forbes. Order whatever you want, guys."
"Seriously?" Tristan kicked a chair aside, spun around, and plopped down, giving Cedric a look. "I guess Mr. Neville's not hurting for cash, so we won't hold back."
Just as he finished, someone gently tugged his arm. He glanced over to see Nicholas grinning and shaking his head.
Tristan frowned, pulled his hand out of his pocket, and took the menu from the waiter. He opened it and went straight for the priciest dishes.
"And bring a bottle of your finest red wine," Tristan added.
Cedric was floored by this move. He could cover the meal, but Tristan was acting super weird tonight!
Was it 'cause he found out about Katniss tutoring Kieran?
If he got pissed and stopped Katniss from tutoring, that'd be a major problem!
Cedric's mind was racing, and he quickly slapped on a smile, telling the waiter, "Do what Mr. Forbes says!"
Nicholas chuckled and said, "Mr. Neville, you're really generous. I won't order anything else; what he picked is plenty."
The waiter took the menu and left, and soon the food started rolling in. Cedric eagerly urged the two to dig in.
Tristan ate with this air of elegance, but he didn't say a word.
And that just made Cedric more and more hesitant to speak up.
"Yo, did you have something to chat about tonight?" Tristan suddenly piped up, but he was looking at Nicholas.
Nicholas kept munching and said, "Yeah, but I figure Mr. Neville's got something to say too. You go first, and I'll jump in later."
The ball was in Cedric's court now. He quickly put down his knife and fork, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
"Actually, I'm here for someone," Cedric said.
Tristan paused, setting his utensils down with a sharp clink. He leaned forward, grabbed a napkin, spat his food into it, tossed it in the trash, and then locked eyes with Cedric.
"Who you here for?" Tristan asked.
Cedric's eyes widened, and he hesitantly said, "Katniss."
Tristan's face darkened, and his smile grew wider, but it sent chills down Cedric's spine.
"Mr. Forbes, don't get mad. I'm really out of options, so I thought of Katniss. You've met my kid; no one can handle him except Katniss!" Cedric quickly tried to smooth things over. "Of course, I also found out that Miss Astor is now your secretary, so Katniss shouldn't be that needed, right?"
He meant that with Bella helping Tristan, Katniss would have more free time. Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked Katniss to tutor his son.
But to Tristan, it sounded different. Was Cedric implying his son only listened to Katniss as a stepmom?
A cold aura surrounded Tristan, and he stared at Cedric with a half-smile.
Cedric, feeling the chill from someone a decade younger, looked at Nicholas in confusion and asked, "What's wrong? Did I say something off?"
Nicholas grinned and waved his hand. "Mr. Neville's right, Katniss is kinda dispensable now."
Suddenly, a cold glare was aimed at him, and Nicholas almost buried his face in his bowl. Enjoying the thrill had its price!
Tristan shifted his gaze from Nicholas, unbuttoned his sleeves, and rolled them up a few times. "Mr. Neville, go on."
Cedric didn't dare to speak anymore. Tristan looked like he was ready to throw down!
Seeing Tristan was really pissed, Nicholas quickly grabbed his arm and whispered, "It's just Katniss. What are you planning to do? Fight Mr. Neville?"
His voice was low, and Cedric couldn't catch what he said, but judging by Nicholas's expression, he seemed to be trying to calm Tristan down.
Tristan's face grew even darker, but he didn't make a move. He leaned back in his chair and looked over again. "My apologies for the rudeness, Mr. Neville. Do go on."
Cedric's throat tightened, and after a moment, he reluctantly said, "Look, Mr. Forbes, no need to get so worked up. Katniss agreed to help me out 'cause she needs the cash. She can handle it without messing up her job. For us, twenty or thirty grand ain't much, but for Katniss, it's a big deal. Twenty grand a month is a lot, but I'm worried about her health. That's why I invited you to dinner, to see if you could maybe ease up on her workload a bit. If needed, I can even chip in for her salary!"
'Twenty grand?' Tristan thought. He couldn't decide if the amount or the situation was more infuriating. His chest was burning with rage.
He leaned in slightly towards Cedric and said, "Katniss is in a private room downstairs with another guy. Wanna go down and say hi, Mr. Neville?"
Hearing that Katniss was downstairs, Cedric's eyes lit up. He was about to stand when he heard the rest and immediately sat back down.
After a moment of thinking, Cedric waved his hand and said, "I know who that is, but given our status, it's not cool to just pop in. It might make Katniss uncomfortable, so let's not bother them."
'Our status? Uncomfortable?' Tristan gritted his teeth, his jawline becoming more pronounced.
Downstairs, the vibe in the private room was lively, thanks to Odette and Sophia.
The two of them sat together, holding hands and reminiscing about the past, talking about George and Katniss's childhood.
One was a troublemaker, the other well-behaved and sensible. They seemed like a perfect match.
Matilda sat there quietly, occasionally glancing at the silent Katniss and George, pursing her lips.
"My health's getting worse by the day. When they get married and have kids, you'll have to help out more. I can't handle it anymore," Sophia sighed.
Odette quickly held her hand and gently patted the back of it. "Leave the kids to me. Don't worry. Since your health isn't great, we should start planning their wedding soon."
Sophia said, "That's what I think too. Let's find a good day..."
Seeing Sophia and Odette starting to set a wedding date, Katniss couldn't stay calm.
She glanced at George, who was scratching his head anxiously but couldn't say anything, probably 'cause he had no good ideas.
"Mom, Odette, George and I are just starting to get to know each other. It's way too early to talk about marriage," Katniss said.
Sophia gave her a sidelong glance and then turned to Odette, saying, "Girls are shy and need to be reserved. Her words don't count."
Odette nodded seriously. "That's right. These matters should be arranged by us."
"Mom, Odette, can you stop making decisions for me without even discussing it?" George finally couldn't hold back. He stood up and walked over to Odette. "We're not at the point of getting married yet!"
He pulled Odette up, intending to leave. "Let's discuss this at home."
Odette almost fell, but Katniss quickly steadied her.
"Are you trying to kill me?" Odette smacked him hard on the shoulder.
George finally let go of Odette's hand and looked at Katniss helplessly, unable to handle the situation.
Katniss took a deep breath and helped Odette back to her seat.
"Mom, Odette, I know you're both anxious about my and George's marriage, but marriage is not a small matter. If we rush into it and later find out we're not compatible, should we get divorced?" Katniss argued with reason, hoping to convince them with facts.
Sophia was stunned, frowning. How long could she wait? The key issue was that she couldn't afford to delay her medical expenses and didn't want to see Katniss struggling with them.
Odette looked at Sophia, seeking her opinion, as she had agreed to the early marriage because of Sophia's illness.
Matilda gently took Sophia's arm, saying, "Mom, Katniss is right. You can only tell if they are compatible after spending a long time together."
The room fell silent, as if everyone was waiting for Sophia to make a decision.
After a while, Odette also said, "Sophia, maybe we should give them more time and not push too hard."
Sophia turned to look at Katniss. The bright lights reflected in Katniss's eyes, and her gentle smile softened Sophia's heart.
Sophia said, "I was too hasty. This matter can't be rushed. Let's just treat today as a chance to meet and have a meal together. You two should get along well."
With that, the forced marriage discussion came to a satisfactory end, and the atmosphere at the table became much more pleasant.
After the meal, Odette offered to take Sophia back to the hospital, as they still had more to talk about.
Seeing this, Katniss didn't stop them. She helped Sophia into Odette's car, and they stood by the roadside to see them off.
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