Chapter 69 Because of Me?
"Hey, let's bounce too," Katniss said to George after seeing Sophia off. "Where you headed? Can you give Matilda a lift?"
"Sure thing, I can even drop you home," George said, thumping his chest, feeling way lighter after handling that big task. "Thanks a ton for your help today. If anything goes wrong, just pin it on me!"
Katniss chuckled, "Nah, I can catch the bus, it's no biggie. Just take Matilda. No need to be so formal. She's been a handful lately."
Matilda clung to Katniss, holding her thin arm, feeling a pang of heartache, thinking she had lost weight again.
"Why so formal? Oh, by the way, I sent her salary to you on Facebook the other day. Bet you were like, 'What's this for?'" George said.
Seeing their close bond, George felt a twinge of envy and couldn't help but bring up stuff about them.
Katniss glanced at Matilda and smiled, "Yeah, I was surprised. Good thing Matilda explained it was her advance salary from you, or I wouldn't have dared to accept it. She'll be working with you from now on, so take good care of her."
The polite back-and-forth was getting awkward. George scratched his head and said, "Alright, our car's over there. Let's roll."
Matilda let go of Katniss's arm and waved. "Bye, Katniss."
Katniss stood there, waving back, watching Matilda hop into George's car and drive off.
She sighed deeply and turned around, spotting a few figures under the dim lights outside the restaurant.
Cedric was the first to walk toward her, with Nicholas right behind him.
Tristan, tall and brooding, was at the back, hands in his pockets, suit jacket draped over his shoulders, looking like it could fall off any second.
Katniss's face went a bit pale, she pursed her lips and avoided Tristan's gaze.
"Katniss, fancy seeing you here," Cedric said, a bit confused by their earlier convo. 'Isn't that guy her husband?' he thought.
He didn't dare to ask.
Tristan, who knew the whole deal with Katniss, heard everything loud and clear. His face showed a hint of discomfort. He stopped a bit away, kicking a small stone, staying silent.
Katniss forced a smile and nodded slightly at Cedric. "Mr. Neville, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Forbes, what a coincidence, you guys dining here too?"
Nicholas strolled over with a grin. "Yeah, Mr. Neville dragged Tristan out for dinner because of you."
"Because of me?" Katniss frowned, quickly piecing together it was about tutoring Kieran.
She instinctively glanced at Tristan, wondering if he'd be pissed about her picking up a side gig.
But hey, she loved money, and he knew that. Tutoring was way better than what he might think, like selling her body or something.
Sarcasm bubbled up inside her, making her smile stiffen. "Mr. Neville, Mr. Forbes, don't worry, I'll tutor Kieran without slacking on my job. It won't mess up his studies or my work."
'Tutoring?' Tristan suddenly turned to look at her, seeing her slim figure under the moonlight. The night breeze pressed her shirt against her body, making her look even thinner.
"I'm just worried you'll get too worn out. If Kieran hadn't insisted on you, I wouldn't have asked. If you get sick, Mr. Forbes will blame me, and Kieran's tutoring will be shot." Cedric glanced back at Tristan and finally said, "Mr. Forbes, I know you're not thrilled about Katniss making extra cash, but I had no choice. Let's help each other out. Katniss can earn more, and you and I can be more flexible. I'll even give you a discount on our next deal!"
Tristan pulled his gaze away from Katniss, his eyes filled with regret, lost in thought.
His lips tightened, and he stayed silent.
Katniss and Cedric didn't know what he was thinking, staring at him without blinking.
Nicholas walked over and threw an arm around Cedric's shoulder, saying, "Mr. Neville, I'll agree on his behalf. Don't worry, let Katniss tutor your kid!"
"With Mr. Kennedy's word, I'm relieved. I feel my hospitality this evening has been well-placed." Cedric felt much more relaxed since Tristan didn't object, and the tension finally eased.
After chatting with Katniss a bit about Kieran's studies, Cedric left.
Nicholas went to see him off. When he came back, he saw Tristan still standing on the steps, staring down at a small stone at his feet.
At the bottom of the steps, Katniss's long, fluffy hair fell over her shoulders; her whole body illuminated by the streetlight, her delicate features showing a subtle sadness as she looked at Tristan's tall figure on the steps.
Nicholas asked, "Katniss, were you having dinner with your little boyfriend just now? But why did your convo sound so formal, not like a couple at all!"
Katniss's body stiffened, and she turned to Nicholas with a slight smile. "Mr. Kennedy, we're definitely not dating. Just some misunderstandings."
"Ohhh," Nicholas dragged out the word, stepping up the stairs, his elbow resting on Tristan's shoulder. Not quite tall enough, he stood on tiptoe to get closer, saying, "So, misunderstandings, huh."
Tristan shifted his body, instantly shrugging off Nicholas's arm, causing Nicholas to stumble and nearly fall down the steps.
"Mr. Forbes, Mr. Kennedy, have you guys been drinking? Need me to drive you home?" Katniss asked, all businesslike.
Nicholas steadied himself and glanced at Tristan, saying, "Ask Mr. Forbes."
Tristan slowly descended the steps, unintentionally closing the distance between him and Katniss. In a deep voice, he said, "Don't worry about us. You head home first."
The evening breeze brushed against Katniss's cheeks, and a few stray hairs floated across her lips. She tucked them behind her ear and respectfully said, "Okay."
She turned to head to the bus stop, but then heard Tristan's deep voice again, "Drive home."
He stepped forward until he was level with her, extending his palm in front of her. The car keys lay quietly in his broad hand.
Katniss turned to look at his deep-set face, which blended into the slowly darkening night. In the end, she took the car keys from his hand and walked toward the parking lot.
The low-key, luxurious business car emerged from the parking lot, its lights briefly illuminating Tristan.
Through the car window, Katniss wasn't sure if she was seeing things, but Tristan seemed to look a bit guilty.
She just honked the horn and drove away.
The taillights reflected in Tristan's eyes, gradually fading into the distance.
Nicholas bumped his shoulder, grinning. "If you really get together with Katniss, I support it. At least she's better than Bella."
The jacket on Tristan's shoulder was knocked off, but he quickly caught it and then pushed Nicholas into a corner. "What did you come to see me for?"
The questioning tone made Nicholas's back go cold. He chuckled awkwardly. "I just noticed you seem to treat Katniss differently, so I thought I'd help you check her background."
Another one investigating Katniss.
Tristan's expression was unreadable.
He was half a head taller than Nicholas, his aura completely overwhelming. Nicholas shrank into himself like a little puppy.
After trembling for a while, Nicholas mustered the courage to push him and run out. "I'm trying to help you with Katniss. If you keep this up, there's nothing to talk about!"
Using the momentum from the push, Tristan leaned against the wall, leisurely watching him. "Cut the crap."
"Katniss is really pitiful. Her dad died early, and her mom has a terminal illness, constantly in the hospital for treatment. I didn't get to dig deeper, but I found a shocking secret, so I came to tell you right away!" Nicholas looked around, as if afraid someone might hear, and lowered his voice. "Michael made a move. I told you to protect Katniss, but you didn't listen!"
Tristan's eyebrows furrowed, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "Get to the point," he said.
Seeing his impatience, Nicholas quickly explained how Michael had bribed the hospital to revert Sophia's trial medication to its original price.
With each word Nicholas said, Tristan's face grew darker.
"Judging by your reaction, Katniss didn't tell you, right?" Nicholas sat down on the steps, pulling a blade of grass from a crack and putting it in his mouth, looking at him nonchalantly. "Who knows how much she's suffered in secret. After finding out Michael was targeting her, I dug a bit more and discovered she tutors Kieran for money. I also found out Michael blacklisted Matilda in the industry, making it impossible for her to find a job."
Tristan slightly tilted his head back, the bright moonlight casting a glow. His jawline was tense.
"I like Katniss and I don't know how you got so infatuated with Bella, but since Katniss has already had some impact on you, I think you need to reconsider who you should be with," Nicholas said while shaking his leg. "If you like Bella so much, stay away from Katniss. Neither the Astor family nor Grandma Forbes are people she can afford to mess with."
As he spoke, his leg was suddenly kicked. He looked up to see Tristan, who had walked over without him noticing.
"Get up, let's go home," Tristan said succinctly, then turned and headed to the parking lot.
Nicholas got up and caught up, about to say something when Tristan interrupted him, "It's not what you think with Bella. There's another reason. Don't worry, I'll handle Michael."
Handling Michael meant he would protect Katniss. Nicholas felt a surge of excitement, almost as if he were getting married himself.
He grinned, "If you marry Bella, I'll give you two thousand dollars as a wedding gift. If you marry Katniss, I'll give you two hundred thousand!"
Tristan paused, turning slightly to look at Nicholas. "So you knew all along that Cedric came to me about Katniss tutoring his son?"
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