Chapter 70 It Would Be Best to Arrange a Meeting
Nicholas just stood there, keeping his mouth shut, watching things go south with Cedric, one mess after another.
He spun around, hopped in the car, and locked the front passenger door, leaving just a crack in the window to catch a glimpse of Tristan's moody eyes.
"Get in the back, I'll take you home!" Nicholas barked.
Tristan didn't budge, just stood there with a smirk, yanking at his tie and raising an eyebrow at Nicholas.
Nicholas sighed, unlocked the door, and let Tristan sit up front, too scared he'd get choked if Tristan sat in the back!
Once they were rolling, Tristan stayed quiet, leaning back and staring out the window, his eyes icy.
Nicholas kept his eyes on the road, not saying a word, but he knew Tristan meant business.
This was gonna be a wild ride!
Outside her apartment, Katniss parked but didn't get out right away. She rubbed the car key with her thumb, like it still had Tristan's warmth.
His mood swings were all over the place; she could totally feel the bad vibes.
The good times? They felt like a dream, too good to be true.
After a long think, she figured knowing her place would hurt less.
With that sorted, she got out, went inside, cleaned up, and hit the sack early.
Next morning, she woke up to a message from Tristan, sent half an hour ago, asking her to pick him up for work at Serenity Estate.
She blinked, stunned for a few seconds, like everything was back to normal.
At 7:20 AM, she headed out to Serenity Estate, and by 7:40 AM, she had Tristan in the car, heading to the office.
She peeked at the rearview mirror, seeing Tristan's long legs spread out, hands resting on them, sitting all proper.
He was gazing out the window, same as always.
She focused back on driving, missing Tristan's eyes on her, catching just her full lips in the mirror.
At a red light, she licked her lips and took a deep breath, making Tristan's breath hitch a bit.
In the parking lot, they bumped into Bella and Michael. Bella, clutching her bag next to Michael, tightened her grip when she saw Tristan and Katniss together.
Katniss got out and nodded at Michael, while Tristan had already opened the door, strolling over with one hand in his pocket.
"Tristan, why'd Katniss bring you today?" Bella blurted out.
Tristan shot her a cold look. "What's so weird about that?"
Bella was left speechless.
"Nothing weird about it... Go on up with Tristan and the others, I'll catch up later," Michael said, nudging Bella toward Tristan and giving him a knowing smile.
As he turned to leave, Tristan called out, "You two head up first, I need a word with Michael."
Katniss, sensing the tension, shot Tristan a worried look.
Tristan nodded toward the elevator, signaling her to go.
"Yes, Mr. Forbes," Katniss mumbled and walked away.
Bella looked at Michael, concerned, but he gave her a reassuring smile. "Go on, it's been a while since I talked to Tristan. Don't worry."
After a moment's hesitation, Bella finally left.
The parking lot was eerily quiet, with only faint echoes bouncing off the walls.
Tristan strolled toward a corner, one hand in his pocket, and Michael followed at a leisurely pace.
Tristan stopped, lit a cigarette, and took a drag, the smoke curling from his lips but not hiding the cold glint in his eyes.
Michael seemed to catch on and said in a low voice, "What? You found out I gave Katniss a hard time, and now you're here to defend her..."
Before he could finish, Tristan's fist connected with Michael's face, sending him sprawling to the ground, his white shirt instantly smeared with dust.
Propping himself up, Michael looked up at Tristan, shocked. "You're hitting me over Katniss?"
"I told you, don't mess with her." Tristan flicked the ash from his cigarette, releasing the pent-up anger from the night before.
The image of her cautious demeanor, her pleading eyes, and her stubborn yet hurt expression had haunted him all night.
And those tears in the bathroom, her reddened eyes, had gripped his heart like a vice.
"Is she worth it?" Michael stood up, his voice rising. "She's just an assistant. Isn't Bella better than her?"
Tristan's lips curled into a mocking smile. "Do I need to spell it out for you?"
Michael's face went pale, and he touched his stinging lips.
After a moment, he chuckled softly, his tone softening. "You should know, I can't let anything happen to Bella. You still owe her! And Bella doesn't like Katniss."
"That doesn't give you the right to mess with her!" Tristan's voice was firm, his gaze icy as he stared Michael down. "If it happens again, I won't hold back."
He dropped the cigarette butt and crushed it under his expensive leather shoe until it was nothing but ash.
In the elevator, Katniss and Bella stood side by side. They were in Tristan's private executive elevator, so no one else got on midway.
"Katniss, have you managed to gather your mom's medical expenses?" Bella asked, trying to sound casual.
Without looking up, Katniss replied, "Thanks for asking. I've managed to gather them."
Bella sneered, "So what? Can you gather next month's expenses too? I just found out you're selling your body to stay by Tristan's side! Holding the position of special assistant while doing shady things. I can introduce you to a few more sugar daddies. With your looks, earning $800,000 a month shouldn't be a problem."
The disdain and sarcasm were so thick in the elevator that they were almost palpable, and Bella's arrogant demeanor was on full display.
Katniss's patience was nearly exhausted. She turned her head slightly and smiled, "No need to trouble yourself, Miss Astor. If I sleep with Mr. Forbes a few more times, I can gather the medical expenses. I should thank you, Miss Astor, for giving me an excuse to sleep with Mr. Forbes more."
"You..." Bella gritted her teeth, raising her hand to slap Katniss.
But Katniss easily caught her wrist and slowly advanced toward her.
Bella's body pressed against the cold elevator wall, her mouth opening but no words coming out.
"This is a company, not the Astor Mansion. If you make a move, you'll be fired." Katniss's voice was devoid of emotion, but full of threat and warning.
As the special assistant to the president, her status overshadowed Bella, who was just a secretary.
When the elevator doors opened, Katniss forcefully released Bella's hand and stepped out.
Back in her office, she sat down and rubbed her temples, but the tension-induced headache persisted.
She couldn't hold back; she should have.
Given Tristan's current attitude toward her, provoking the Astor family wouldn't do her any good.
Through the window, she saw Tristan return, stopped at the door by Bella. After a brief conversation, he went back to his office.
A few minutes later, the intercom buzzed, and Tristan's clear voice came through, "Come in."
She composed herself and went to Tristan's office.
The large office exuded an air of solemnity. He sat upright at his desk, playing with an imported pen.
Seeing her enter, he put the pen aside, interlaced his fingers on the desk, and looked at her, saying, "Pack your things. This afternoon, you're flying to Pearlhaven with me."
Katniss recalled that Synergy Global Corporation's largest clients in Pearlhaven were the Brooks couple, who had sent a lavish invitation three days ago.
The Brooks couple's wedding anniversary bash was set to go down at their vineyard, promising to be a super fancy event.
"You're taking me to this feast? What about Miss Astor?" she asked, trying to sound casual.
Tristan looked up at her. "Have you forgotten that when we sealed the deal, you played the role of my girlfriend with the Brooks couple? Do you want to tell them I've switched partners?"
Her cautious demeanor made Tristan feel a bit heavy-hearted.
"I get it," Katniss replied calmly. The Brooks couple's event only allowed couples or partners to attend.
They had pretended to be a couple to get in and successfully established a partnership with the Bradys.
"Go get ready," Tristan said, standing up and walking to the bookshelf. He took out a document and turned to see Katniss still standing there. "Anything else?" he asked.
Katniss bit her lip, hesitated, and then softly said, "Your tie is crooked."
Tristan looked down and saw that his deep red tie was indeed askew. He placed the document on the desk and stood in front of her, instructing, "Fix it."
He stood with his back to the door, his tall frame completely blocking Katniss. The sudden closeness made Katniss instinctively want to step back.
A large hand suddenly appeared at her waist, pulling her closer until she was pressed against him.
Her breath caught, her eyelashes quivered, and she lifted her hand to adjust his tie.
Above her, Tristan's breathing grew heavier, but he did nothing else.
Once she had fixed his tie, he released her waist and said hoarsely, "You can go now."
She glanced at Tristan's now slightly misshapen suit pants, her ears turning red. Avoiding his eyes, she quickly left.
The business trip came quickly and unexpectedly. She didn't know how Tristan had explained it to Bella, but Bella surprisingly didn't object.
In the morning, Katniss finished her urgent work, went home to pack a few things in the afternoon, and then headed to the airport.
Tristan was already there, standing by the floor-to-ceiling window on a call. From a distance, she could faintly hear his pleasant voice. "It's about time you came back. Avoiding it won't help. I'm going to Pearlhaven for a business trip and will be back in a few days. I'll bring her to see you then."
From his tone, it seemed he was talking to Adelaide, suggesting she come back and bring Bella to the ancestral mansion.
She lowered her head, lost in thought, until a pair of expensive men's shoes appeared in front of her, snapping her back to reality.
"After we return from Pearlhaven, investigate my wife's identity. It would be best to arrange a meeting," he suddenly said.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
