Chapter 76 How Long Do I Have
"Damon, did Katniss drop another payment?" Sophia plopped down across from Damon, flashing a friendly, almost too-nice smile.
Damon let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, she threw another four hundred grand into your hospital account."
"Four hundred grand?" Sophia's heart skipped a beat. "How long does Katniss have to bust her butt to make that kind of money?"
Sophia leaned in, "Damon, can you do me a solid? Put me back on the basic meds I was on before, but keep it on the down-low from Katniss. She can keep sending money if she wants, but when I'm gone, it'll be useful for her."
Damon sighed again, softer this time. "Sophia, I get where you're coming from, but you've already switched to this trial medication. Going back to the old stuff won't work as well and could make things worse."
Sophia went quiet for a few seconds, then whispered, "If it gets worse, how long do I have?"
"It depends," Damon said, holding up two fingers. "No more than two years, and if it really goes south, maybe just a year."
"A year?" Sophia bit her lip, thinking hard.
Damon moved closer, sitting next to her. "Katniss is a good kid. If she finds out you did this behind her back, she'll be crushed."
Sophia smiled, a bit relieved. "I know she's a good kid, but I can't be a burden to her."
She took a deep breath, steeling herself. "A year isn't short. I've already outlived expectations. This illness has been hanging around for six years. Whether I live or die, it's up to fate."
Seeing her resolve, Damon hesitated. It wasn't illegal to switch meds if the patient agreed, but the moral side of it bugged him. What if Katniss had enough money and just wanted Sophia to stick around a bit longer?
Suddenly, his phone buzzed. He stepped out to take the call.
In the room, Sophia's eyes flickered, her pale lips trembling. "A year..."
A few minutes later, Damon came back, looking excited. "Sophia, you might not need to switch meds. I just got word that your medication cost has been adjusted back to the trial phase price."
"How much is that?" Sophia asked.
"Around two hundred grand a month," Damon said.
Two hundred grand was still ten grand more than the old meds, and since it was in the trial phase, the price could jump back up anytime.
Sophia stuck to her guns. "Damon, please, just do what I asked. I'll sign the med bills myself from now on. Help me keep this under wraps."
She begged him persistently, but Damon stood firm, leaving her to stay resolute in her decision.
The morning sun peeked over the horizon, shining directly into Katniss's face. Her eyes fluttered open, bloodshot and tired.
She hadn't slept a wink. Her face was pale, but she didn't feel tired at all.
She'd spent the whole night on the couch, replaying every moment of her reunion with Tristan.
Katniss knew that showing Tristan this info today would set him off big time.
She forced a smile, reminding herself she got the money. Even if Tristan's heart wasn't hers, at least he was hers once.
She had won.
Logically, she felt happy, but her emotions were all over the place.
She slipped into a brand-new professional outfit and some rarely worn high heels, ready to face the storm with her best game face.
Her fingers turned white from gripping the file folder so tight, showing just how tense she was.
Just as she got into the car, Tristan called, asking her to pick up a suit from Serenity Estate and bring it over.
She had a spare key to Serenity Estate. After grabbing the suit, she headed straight to Tristan's place.
He hadn't lived there for days, but the air still had his crisp scent.
The black and gray decor added a touch of coldness, just like Tristan himself.
She climbed the stairs to the second floor, opened Tristan's bedroom, and noticed the bed sheets were different from the last time she stayed over.
A thought hit her: this might be her last time here.
Once her identity was out, she wouldn't get the chance to say certain things to Tristan.
She took a deep breath, made a decision, and turned to the study next door.
She grabbed some paper and a pen from the desk, sat in his chair, and wrote a lot.
It took her a full half hour. She placed the letter in a book on his right side, making sure he'd see it ASAP.
Then she grabbed the suit and headed to the company in one go.
She also left Tristan's house key in the foyer.
At the top floor of Tristan's office, Bella and Michael were both there.
They were sitting on the sofa, and when they saw her walk in without knocking, Bella looked annoyed. "Katniss, ever heard of knocking?"
"Mr. Astor, Miss Astor," Katniss greeted politely, noticing Bella was in a dress, not work clothes. "I'm here to drop off a suit for Mr. Forbes."
Bella stood up, but Michael stopped her after two steps. "Bella, remember why we're here today. Don't waste your time on her."
Hearing this, Bella seemed to remember something, sat back on the sofa, and her gaze darkened as it fell on Katniss's flat stomach.
"Bring the clothes over," Tristan's voice called from the lounge.
She nodded and walked slowly into the lounge, placing the clothes inside, then stood outside.
A few minutes later, Tristan came out and glanced at the manila envelope in her hand.
She reflexively handed it to him. He took it and walked over to the Astor siblings, placing it on the coffee table.
"This is my wife's information, along with a divorce agreement. I'm handing it all over to you," Tristan said.
Katniss's breath caught, her eyes glued to the manila envelope on the coffee table. 'Is he really handing me over to the Astor siblings to deal with?'
She bit her lower lip tightly, watching as Bella eagerly grabbed the manila envelope.
Bella pulled out the documents, but they were upside down. However, a photo with just a corner showing caught her eye!
"I want to see what kind of wife Grandma Forbes found for Tristan," she said, pinching the corner of the photo, about to pull it out, when the office door suddenly opened.
The butler helped Adelaide walk in slowly, saying, "Mr. Forbes, Mrs. Forbes is here."
Bella shivered, and the documents in her hand scattered all over the floor. The photo also flew out and landed at Katniss's feet.
The back of the photo was facing up, but with the sunlight shining on it, Katniss could vaguely see the outline of her face in the photo.
Her nerves were on edge, and she instinctively moved her foot to step on the photo, looking toward the door.
Nearly seventy years old, Adelaide was still full of energy. Her white hair was styled into a bun at the back of her head.
A thin silver chain hung from her gold-rimmed glasses, resting on her shoulders. Her purple velvet dress was embroidered with intricate flowers.
Despite her seemingly cloudy eyes, there was a sharpness in them. She walked over and directly smacked the back of Tristan's head.
"You ungrateful child, you've driven me to run around everywhere!" Adelaide chided.
The room fell silent. Tristan looked slightly embarrassed but didn't dodge. He even lowered his head slightly to make it easier for Adelaide to hit him.
Katniss's mouth twitched. Even though she had seen Adelaide countless times, she was still always surprised by her unpredictability.
Clearly, Adelaide had been running around to avoid Bella, but she made it sound like Tristan had driven her to it.
Bella snapped out of it, quickly got up, and walked around the coffee table to Adelaide's side, saying, "Grandma Forbes, you're back? When I visited you a few days ago, I couldn't catch you at the right time and missed you."
Her tone was respectful and cautious. This was a side of Bella that Katniss had never seen before.
Adelaide turned her head slightly, her eyes brightening as she looked at Bella. "Are you Bella? Oh, my God, you look like a different person after a few years. Where did that high-and-mighty attitude go?"
Her tone was cheerful, but the sarcasm was clear: a few years ago, you were so arrogant when you left Tristan! Why were you back now? Who were you trying to impress with your humility?
It was unclear whether Bella didn't understand or pretended not to. She linked arms with Adelaide and led her to the sofa. "People change, Grandma Forbes. You haven't changed much; you're still in good health."
Michael quickly stood up to make room and politely greeted, "Grandma Forbes."
"Well, Michael, I've watched you grow up. You're still so likable. Look at those little eyes when you smile..." Adelaide nodded at Michael with a smile, then turned back to answer Bella, "I'm in good health, so I can keep this ungrateful Tristan in line."
Bella's smile became strained. She sat down next to Adelaide and turned to Michael with a pleading look.
But Adelaide was notoriously stubborn and headstrong. Michael didn't dare provoke her either and could only signal Bella to endure it.
"What's this?" Adelaide pointed to the scattered documents on the floor.
Tristan remained silent.
Bella didn't dare speak either.
"Katniss, come here." Adelaide tilted her head, her gaze landing on Katniss, who had been standing quietly.
Feeling inexplicably pressured, Katniss steadied herself before walking over and respectfully saying, "Mrs. Forbes."
Three years ago, when she joined Synergy Global Corporation and first met Adelaide while following Tristan, she had been worried that Adelaide would recognize her.
After all, they had met twice when she got married, including a two-hour chat in a café. But to her surprise, neither Adelaide nor Tristan recognized her.
"What's this?" Adelaide asked her directly.
Several pairs of eyes fell on her. She maintained a slightly bent posture and glanced at the manila envelope.
After a moment of hesitation, she said, "This is the detailed information about Mr. Forbes's wife, along with a divorce agreement."
"Oh?" Adelaide's smile vanished instantly. She gazed at Tristan and commanded, "Kneel down!"
Tristan's body stiffened, his deep gaze falling on the manila envelope, but he didn't move.
Bella quickly interceded, "Grandma Forbes, please don't be angry. Tristan is a man, after all. How can he kneel just like that?"
She spoke while signaling to Michael.
"Grandma Forbes, Bella has a point. No matter what the issue is, we can sit down and discuss it. It's not appropriate to make Tristan kneel in front of outsiders," Michael said.
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