Chapter 77 After All, You Are Outsiders
Adelaide waved her hand, "Yeah, makes sense. You guys are outsiders. I'll handle him when I get home."
"Katniss, you got some nerve! Snooping on my people?" Adelaide's anger flared, and she slammed the coffee table hard.
The sound was deafening, making Katniss shiver.
"Grandma, she's my subordinate, just following my orders. It's on me." Tristan stepped in, subtly shielding Katniss.
Bella and Michael were too focused on Adelaide to notice.
But Adelaide sensed something, her eyes sweeping over Tristan and Katniss.
"Tristan, I don't agree with your divorce," Adelaide said.
Bella jumped in, "Why not, Grandma Forbes? Tristan doesn't love his wife, so why can't he get a divorce? He's doing it for..."
Adelaide cut her off with a wave. "What's love got to do with it? Love can hurt too, so what's the point? Reputation and face matter. If you don't divorce, you're a good husband. If you do, you're a bad guy!"
While she spoke, Katniss had already picked up the scattered documents, put them back in the manila envelope, and placed it on the table.
Adelaide grabbed the envelope and handed it to the butler.
The butler hesitated, then pulled out a lighter.
The flame caught a corner of the envelope, burning slowly at first, then catching on.
The envelope was tossed to the ground, scorching the white tiles before turning to ashes.
Everyone's eyes were on the envelope. Katniss felt a wave of relief, cold sweat on her back.
She glanced at Tristan, whose face was somber, a hint of restlessness in his eyes.
'He can't wait to get divorced, especially since Bella's been back,' Katniss thought.
"Bella, you've been back for a while now." Adelaide, done with the documents, turned and smiled at Bella.
Bella, flattered, nodded. "Yes, Grandma Forbes, I came back the day before you went up the mountain. I even visited you the next day, but you must not have known I was back, so you went to stay on the mountain."
Adelaide kept smiling. "Not quite. I went up the mountain after hearing you were back. Didn't expect you to visit me; we're not related, are we?"
Bella's face darkened at those words. Feeling insulted, she couldn't say anything else. Her heart twisted with frustration, but she forced a smile.
"Grandma Forbes, Bella used to visit you all the time before she went abroad. Now that she's back, it's only natural for her to visit you again," Michael chimed in, unable to stay quiet.
Adelaide squinted and smiled at Michael, "Michael, you're not getting any younger. Time to settle down. Tristan's mess is known all over Velvet City, yet he still found a wife. You should get on with it too."
Tristan went back to his desk and sat down. Katniss thought for a moment and followed, whispering, "Mr. Forbes, need me to prep another set of docs on your wife?"
She watched as he methodically opened his laptop, turned it on, and raised his well-defined hand to pinch his furrowed brow.
After a long while, he exhaled deeply and said in a low voice, "Forget it."
"Then I'll get back to work," Katniss asked.
Tristan waved his hand, watching her until she turned and left, her figure disappearing from the office.
He then withdrew his gaze, Adelaide's words echoing in his ears, and various documents on the computer screen before him.
Images of Katniss's slender figure kept popping into his mind, leaving him feeling unsettled.
Maybe things were moving in a direction he couldn't control, and the most uncontrollable thing was his heart.
Back in her office, Katniss sat in her chair, taking a long time to recover from what had just happened.
'My documents were burned?' Katniss thought.
They turned to ashes, unseen by Tristan and Bella.
The joy bubbling up inside her almost overwhelmed her, but it was quickly followed by anxiety.
She still had to navigate between Tristan and Bella, and now there was Adelaide.
Adelaide's temper was unpredictable, and no one could guess her thoughts.
Six years ago, she had pushed her to marry Tristan, but then she disappeared as if she had vanished from the earth, never contacting her again.
She let their marriage take its natural course, no matter how rocky it got, as long as it didn't completely fall apart.
Maybe, in Adelaide's eyes, Tristan's wife was just a pawn, married for the sake of appearances.
Now, she opposed the divorce, fearing the Forbes family would be ridiculed, ending Tristan's marriage in a farce.
"Katniss." The secretary knocked on the door before entering to deliver some documents.
She snapped out of her thoughts and got back to work.
About an hour later, Tristan buzzed her on the intercom to book a hotel for lunch with the Astor family.
She booked the swankiest hotel in Velvet City. The private room was huge, could fit a dozen people, but there were only seven or eight coming.
As noon rolled around, she went to Tristan's office, asking, "Mr. Forbes, the hotel's booked. Need me to tag along for the lunch meeting?"
In the office, Tristan was busy at his desk, while Bella and Michael were chatting with Adelaide on the sofa.
Bella seemed way happier, probably because she managed to please Adelaide that morning, leading to the meeting between the two families.
"No need," Tristan shot back.
But then Adelaide chimed in, "Why not? We're hosting the Astor family. Wouldn't it be good to have her around to help with anything?"
Tristan's brow furrowed, clearly not thrilled, still thinking of a way to refuse.
But Katniss jumped in, "Adelaide's right. I'll go along then. When should we leave? Need me to get the car now?"
She positioned herself just right, which made Bella pretty happy. "Let's go now. I arranged to meet my parents at noon, so it's perfect timing."
"Yes," Katniss responded, not looking up, and turned to get the car.
Bella rode with Michael, while Katniss drove Adelaide and Tristan.
The butler headed back to the Forbes Mansion.
The car ride was kinda heavy. Without Michael and Bella, Adelaide didn't even crack a smile.
Tristan, sitting beside her, was even more aloof and cold, his long legs crossed casually, his deep eyes fixed on the scenery outside.
"I think the young lady from the Astor family has matured quite a bit," Adelaide suddenly said.
Katniss pursed her red lips and glanced at Tristan through the rearview mirror, only catching his tense profile.
Without turning his head, he replied, "Really? Then you should have no more grudges against her, right?"
"Have you let go of your grudges against her?" Adelaide shot back. "You were the one she ditched, the one who became a laughingstock in all of Velvet City. If you love her so much that you don't care about your own dignity, what can I do?"
Her voice was kind and slow, sounding reasonable but still angry.
'He must love her deeply,' Katniss thought.
For Tristan to set aside his pride, wait for six years, and plan a divorce and reconciliation as soon as she returned, it must be because of love, and deep love at that.
Tristan didn't respond to Adelaide's words, leaning lazily in his seat, his head slightly tilted back, furrows forming on his brow.
Adelaide didn't continue speaking until they arrived at the hotel. Katniss got out and opened the door, helping Adelaide out.
"I'll help you," Tristan followed, reaching out to support Adelaide.
But she disdainfully pushed his hand away, grabbing Katniss's hand instead as she was about to park the car. "Give it to the valet. You help me."
Hearing this, Katniss promptly handed the car keys to the valet and returned to Adelaide's side, supporting her into the hotel with both hands.
Tristan followed on the other side. When he tried to support Adelaide's arm again, she didn't push him away, allowing them to assist her on either side.
In the VIP private room on the first floor, the waiter opened the double doors, and sunlight filled the room.
The glass reflected the dazzling sunlight, casting a glow on the Astor family members.
Knowing Adelaide would be there, the Astor couple's expressions were much better than before.
They greeted her with smiles, naturally taking Adelaide from Katniss and Tristan, chatting and laughing as they sat at the dining table.
"You go eat something by yourself and wait outside." Tristan, with one hand in his pocket, casually approached Katniss, his magnetic voice sounding.
"Okay," Katniss responded, turning to leave.
But Adelaide called her back, "Katniss, come here and get the menu for Eleanor."
Katniss immediately turned around. "Yes."
She called a waiter from the door and placed the heavy menu in front of the Astor couple.
Eleanor handed it back, saying, "Give it to Bella. Let her choose what to eat."
"Okay," Katniss had no choice but to take the menu to Bella.
Bella sat next to Tristan, her chair almost touching his.
On the other side was Michael, his tall figure leaning back in his chair, watching Katniss being ordered around.
"I remember Grandma Forbes likes the foie gras from this hotel. Let's order a portion!" Bella first chose something Adelaide liked.
But Adelaide waved her hand. "That was years ago. I'm tired of it. My tastes have changed. Don't mind me. Choose what you like. After all, today, you are the main character."
Bella was the main character? This statement left everyone in the private room with meaningful expressions.
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