Chapter 79 Is It Over Yet?
Katniss froze up, her eyes dropping, staring at his handsome face so close to hers, his tall nose almost brushing her chin.
In his deep eyes, she could see her own cheeks turning red, and she swallowed hard.
He had already lifted his hand to pinch her chin, forcing her head down a bit more, his thin lips barely grazing hers, words slipping out between them.
"Is it over yet?" he panted impatiently, trying to hold something back.
"Almost," Katniss whispered, her slender waist being pulled by his strong arm, landing her right on his lap.
Her hand naturally rested on his shoulder, her heart pounding like it was about to leap out of her chest.
His warm, large hand pressed against her slender waist through the thin shirt.
She was completely lost in his touch, but catching a glimpse of an unfinished brown paper bag in the trash can, her rationality kicked back in.
"This is the office," she dodged his kiss, resting her head on his shoulder and looking away.
Tristan leaned back, his head resting on the sofa back, and when she turned back, she saw his sexy Adam's apple moving up and down.
Her fingertip slid from his shoulder to his prominent Adam's apple, and he turned his head to look at her obediently in his arms.
The unique sensation at his throat almost made him lose control.
Katniss simply thought his Adam's apple looked nice, and hearing his breathing quicken, she quickly pulled her mischievous hand away.
She got up from him, straightened her clothes. "The wound's all treated. I'll get back to work now."
"Okay," he responded in a low voice, sitting still, the position just right to hide the change in his pants.
Katniss grabbed the first aid kit and turned to leave.
When she entered Tristan's office, Bella hadn't arrived at her post yet, but now Bella was already sitting there.
Seeing her come out of Tristan's office again, Bella's face immediately darkened. "It's lunch break, what were you doing in his office again?"
Katniss raised an eyebrow, pointing to the first aid kit in her hand. "Mr. Forbes got his forehead cut by Mrs. Adelaide Forbes, I went to treat it."
"What?" Bella's face tightened. "Why did Grandma Forbes hit him? Why didn't you stop her?"
The words were harsh, as if Tristan getting hit was Katniss's fault.
"Do I need to spell it out for you? I couldn't stop this kind of thing even if I wanted to. Miss Astor, if you're so capable, why don't you do yourself?"
Katniss wasn't trying to embarrass Bella; she was just keeping it real.
Bella frowned. "Have you thought about your future before talking to me like this? I'm gonna marry Tristan sooner or later, and then—"
Katniss cut her off, "I've heard this too many times, not just from you. Mr. Astor has said it too, so please, save it until you actually marry Mr. Forbes."
Bella's face went pale, her angry gaze almost murderous.
Katniss walked around her and left, thinking, 'When Bella marries Tristan, I won't benefit anyway, so why should I care now?'
After all, Tristan not liking her already made her sad enough; she didn't need more grief from others.
"Just because Grandma Forbes doesn't like me, just because she's pregnant, she thinks she can talk to me like that?" Bella muttered to herself at her desk. "Winning over Grandma Forbes can't be rushed, but getting rid of the baby in Katniss's belly is more important!"
She grabbed her phone and started chatting with Jessica. The last time they talked, she was bragging to Jessica about how Katniss wasn't favored recently.
Jessica had flattered her a lot, then went back and told Rupert all about how Katniss was done for.
Bella: [Jessica, last time you told me Katniss's adoptive mother had a terminal illness and needed a lot of money, right?]
Jessica quickly replied: [Yeah, she spent all her money on her adoptive mother's treatment, not even caring about me and Rupert.]
Bella: [What's her adoptive mother's name, and which hospital is she in, do you know?]
Bella could have found some shortcuts through Michael, but Michael had said not to act rashly on anything related to Katniss.
So, to avoid being stopped by him, she couldn't ask Michael directly.
But she asked the wrong person; Jessica knew nothing about Katniss's adoptive mother.
Thinking it over, Bella thought of a suitable person, Samuel. She called Samuel and subtly inquired about Sophia.
Samuel instinctively only mentioned Sophia's condition, not her name or which hospital and room she was in.
Bella was trying to cause trouble, that was Samuel's first reaction. After hanging up, he hesitated for a long time holding his phone.
Finally, he decided to give Katniss a heads-up.
Using another phone number, he anonymously sent Katniss a message: [Bella is investigating which hospital and room your mother is in.]
In the afternoon, sunlight streamed in and shone on Katniss, making her feel drowsy.
Seeing the text message, Katniss snapped awake.
Without wasting time on who sent it, she quickly called Damon.
"Damon, can you keep any info about my mom confidential? And make sure the nurses don't spill her name?" Katniss asked.
On the other end, Damon paused for a few seconds, sensing something was off. "That's not easy. Your mom's been in the hospital for a while; almost all the nurses know her. Did something happen?"
"Yeah, it's a bit tricky. I don't want anyone bothering her at the hospital," Katniss said, pinching her brow.
"That's tough. Anyone could find out where she is with a little digging. The only way is to discharge her and re-admit her to a VIP ward, where patient identities are confidential," Damon suggested.
That way, if anyone asked, it would look like Sophia had been discharged.
But a VIP ward cost at least an extra fifty to sixty grand a month, and Katniss hesitated.
Damon then remembered something and asked, "Are you worried about the money? I forgot to tell you, your mom's medication has been reverted to the trial phase pricing."
"What?" Katniss was stunned. Michael wouldn't give up so easily; someone must be helping her behind the scenes. "Damon, can you find out who's helping me? And also, please arrange for my mom's discharge and transfer to the VIP ward."
"I'll try to find out for you. For the discharge, a family member needs to sign, so you'll have to come over," Damon said.
"Okay, I'll be right there," Katniss said.
Hanging up the phone, Katniss got up and walked out, heading straight to Tristan's office. Passing by Bella's desk, she ignored Bella's piercing gaze and knocked on the door, entering directly.
"Mr. Forbes, I'd like to take half a day off," she said softly as she walked to the desk, "to go to the hospital."
"Alright," Tristan agreed after a moment of contemplation, then furrowed his brow as if thinking of something. "If you need any help, just let me know."
Katniss remained silent, thinking, 'Asking him for help?' He could easily think of her as a woman who would do anything for money; there seemed to be no deep relationship between them.
"No, thank you," Katniss said with a faint smile, lowering her head slightly.
After getting Tristan's okay, Katniss left the company, drove straight to the hospital, and called Matilda on the way.
Transferring to a VIP ward wasn't that complicated, but to keep Sophia's whereabouts under wraps, she had to discharge her first, then re-admit her to the VIP ward, and also pack Sophia's things. She couldn't handle it all alone.
She planned to ask Matilda to take a leave, but when she arrived at the hospital, she found that George had also come along.
Their sudden arrival startled Sophia.
"What's going on?" she asked, looking at Katniss with some guilt. "Katniss, did you hear something or find out something?"
Katniss, focused on hiding Sophia, didn't catch the oddity in her words. "It's nothing, just want to change your room, this one isn't comfortable."
She signaled Matilda to pack up. "Quickly, if anyone asks, just say you're being discharged."
After reminding them, she went to find Damon to handle the paperwork.
George stayed to help pack. The VIP ward was in a different building, and he was responsible for putting the packed items in the car and taking them over.
With only Matilda around, Sophia pulled her aside to get to the bottom of it. "Matilda, what's really going on? Why the sudden move to a VIP ward? Did Katniss run into trouble again?"
"I don't know either." Matilda was also puzzled. "I just suddenly got a call from her asking me to come help pack."
Sophia looked worried and anxious, muttering, "Something must have happened again. Who did Katniss offend? You must know something, right? You have to tell me, we can't let Katniss bear it alone."
Matilda paused in her packing, guessing it was likely related to the Astor family.
She glanced at Sophia, unsure where to start.
But her look made Sophia realize she knew something. "Matilda, you have to tell me, or I'll be angry!"
Seeing she couldn't hide it, Matilda briefly summarized, "I guess it might be related to Katniss's boss. His girlfriend might have misunderstood something, but as long as the misunderstanding is cleared up, everything will be fine. Mom, don't worry too much, Katniss can handle it."
She was vague, not mentioning Katniss's marriage to Tristan or becoming his lover.
If she were to say that, Sophia might leap out of the window in fury.
But she was still too young; her words were enough for Sophia to infer a lot. 'What job could cover tens of thousands of dollars in medical expenses a year? Why would her boss's girlfriend suspect her relationship with her boss for no reason?'
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