"Seriously, how could that be?" Michael shot back without missing a beat. "How could she even compare to you? You're the Astor family's little princess, you rock anything you wear, and you've got your own unique vibe. You'd totally outshine her in those clothes."
Bella was rocking a floral dress, her long hair in waves, giving off a mix of sexy and sweet vibes.
Bella grinned, clearly pleased, and said, "Oh, come on, Katniss looks pretty good too."
Katniss was surrounded by a crowd. She was tall and slender, making her stand out.
After getting everyone on the bus, she went back to Tristan and asked, "Mr. Forbes, everyone's ready. There are a few empty seats on the bus in front. Are you riding with us, or...?"
She noticed a few luxury cars nearby, probably Michael's and Nicholas's. No way they'd be comfy on a bus.
Thinking about it, she realized Tristan might seem the hardest to get along with, but he was actually the most chill.
Sure enough, Tristan didn't hesitate. "I'll go with you guys," he said, then looked at Michael and the others. "You guys taking the bus or driving?"
Michael glanced at Bella. If Tristan was on the bus, Bella would definitely go with him, but the bus was noisy and way less comfy than his car.
"You should ride with Bella in my car, or let Katniss drive you two," Michael suggested.
Katniss stayed quiet, her eyes on Tristan, waiting for his call.
But before Tristan could say anything, Bella jumped in, "Katniss is a girl. It's rare for her to come out and have fun, and you want her to drive for five or six hours? Michael, you really don't know how to treat a lady!"
She smiled at Katniss, then quickly ran to Tristan, linking her arm with his. "Let Tristan drive me. Katniss can take the bus with the others."
Tristan frowned slightly but said nothing.
Nicholas started teasing, "Bella, you're not worried about Katniss. You just want to be alone with Tristan! Five or six hours, you two better not do anything you shouldn't!"
Embarrassed, Bella hid behind Tristan and glared at Nicholas.
"See, I hit the nail on the head, didn't I?" Nicholas kept teasing until Michael's look shut him up. He smiled sheepishly at Katniss, "Katniss, why are you still here? Get on the bus."
Katniss forced a smile. "Okay."
She turned to notify the other cars to depart and got on the bus. After the bus in front left, her bus started but stopped after a few steps.
Katniss, sitting at the front, stood up and walked to the driver. "What's wrong?"
The driver had already opened the door, and Katniss saw Tristan getting on, sitting next to her previous seat, looking at her with an emotion that made her feel inexplicably guilty.
A disappointed Bella also got on, squeezed out a smile at Katniss, and looked at the seat next to Tristan.
Katniss quickly moved her bag, and Bella sat down, complaining to Tristan, "Tristan, you didn't even look at the seat; now Katniss has to make room for me. Aren't there two empty seats next to us?"
Katniss sat in one of the empty seats Bella mentioned, smiled at Bella, and said, "It's okay."
The bus started again, picking up speed, and the buildings outside flew by. Katniss looked at the reflection of the bus interior in the window.
Bella was leaning close to Tristan, saying something, occasionally patting his shoulder lightly, her laughter very pleasant.
Amidst the conversations of others in the bus, Katniss seemed to hear only Bella's voice, which sounded so pleasant. However, Tristan's responses were quite brief, occasionally just a noncommittal grunt.
Her phone rang from her bag. She took a deep breath and pulled it out. It was a text from an unknown number.
The opening line stunned her.
George: [Hi Katniss, I'm George Russell, three years younger than you. I run a gaming company and my family is in the tourism business. I'm an only child.]
Katniss stared at the text for a few minutes before realizing this was the blind date Sophia had mentioned, and he was three years younger than her.
After thinking seriously, she replied.
Katniss: [Hi, I'm Katniss, Tristan's assistant at Synergy Global Corporation. My family situation isn't great and it's quite complicated, so we're not the best match. I hope you can find someone better.]
Her words were straightforward because she didn't want to explain too much. Although George was three years younger, he was already twenty-five and could understand what she meant.
But she was overthinking it; guys mature later.
George: [Are you rejecting me? Why? Is it because you can't handle someone younger, or do you think I'm just messing around and not serious?]
Katniss didn't mean that. Nowadays, lots of people make bank from online games, and she never looked down on them.
Just as she was about to explain, another message from George popped up.
George: [I'm not in Velvet City right now. Let's get to know each other better when I get back. It's not too late for you to reject me then. I won't take a no without even meeting face-to-face!]
Katniss deleted the few words she had typed and calmly replied: [Okay.]
Having been by Tristan's side for years, she had seen all kinds of people and could usually figure out their personalities after a few conversations. George was definitely the type of young guy who cared about his pride and was a bit tricky to deal with. She decided to meet him and make things clear.
George: [Want to play a couple of rounds of my game? I'll guide you.]
Another message from George came through, and Katniss was stunned. She had never played games since she was a kid.
She instinctively glanced at Tristan and Bella, who were whispering to each other. With at least three or four hours left until they reached their destination, she had nothing else to do, so she agreed.
She downloaded the game George mentioned, added him as a friend on Facebook, and logged into the game to see George's avatar lit up.
Before she could understand the gameplay, a message popped up inviting her to join a game with George. She accepted and was taken to a in-game room with just the two of them.
Before she knew what was happening, a clear and pleasant male voice came through her phone. "Hi, Katniss, just follow me and I'll protect you."
She didn't catch the rest because the sudden voice startled her, and she almost dropped her phone. The person behind her stood up, holding onto the seatback, and asked, "Katniss, what's going on?"
"Wow, that guy's voice is so nice. I didn't know Katniss liked this type!"
Katniss had never played games before and didn't know there was voice chat. Otherwise, she would have turned the volume down, at least so the whole bus wouldn't hear it.
She instinctively glanced at Tristan, whose deep eyes held a hint of amusement, his lips curved slightly, watching her intently.
Bella laughed and said, "Katniss, is that your boyfriend? His voice is so nice. You have to bring him out to meet us sometime."
Katniss smiled and fiddled with her phone, trying to find a way to mute it and explain, but she couldn't find the option.
George, noticing the silence, spoke again, "Are all these ladies Katniss's colleagues? Hi, I'm George. Please take care of Katniss, and if you have time, let's play games together."
"I've played this game before. It's fun, but I'm not good at it. Katniss, is your boyfriend really good? Can he help me out?"
"And me, I like this game too."
Several people nearby leaned in, eager to join Katniss.
Katniss had no chance to speak; George was doing all the talking.
"I invented this game. Since you're all fans, add me as a friend, and I'll give you some perks."
The group got excited, taking Katniss's phone to chat with George. Katniss rubbed her temples, realizing George was probably promoting his game.
He continued, saying anyone who downloaded and registered would get ten limited-edition skins.
Katniss's phone was passed around, with some people logging in to add friends and others downloading and registering to start playing.
Bella complained to Tristan, "Look how considerate Katniss's boyfriend is, unlike you, so cold."
Katniss sneaked a glance at Tristan. His hand rested naturally on his leg, his gaze on the scenery outside, a cold smile playing on his lips reflected in the window.
Bella's comment was like adding fuel to the fire. Although Tristan and Katniss didn't have a formal relationship, his competitive nature was strong.
He was probably angry that his lover was so publicly "showing off their affection."
Half an hour later, her phone died and was returned to her, thankfully shutting off, leaving George no chance to say goodbye.
Katniss sighed in relief, plugged in her power bank, and didn't dare turn it back on.
After a nerve-wracking journey, they finally arrived at the resort. Michael and Nicholas were already there, waiting at the entrance.
The driver parked the bus, and everyone lined up to get off. Tristan and Bella were the first to disembark, with Katniss following. Before she could steady herself, Nicholas started teasing again.
He said, "Tristan, you really don't miss any opportunity. Booking a room with Bella in front of all your employees?"