After a whole morning on the road, the afternoon was pretty chill, but we had an outdoor picnic lined up for the evening.
Katniss had already sorted out the picnic spot and food with the hotel, then handed out supplies to the crew to head over.
The place was super chill, with lots of shade, a winding river, and the sounds of birds and bugs. The crew set up the grill and got to work.
Meanwhile, Tristan and a few others were hanging out under the pavilion, chatting about something. Usually, when Michael and the gang weren't around, Katniss would stick close to Tristan, ready to jump at his call.
But this time, she smartly decided to stay nearby but not join them under the pavilion.
When the crew finished grilling the meat, she brought it over to the pavilion for Tristan and the others to dig in.
"Katniss, why don't you sit down and join us? We're pretty bored anyway, and having another person would give us more to talk about," Nicholas said, inviting Katniss to sit down.
Katniss gave a small smile and declined, "Nah, I'm good. I'll eat with them later."
As she spoke, Bella had already stood up, walked over, and pulled her to sit down next to Nicholas.
To her left was Nicholas, to her right was Michael, and across from her was Tristan.
She suddenly felt like she was trapped, unable to say a word among them.
"Michael, I just remembered, the game you used to play all the time was developed by Katniss's boyfriend!" Bella started a topic centered around Katniss. "On our way here, we overheard her talking to her boyfriend. He was so generous, giving away lots of gifts, even though they were in-game items, they must be worth a lot. Look at her boyfriend, maybe not as wealthy as you guys, but definitely more thoughtful."
Katniss felt like she was walking on eggshells, with Tristan's gaze almost piercing through her.
If it weren't for the hickeys being discovered earlier, leading Katniss to lie to Bella about having a boyfriend, she really needed to explain that George was not her boyfriend.
"What game?" Nicholas seemed to remember something, took out his phone, and opened it. "Is it this one?"
Katniss glanced sideways slightly and nodded, saying, "Yep."
"Then introduce your boyfriend to me. I like this game too. Don't worry, I definitely like women, I won't steal your boyfriend, just talking about the game, not feelings," Nicholas said, patting his chest.
Katniss forced a laugh and replied, "Mr. Kennedy, please don't joke. He's young and doesn't have the same background as you guys. You wouldn't get along, so let's forget it."
"Look at that, so protective of her man," Nicholas teased, not caring that he wasn't that familiar with Katniss. "You and Bella are the same, anyone who says bad things about your men or tries to mess with them, you both get so defensive!"
Katniss could only smile awkwardly. Her rejection, though polite, was definitely clear.
But Nicholas failed to pick up on Katniss's firmness in her words and shifted the topic to Tristan, saying, "Tristan, this is the game we used to play a lot a couple of years ago. Now that it's famous, we don't play it anymore. But since the developer is Katniss's boyfriend, maybe we should get to know him and start playing again. What do you think?"
Leaning back in his chair nonchalantly, Tristan glanced indifferently at Katniss and said, "That depends on Katniss's willingness."
Katniss realized that offending Tristan was the worst idea. Even though Tristan had blocked George on Facebook and his phone number, he still make things difficult for her. Was he really testing her courage or just leaving her no choice?
She smiled faintly, decisively took out her phone, unblocked George, added Nicholas as a friend, and recommended George to him.
The series of actions was done in one go. Tristan raised an eyebrow slightly, his lowered eyelids showing a stern expression.
Nicholas had just sent a friend request and said to Michael and Tristan, "Once he accepts, I'll create a group, and we can see how good this developer really is."
Katniss glanced at Tristan, but before she could see if he was angry, her phone rang. It was George calling.
She nodded politely to the group and said, "Excuse me for a moment, I need to take this call."
Turning around to answer, George's accusations and questions came flooding in.
"You blocked me? Why? You didn't even meet me and decided you didn't like me? That's an insult! Besides, why unblock me now? Did you realize I'm a great guy you shouldn't miss out on?"
Katniss didn't say a word, her fingers turning white from gripping the phone, her head throbbing. She nodded to a few passing colleagues and found a place where no one could hear her before speaking, "I was trying to save you some money."
"No need," George snorted arrogantly. "Someone just added me on Facebook, saying they're a big fan of my game. Giving them some gifts would also make you look good, wouldn't it?"
Katniss could almost picture George's smug face on the other end of the line. "The person who added you is a friend of my boss. He's loaded, you don't need to give him anything."
Katniss figured Nicholas and the others wouldn't really care about the gift George gave, since they could easily buy several of George's games with the budget for just one of their projects.
"No way, I can't let you lose face in front of your boss!" George wanted to say more, but a female voice came from the other end. "So many people at the resort, and you're still on the phone! Get over here and help me..."
The voice got closer, and Katniss could vaguely hear George telling the woman to lower their voice, but to no avail. He hurriedly said, "My mom's here, gotta go!"
The busy signal made Katniss chuckle helplessly. She shook her head and was about to leave when she saw Michael pulling Bella over.
Standing in the corner, they hadn't noticed her. Before she could walk away, she overheard their heated discussion about Bella wanting to share a room with Tristan.
"Bella, you're a girl. Don't be too forward, or he won't cherish you," Michael said, looking at Bella with a complicated expression.
Bella lowered her head, tugging at the corner of Michael's shirt, and said coyly, "When he cherished me before, didn't I break his heart? I feel he's cold to me now. If I'm not proactive, how can I make it up to him?"
"But..."
"Michael, I'm an adult. I can make my own decisions and take responsibility for them. You don't need to worry about me. You know how I've been these past few years," Bella interrupted Michael, her attitude firm.
A trace of pain flashed in Michael's eyes. He patted Bella's head but said nothing.
Katniss didn't intend to eavesdrop, but they didn't give her a chance to leave. She had to wait until they finished talking and left before she could come out of hiding. Turning a corner, she saw Michael leaning against a pillar, holding a cigarette.
He wasn't surprised to see her, clearly having noticed her presence earlier.
"Didn't expect you to have a habit of eavesdropping."
"Mr. Astor, you're joking. I was here first, and you blocked my way out," Katniss always felt an inexplicable fear when she saw Michael. He wasn't easy to get along with.
Michael's eyes were narrow and slightly squinted as he approached her. He said, "When are you and your boyfriend planning to get married?"
Katniss was stunned, not expecting Michael to ask such a question. They weren't that familiar.
"You're not young anymore. You should get married soon. That game has been doing well in recent years. Your boyfriend is very capable. Don't miss this opportunity."
Without waiting for her response, Michael analyzed Katniss's situation, just as he had worried about Bella.
Michael's sudden concern caught Katniss off guard, making her more cautious. "Thank you for the advice, Mr. Astor. If there's nothing else, I'll be going."
She could see that Michael cared deeply for Bella, but she couldn't read him at all.
Returning the way she came, she found that Bella hadn't returned to the pavilion. Only Tristan and Nicholas were there, so she didn't go over and found a place to sit and join the fun.
Little did she know that Tristan was watching her every move. He raised an eyebrow as he saw Katniss sit among the crowd but spoke to Nicholas, "Did that guy accept the friend request?"
Upon hearing Tristan's words, Nicholas immediately took out his phone to check. He had messaged George already, but George was busy and hadn't replied yet. Frustrated, Nicholas pocketed his phone. He looked up, following Tristan's gaze towards Katniss. He said, "Tristan, your little assistant has potential. She's a qualified lover, helping Bella create surprises for you, and now she's even booked a room for you two. So considerate, you should keep her around!"
"But I must remind you, don't let the Astor family find out, or things will get messy," Nicholas said, patting Tristan's shoulder. Then, with a sudden look of concern, he added, "I told you from the beginning, Bella isn't easy to deal with. You insisted on pursuing her, and you did catch her, but she left you and ran off abroad for years, making you a laughingstock in Velvet City. Ah, you were really head over heels for her."
Nicholas didn't like Bella much, finding her pretentious. He appreciated Katniss more, but he had no say in Tristan's choice of a wife, so he could only feel regret.
His words earned a sharp look from Tristan, which made him quickly change the subject. He said, "Let's not talk about it. Let's play a couple of games. Once Katniss's boyfriend is free, I want to challenge him! Even if it's his game, I have to beat him."
Tristan paused for a few seconds, then took out his phone, re-downloaded the game, and played a round with Nicholas.
As night fell, everyone cleaned up the picnic trash and returned to the hotel under Katniss's supervision. For some reason, she felt increasingly gloomy, her eyes frequently drifting to Tristan and Bella.