Early in the morning, the first bit of sunlight sneaked through the curtains and hit Tristan right in the face.
He squinted, raised his hand to block the light, and rolled over, reaching out with his long arm, only to grab at nothing.
His eyes cracked open, and he tossed the covers aside, got out of bed, threw on his dress pants, and headed downstairs barefoot and shirtless.
Katniss, all dressed up for work, was in the kitchen making breakfast.
She turned around and locked eyes with Tristan.
Right then, Tristan looked all lazy and disheveled, his short hair a mess, giving off a laid-back vibe.
Katniss steadied herself and put the plate on the table. "Mr. Forbes, I made some breakfast. If you don't mind, come down and have some. The bathroom's got toiletries ready for you."
Katniss had hit up the supermarket early in the morning to grab them, even snagging him a pair of men's slippers.
Tristan gave a slight nod, and after freshening up, he sat down in the dining room. Looking at the spread on the table, he smirked, "Guess you weren't tired enough last night."
Katniss shot him a surprised look. She didn't dwell on it, quickly dug into her meal, and after she was done, headed upstairs to tidy up the room.
There was a slight noise at the door, and Tristan quickly got up and walked over. Through the peephole, he could only see a head.
He opened the door, and a guy in a delivery vest stumbled in and hit the floor.
"Pretending to deliver packages to spy on single women? Nice try," Tristan said, looking down at the guy.
Hearing the commotion, Katniss ran downstairs and saw Tristan picking up his phone to call the cops. She quickly stopped him, "Mr. Forbes, he's my brother!"
Rupert snapped out of his shock at seeing a man in Katniss's house and quickly realized it was Tristan!
He jumped up, stretched out his hand with a cheesy grin towards Tristan. "Mr. Forbes, I'm Katniss's brother. Name's Rupert. Nice to meet you!"
Tristan glanced at Rupert's hand but didn't bother shaking it.
Rupert didn't let it get to him and pulled his hand back, saying, "Mr. Forbes, thanks for looking out for Katniss at work. As her brother, I really appreciate it. I..."
"We're gonna be late for work. If you got something to say, call me later." Katniss cut Rupert off, giving him a look to scram.
Rupert took a couple of steps towards the door and said, "Katniss, you need to handle the house purchase soon. I only have fifty grand; the rest is on you."
Katniss's icy stare made Rupert shut up, and he turned and left, looking all dejected.
But after leaving, he didn't forget to call Jessica to share the good news. "You can chill, the house deal is definitely on. I saw your boss, Tristan, at Katniss's place! He was there early in the morning, so Katniss and him are still tight, maybe even tighter. We can definitely get this house."
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end before Jessica started ranting, "Mr. Forbes went to Katniss's house, and Katniss didn't tell us or agree to buy us a house. It's clear she doesn't want to buy it for us. Can't you see that?"
"We gotta teach her a lesson. Bella is rumored to be the third wheel, and Katniss must be scared too," Jessica said through gritted teeth.
At the door, Tristan looked at Katniss and asked, "Is this why you need the money?"
Katniss had kept Sophia's illness a secret from Tristan, afraid he'd link her to his wife.
She didn't know how to respond and just stayed silent, which to Tristan was a silent admission. He shook his head regretfully and was the first to leave the house. "Ten minutes to get ready."
Ten minutes later, she got in the car, and they drove to the company.
On the way, Tristan took a call from Bella, but Katniss couldn't catch what Bella was saying.
"Okay."
Tristan hung up and told Katniss, "Head to Regal Heights."
Katniss made a U-turn at the intersection and noticed Tristan's deep frown. She asked, "Mr. Forbes, what's up?"
"To dodge the reporters, Michael sent Bella to Regal Heights, but they still tracked her down. She's there alone," Tristan said, rubbing his brow, clearly annoyed.
Katniss stepped on the gas. Regal Heights had a nice vibe but lousy security. Reporters were swarming the building where Bella was staying.
They took the elevator from the underground garage and found seven or eight reporters camped out at Bella's door.
Tristan's arrival made the reporters go nuts, like they were on a sugar high.
Katniss stood in front of Tristan, pressed tightly against his chest by the crowd.
The reporters were way more than hyped!
They kept hounding Tristan, and just then, Bella, hearing the ruckus, opened the door and peeked out.
Her eyes were red, and she barely had time to see what was happening before the door was yanked open.
She stumbled out and hit the ground. The reporters swarmed her.
Katniss felt someone shove her, got stepped on a few times, and got whacked by a reporter's camera stand. She hurt all over. When she finally steadied herself, she saw Tristan had somehow broken through the crowd and was now beside Bella, shielding her, his eyes blazing with anger at the snapping reporters.
Michael showed up with a few bodyguards just in time to scatter the reporters.
Bella had a bleeding leg, and Tristan scooped her up and walked out, glancing at the somewhat disheveled Katniss.
His eyes narrowed, and he said, "You're coming with us to the hospital."
Then he got into the elevator. Katniss turned and followed, pressing the button for the floor.
Michael stayed behind to handle the reporters, so it was just her and Tristan taking Bella to the hospital.
Bella was taken into the exam room, and Tristan waited outside. Katniss went to pay the fees, trying to hide the pain in her leg. She slowed her pace and limped when Tristan wasn't looking.
But Tristan noticed right away and asked a nurse to check her leg. Katniss found it too much trouble and refused.
Tristan quickly grabbed her wrist. Just as she was about to pull away, someone in the exam room asked who Bella's family member was.
Tristan stopped and asked what was up.
"She has a deep cut on her leg that needs stitches, but she's not cooperating. We need you to go in and calm her down," the doctor said, looking helpless. "We need her consent, or we can't proceed."
Katniss looked at Tristan, his brows furrowed tightly. "Mr. Forbes, you should go in."
Tristan looked at her, standing firm and unmoving.
Katniss gave in, "I'll go with the nurse to check my leg."
Only then did Tristan look away and follow the doctor inside.
Katniss also followed a nurse for her check-up.
The doctor prescribed some meds to promote blood circulation and reduce bruising, suggesting she rest for a few days, avoid high heels, walk as little as possible, and ideally stay in bed.
Katniss still wanted to reduce the swelling quickly. She couldn't afford to stay in bed. She had worked for Tristan for three years and had never taken a day off.
The doctor saw her professional attire and got her drift, then asked her to lie down for acupuncture therapy.
But the pain from the acupuncture almost made her cry out, and she instinctively reached out to grab something.
A warm hand suddenly grabbed her wrist, making her heart skip a beat. She turned to see the nurse standing beside her.
Katniss's eyes went blank for a few seconds, then she pulled her hand back, feeling a bit empty inside.