Katniss practically runs to the door again, as she hears another knock. "Wait Gale, you're so stubborn." she whispers to herself. As Katniss opens the door she soon realizes Gale is nowhere to be seen, but instead she is met with a pair of mesmerizing blue eyes.
His surprised smile tells her that he too is surprised to see her.
It's the man from the beach.
"Hi. Can I help you?" Katniss smiles politely but her mind is on Gale and on why he bailed on her.
"Yes. Hi. I'm Peeta Mellark. I would like to speak to Mr. Everdeen." Peeta shyly says as he steps inside the house.
Katniss panics. No, it wasn't fair. Who was this Peeta Mellark and why was he here? He was going to ruin everything for her and Gale, as this is their chance to tell Charlie the truth. If Charlie finds out that this man, this Peeta is here, he might ignore the fact that he agreed to speak to Gale first and then Diana will come home and everything will all go to hell. Katniss felt angry, angry at this man who just stepped into her home with no permission, and angry at Gale for leaving her for no reason. No, she had to lie.
"He isn't home." Katniss tells him.
"Are you his daughter?" Peeta can't help to ask as curiosity takes a hold of him. He can't believe he is standing inside the house of that beautiful girl that he dreamed of so many nights.
"Yes. But I already told you that he isn't home, and to be quite honest, I don't know when he will be back, you're going to have to come back another day." Katniss says and she let's some of her anger show in the way she speaks to him.
But things turn especially awkward when Charlie walks into the room, asking her daughter if everything is alright.
Peeta gives Katniss an amused and slightly confused smile, and Katniss just looks down at the floor, as embarrassment takes a hold of her.
"Mr. Everdeen, it's god to meet you. My name is Peeta Mellark. I would like to speak to you, if you're not too busy?" Peeta offers the other man a handshake.
"Mellark? Are you Benjamin Mellark's relative?" Charlie wonders as he accepts the handshake.
"Yes." Peeta simply tells him, and with this Charlie tells him to come on in and make his way to his office, but Katniss interrupts the two men.
"Dad, you said you were going to receive marine Hawthorne."
"Well where is he?" Charlie looks around the living room, where all three are standing.
"I don't know. I left him there." Katniss says pointing to the outside door.
"When I arrived, there was no one there." Peeta points out.
"Well if the marine comes back, tell him to wait for me." Charlie says, before he and Peeta walk away to the office. Peeta pretends not to notice the angry glare he gets from Katniss.
When Charlie and Peeta are gone, Katniss runs outside to look for Gale, and indeed she spots him walking towards her mansion.
"What happened, where were you?"
"I saw some guy going to your house and I thought it was your brother." Gale says.
"Oh my god Gale! He isn't my brother." Katniss rolls her eyes.
"No? Then who is he?" Gale says this a bit too sternly.
"I don't know. I have no idea."
"Catnip, wouldn't it be better if I come back another day?"
"No! No, you have to speak to my dad today." Katniss grabs Gale's arm and starts to pull him back to the mansion. "You're going to wait for him in the living room, until he receives you."
X
"It's been many years since I last saw Benjamin. How is he? I heard that he was very sick." Charlie and Peeta sit in the office and Peeta tries to politely answer every question, although Benjamin was the last thing he wanted to talk about.
"Yes, unfortunately he died a couple of days ago."
"I can't believe it. I'm so sorry." Charlie says dumbfounded.
Peeta only nods.
"I'm sorry for my curiosity, but you said that you were a relative to Benjamin?"
"Yes so it is. I am his.. son." Peeta croaks out awkwardly.
"I didn't know that Mellark was married." Charlie tries to remember a woman, anyone who he could think could be his wife, but nothing comes to mind. Peeta takes a deep breath.
"I'm sorry for your fathers death. I didn't really know him that well as he didn't come to District Twelve so often. He was always on his farm. But now tell me, how can I help you." Charlie is quick in changing the subject as he senses that Peeta doesn't really feel too chatty when it comes to Benjamin.
"Well I would like to expand my fathers company and I heard that the lands that are next to it belong to you." Peeta gladly tells him.
"Yes, in reality that belongs to my daughter, Katniss. She inhaled them from her grandmother." Charlie explains.
"And do you think that she would have a problem with selling them for me?"
"No, I don't think so. Those lands are completely abandoned." Charlie raises from his seat. "Give me a minute, I'll talk to Katniss."
"Thank you." Peeta says, and when the man is gone, Peeta whispers her name, savoring it in his mouth. "Katniss."
In the living room Katniss and Gale stand talking.
"Don't be so negative Gale!"
"I'm not being negative Catnip, I'm just telling you how things are." Gale says but Katniss doesn't respond as Charlie Everdeen walks into the room.
"Mr. Everdeen." Gale moves to give Charlie a handshake.
"Good morning." Charlie dismissively as he quickly shakes Gale's hand.
"My visit.." Gale starts but Charlie speaks over him, perhaps because Charlie just doesn't really care about the marine's visit so he didn't even notice that he had started speaking again.
"Katniss! We need you in the office for a minute. Mr. Mellark wants to ask you something."
"Dad, marine Hawthorne is here like you asked, can you please receive him?"
"At this moment I am busy. If its not something important, come back another time please?" Charlie speaks to Gale.
"Very well. I will come back tomorrow." With this Gale starts walking away, and he gives Katniss an annoyed face, and Katniss watches him walk away in disbelief.
"Katniss! We are waiting for you." Charlie yells impatiently.
Reluctantly Katniss walks after her father, and when she gets to the office Peeta raises from his seat politely, but Katniss only glares at him.
"This is my daughter, Katniss." Charlie says as they walk in.
"Peeta Mellark. It's good to meet you." he repeats with a smile and this time he even offers her a handshake.
"Nice to meet you too." she says sternly and she accepts his handshake and manages even a small fake smile.
Katniss moves to sit to a seat next to Peeta's.
"Katniss Mr. Mellark is the owner of the company that is right next to the land your grandmother Martha had left you. He would like to buy it so that he can expand it"
Katniss was so angry at the man for ruining her and Gale's plans, that she is by no means going to give him the pleasure. "I don't want to sell the land." she says.
"Why not? It has been abandoned for years!" Charlie wonders.
"I know. But I don't want to get rid of it." Katniss doesn't even glance at Peeta, although she can feel his eyes on her.
"I am very interested in buying that piece of land. I can pay you whatever you need." Peeta jumps in. Now Katniss moves to look at him, and she has no sympathy in her eyes. Only anger. The more this Peeta talked, the more annoyed she got.
"I don't care about the money." she angrily tells him, and this time Peeta doesn't hide the look of wonder in his eyes. Why she seemed to hate him this much was unclear to him.
"Katniss!" Charlie warns.
"I'm sorry father but there is no way you can convince me."
"I'm very sorry Mr. Mellark." Charlie says.
"Don't worry Mr. Everdeen. I won't take away anymore of your time." with this Peeta gets up from his seat, and so does Katniss. The two lock eyes for a brief second, and then the three walk out of the office.
As they walk into the living room Charlie tells him that he is welcome to come to his house if ever he needed anything, and when Charlie says his last name, Diana turns around in shock. Peeta takes a minute to look at the woman, and soon realizes that she is indeed Diana, a woman who has every month paid a visit to his farm, as she is or was Benjamin's lover.
Diana looks at him and with her eyes warns him not to say anything.
"Diana I want you to meet Mr. Peeta Mellark. Mellark, this is my wife." Charlie says.
"It's good to meet you." Peeta pretends, and he sees how her deathly glare turns into a vicious smile as he decides to play along.
"Nice to meet you too." she smiles.
"And this is my sister Effie." Charlie says pointing at the woman next to Diana.
"Are you Benjamin Mellarks relative?" Effie smiles.
"Yes."
"Oh. I always thought that that old man had no one in the world. And how is his health?" Effie asks making Charlie cringe at the rude ways she speaks.
"He passed away a couple of days ago." Peeta answers, not offended by her words.
"I'm sorry for your loss. Although I really don't think anyone will miss that old man. I've heard that man was intolerable." Effie says without thinking twice about her words.
"Effie." Charlie warns.
"What? That is what everyone thinks in District Twelve!"
"Don't worry Miss. I'll get going." Peeta says.
"It was a pleasure to meet you." Charlie tells him.
"The pleasure was all mine." The men shake hands again, and then Peeta makes his way out.
X
Katniss walks towards Gale in a small park in District Twelve, where he is already waiting for her.
"Why didn't you want to talk to my dad?"
"No, it isn't that I didn't want to, but the man said he was busy. You heard him yourself."
"When he asked you if the reason for your visit was important, you should have told him yes!" Katniss accuses. "Or is it not important for you to solve this?"
"Well Catnip, I'm not in a hurry for the event that will separate me from you." Gale tells her, getting an eye roll from Katniss.
"Oh Gale, are you going to keep talking like that? I already told you that my father is the type of a man that will respect my decisions. And what he wants the most is for me to be happy. Besides, he can't not accept our relationship when he finds out about how in love I am with you. And that you are the man that I chose to get married to." Katniss says this with a smile.
Gale takes a deep breath. "I am not Sebastian Moore. I don't have that last name, and when your dad finds out that you are changing your fiance for someone like me.."
"No Gale!"
"..he won't accept it." Gale finishes.
Katniss glares at him, and Gale takes another deep breath.
"Okay I'll talk to your father tomorrow?"
"You fill me with doubts Gale. Yes you make me feel insecure with all of the things that you say to me. I mean, I don't know. Maybe its better to wait for a couple of more days. Maybe I should talk to him first." Katniss wonders and Gale nods.
"Yeah I think it's the best option."
"Well I'm gonna get going. It's not wise to let people see us together like this in the daytime." Katniss says annoyed as she is so tired of hiding things already, but she feels a bit better by the way that Gale chuckles about it, it makes things feel less serious and it reminds her that it's okay as long as she's with him.
"Yet." She finishes now with a small smile, before she walks away.
X
Peeta is enjoying a drink in his living room, when the doorbell to his house rings and his maid opens the door. He realizes that outside it's Diana Everdeen who wants to speak to him.
"Good morning Mrs." Peeta greets her slightly surprised to see her here.
"Yesterday I wasn't all too sure. But now that I see you well, yes. You are the same." Diana points at him, her long blonde hair moving against her shoulders. She is wearing a very expensive diamond necklace and a black lacy shirt.
"Yes Miss. It's me." Peeta smiles a cold smile.
"Can you explain to me, how is it that a simple worker like you, in one day results to be the only son, and the only inhaler of Benjamin Mellark.
"That is a very personal business. And I have no needs to explain things to you. Or will you for example explain to me, how a married woman, was the lover of my father, for so many years?"
"That's why I came to speak to you Peeta. Because that relationship that I had with your father was a serious mistake, and I can admit that."
"I don't frankly care Mrs. Everdeen. You can with your life, do whatever you want." Peeta just wants to know why the woman is here, and get this all done with. She was never a very pleasant woman to be around with. But she was perfect for Benjamin.
"I know perfectly well that you will be staying in this district for awhile and I already saw you talking with my husband.."
"You don't have to worry." Peeta starts to understand the reason to her visit.
"I want to say that Charlie was away for work and I was feeling very lonely at the time, he didn't know how to treat me as a woman, and your father knew how to make me feel better." Diana helps herself to a seat in Peeta's living room.
"I repeat that I have no intentions of getting involved with your personal life. I won't be revealing any of your details. I can assure you." Peeta too gets himself a seat.
Diana smiles. "I knew that I could count on you."
"No." Peeta shakes his head. "I'm not your accomplice in anything. Simply I am a gentleman."
"Very well. Because see although you are still a simple worker to me, I knew that you were a gentleman. And well, forgive me for asking again but I would like to know how, how could you turn out to be Benjamin's son? Because he never talked to me about that. Never." Diana chuckles as he speaks off him as a very low piece of trash.
"It's not that hard to understand. I am the bastard son, of a man who raped an innocent peasant. And right before his death, he gave me his last name and gave me all of his money, and power."
"Well, still all bastard and all that." Diana raises from her seat.
"Will you not say good mornings to me now that you know that I am a worker and a bastard?"
"Of course not. But, what happened to your mother?"
"She died." Peeta simply says.
"Well, I think I should get going. Thank you for the talk." Diana chuckles and helps herself out.
X
Katniss spots her aunt Effie in their living room and makes her way to sit with her.
"Is dad home already?" she asks.
"No not yet." Effie says.
"You know I'm a little worried after I talked with Annie about her marriage." Katniss confesses. She can't help but still feel like there is something off with Snow.
"Why? She looks happy. You know you should follow her example. Fall in love with someone for real."
Katniss smiles as she makes herself more comfortable. If only her aunt knew. "Oh aunt." she sighs.
"Listen to me Katniss. I'm scared that you'll end up like me. Single and a bother on someone else's home." Effie sadly warns.
"Aunt please. Don't say that. You are not a bother in this house."
"Can I confess something Katniss? When you ended your relationship with Sebastian I thought that there was someone else behind that. But now I'm not so sure anymore. Anyway good men with good last names and families, well there isn't many of them anymore in District Twelve. You need to start looking Katniss. Because I imagine that getting married is on your plans?"
"Oh yes." Katniss whisperes with closed eyes as she pictures herself in a wedding dress, marrying the man that she loves.
"Then stop wasting time Katniss! You have for example.." Effie thinks of anyone worth marrying when she remembers him. "Peeta Mellark. He is very handsome. And single."
Katniss ponders this for a minute. Him. He was good looking, that she had to admit. But no. "Nah, he is too bitter, I don't know. I don't like him." she says.
"Oh Katniss! Look at you. You need to put some from your side too!" Effie yells in her dramatic voice.
X
The next morning Peeta had to meet Seneca Crane, as he studied the factory's bookkeeping's and there he confirmed that Seneca had indeed been stealing money from his father. As he makes his way to his apartment, he sees her, Katniss walking across the street, this time her hair is in that one braid that she wore when they met. He wonders if he should go after her, maybe greet her but he remembers the way she glared at him last night and decided to let it go and he stepped into Senecas's house.
"Mr. Mellark, would you like something to drink?" Seneca nervously asks. But Peeta doesn't respond.
"I assume you are here to sign the paper of the machines we just bought?" Seneca asks as he hands him a green folder.
"No. I've been studying the bookkeeping's and I have found serious mistakes."
"What are you saying?" Seneca asks.
"What I'm saying is that you don't need to be an expert in administrative matters to realize that you have been stealing money from my father for many years." Peeta calmly tells him.
"Mr. Peeta you are mistaken." Seneca pleads.
"No, I have not made a mistake. The way that you have lied and stolen money has been rough. And it didn't take me long to realize it."
"Maybe I made an error, or..?" Seneca starts but Peeta is now raising his voice.
"There are no errors! It's called stealing." Peeta accuses.
"Listen let me expla.."
"I didn't come here to argue with you. I want to tell you two things. First of all, logically you no longer are the administrator of my company. And secondly, either you give me back every cent that you have robbed, or I call the police."
"Mr Mellark! I am a man that does not take threats very well." Seneca warns.
"Don't worry I won't send anyone to beat you up, like I heard you do, when someone owes you money." Peeta says. "Simply I will make sure you rot in prison."
"No! Mr Mellark please!" Seneca pleads again.
"I already told you, I want all my money, or I'm calling the police."
"I don't have any money at the moment!" Seneca cries. Peeta grabs the phone.
"No what are you doing, no!" he grabs the phone from Peeta's hands.
"Wait." Seneca says and he digs through his closets, and after he finds what he wants he walks to Peeta, a brown folder in his hands. "I can settle my debts, if you accept as a payment, this promissory note as signed by Mr. Everdeen." Seneca offers as he hands the piece of paper to Peeta, who confusedly studies it.
"Also I'm going to give you the scriptures to the Everdeen's mansion." He hands everything to Peeta. The documents, the folder, the scriptures. Everything. Is in Peeta's hands.