Chapter 37 - An Unexpected Admirer

Winter can tell that Marcellus is acting a bit out of his usual character for some reason.

He is a man whose main interest is his work, which may or may not include dating women as it is part of it. Although he is a friendly and amicable individual for most people, he is often detached and unforthcoming in reality. That is why she thinks that their present relationship is strictly business. 

And yet, here he was asking for her to open up about something.

'What's there to open up about, though? I already told him all he had to know, and I promised that I'd just tell more in the future,' she wondered to herself, not understanding his offer to talk about something that did not involve their usual topic.

Too caught up in her thoughts, Winter did not realize that Marcellus already called for his driver and had the car pulled up near the school gates. 

She was dumbfounded for a moment until she realized that they were still outside of her school. Someone from her class might see them together - and in a limousine even. Not wanting to be the talk of the student body tomorrow morning, she then looked around in a haste in search of any onlooker.

"Ms. Agreste? What's wrong?" Marcellus asked after noticing how Winter started acting wary out of nowhere.

"Hey, why did you have to pick me up at this place?" 

"So that you don't have to go all the way to our meeting location. Besides, I'm planning to take you to my office today. There is someone who wants to meet you there." 

"To your office? And someone who wants to meet me?"

"Yeah."

Although he was saying that, he had his focus on the language of her movements - it was queer.

He can tell that she is on her guard. She keeps scanning around their surroundings, and even when she finds no one there, she only continues to search around. That's when he remembers what happened earlier that afternoon -

He remembered that the main reason why she was cornered by those bullies back there was that she attracted the attention of some guy.

'She doesn't want to get caught with me, perhaps...?' he guessed while he continued to stare down at her. 

'So, she's trying to avoid attention as much as she can.' 

Marcellus then came up with the decision to meet Winter in a different location next time. He really doesn't want to make her feel uncomfortable.

"Come on now. Let's get going, Ms. Agreste..." he called out to her before he put his hands on her shoulders and patted them a little.

"Don't worry. The coast's clear."

Winter was taken aback to hear that - Marcellus actually noticed. That must be why he was quiet for some time there. She may have also been a bit too obvious.

"I promise I will not do this again," he then added all of the sudden, catching her off guard again.

Before she can say something to that, he holds her hand and gestures her to enter the vehicle. He is smiling at her as he leads her inside - a smile so gentle that she thought for a second that she was only imagining things. As expected of someone with lots of experience with the ladies, he certainly knows how to be a gentleman.

However, as always, she isn't going to fall for that.

"You know, I can get in on my own," Winter said, straight-faced.

"I'm just concerned that you might trip or something," Marcellus retorted, smirking.

"What am I? A toddler?"

"Well, if you insist on acting like one and continuing this banter, maybe you are-"

"I'm not. Hmph!"

Huffing, she then finally went inside the passenger seat of the car while he followed behind her. 

They sit across each other and settle with a period of silence for several minutes. He noticed that she remained wary like earlier. In an attempt to make her feel at ease, he decided to initiate a conversation.

"Ms. Agreste, about this certain someone who wants to meet you," Marcellus began, making Winter turn to look at him.

"Oh, right. Who is this?" 

"It's Ms. Violet Miller. She came to express her gratitude."

---

Perfect poise, refined movements, and an attractively polite manner of behaving -

As soon as Winter meets with Violet, she takes on such a fair facade out of nowhere.

Marcellus lets them occupy his private lounge in the meantime. It's a conversation that's not for public places, after all. Now, he is sitting on a separate chair at the side while the other two are across from each other. 

He didn't expect that only when they're all alone like this did the highschooler decide to act all lady-like and well-behaved.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Miller. It's so nice to be making your acquaintance like this. I sincerely apologize for how I acted the other time. I hope we can start over again..." Winter said in all politeness.

"My name is Winter Agreste, a senior high school student." 

Even her greeting is courteous.

Violet is quite impressed to find Winter like this. She is not that nervous nor tense at all. Instead, she is confident and self-possessed. Not to mention, she seems sincere and honest - a kind and brilliant girl, as she thought. 

Marcellus, on the other hand, has a suspicion. It appears to him that Winter is trying to imitate some kind of a businesswoman who is attending an appointment with a potential partner. That was not how she acted when it was him in that place, though.

'What's with this special treatment? She tried to blackmail me and kept poking fun at me - not once was she like this towards me. But she is now acting this way before Ms. Miller?' he thought in indignation. 

Little does Marcellus know that he is actually correct at a certain point - Winter is treating Violet as a potential supporter in the future.

She can't help but act like this since she feels like this is going to be that thing she's been waiting for. Apart from the head of the Lexington's, she finally has the opportunity to get another one on her side. Of course, she's still not considering this as the real deal, but even then, first impressions are everything -

Not like Winter didn't already make that, though. 

'She must think of me as some sort of a weirdo or a creep or someone with anger management problems after I shouted at her last time. I must change that image at once,' she grimaced in silence, recalling how she got too caught up in her emotions that she acted kind of rude.

Little does Winter know that Violet is not thinking any of that at all - in fact, she is more than thrilled to be making acquaintance with her.

That shows with how she regards her while beaming all brightly. She almost looks like she is admiring her. But instead of feeling appreciated, she suddenly feels a little insecure and self-conscious. 

Then again, with how she keeps smiling like that, she appears more charming than ever - her ravishing beauty is all for her to behold. 

"Good afternoon to you too, Ms. Agreste. I'm very happy to be talking with you like this at last..." Violet enthused with an ear-splitting, ecstatic grin. 

"No need to apologize for anything, by the way. I'm the one who should say sorry for troubling you and all. I also want to thank you for saving me back then. I owe my life to you, Ms. Agreste."

"That is too much of a compliment, Ma'am. I only did what anyone would do," Winter replied with a smile. 

"Not at all. You're really exceptional. Even now, you're so kind that I've forgotten how ashamed I felt. I feel like I don't deserve this."

"Oh, please don't be ashamed. I understand that we have our own circumstances, and I don't think that you should be ashamed to open up. I'll even be glad to listen if you have something you want to tell."

"Thank you so much. To be honest, I never met someone like you before, Ms. Agreste."

Marcellus had to double-take at that.

That last line that Violet said - it somehow reminded him of what he would usually say to those he tried to woo. Even the way she expressed it was something else. Now, more than the discovery that she actually has this side to her, he is surprised to learn that she looks up to her savior this much. 

Winter herself appears to be not at all expecting this as well. She only continues smiling back at Violet the whole time, but she looks a little puzzled by how much she is acknowledging her. 

"I feel at ease around you for some reason. I wonder why..." Violet then confessed with a faint blush, acting timid out of nowhere. 

"Perhaps, it's because you remind me of my younger brother."

Winter caught on to that even though it was almost said in a whisper. For a moment, she thought about what was wrong with it until she realized that there was something amiss. 

Winter can't recall that Violet even has a sibling, in the first place - she's an only child, as far as she remembers.