Chapter 50 - Inadvertent Reunion Between Sisters

For what seems like an eternity, Winter remains shell-shocked on her place.

She never planned to meet Bianca like this - with such a filthy appearance and poorly-performed entrance, that is. The strawberry milkshake that she'd been holding had made a mess out of her school uniform. She was also too stunned to move an inch. This is everything she does not want to happen when they meet again.

For their reunion, Winter wants to look like an innocent-looking yet self-possessed prey of theirs. She wants to make Bianca believe that she is easy to manipulate, but at the same time, she wants to appear like she is more than ready to take them on. Unlike back then, she will not be so timid and tense that she can barely hold a conversation. She had been preparing for that ever since she went back in time.

But now that Bianca is standing right in front of Winter, that plan of hers seems to have fallen apart.

"Ugh...! What in the world is this?! How filthy!"

Right then, her adopted elder sister suddenly threw a fit. It just happened that her hand got all clammy from her strawberry milkshake, which was not really that much of a big deal compared to what happened to her school uniform. Even then, she acts like she is the victim there.

"Are you blind?! Just where the hell are you looking at? Didn't you see me walking...?!" Bianca continued to exclaim in anger and repulsion, catching the attention of the other customers at that cafe.

"This is why I hate going to this kind of place! Pathetic commoners!"

Winter knew that she really shouldn't have been too startled when she started ranting like that, but even though she had already seen this side of her many times before, she still couldn't help but be taken aback by how supercilious and haughty she could be. She even had the guts to sneer at a stranger even when she was the one who was at fault. Then again, she had been spoiled by their parents.

And it only got worse after they deceased and her uncle and aunt began to take the role as her overseers. 

"Not only are you blind but you might as well be deaf and mute. What're you still stalling around there for? Didn't you hear what I said?" Bianca scoffed in aggravation when Winter only stayed still and silent.

Despite how dumbfounded she was, she could not possibly continue to act like this, especially to her. At the very least, she should come up with something to say in retaliation. It doesn't matter if this ruins her plans and preparations - in any given circumstances, she's not going to let anyone trample over her again.

"Oh, so you're finished now? I'm not saying anything because you keep throwing a tantrum like a child. And it's disrespectful to speak when someone's talking, isn't it? I'd been taught manners, you see - unlike certain people..." Winter started and tilted her head with feigned innocence, pretending to be civil and polite.

"If you hate this place, then why're you here? No one here wants someone as stuck-up as you, anyway. You're very much welcome to leave."

"Why, you..." Bianca breathed out through her nose, flaring up even more.

"How dare you talk like that to me-"

"By the way, if there's someone who's blind around here, then it's you. Can't you see that I caught most of the mess that you caused? Or perhaps, you've got a condition that's worse than being blind?"

"Huh? What?"

"That's quite concerning, I must say. There's no doctor who can cure the brain disease that you have."

"Are you mocking me?!"

"Who knows? Do you feel mocked?"

When Winter said that dismissively, Bianca became more livid.

She's not certain what would be the consequences of this behavior of hers, but she thinks that whatever they were wouldn't be that big of a deal. Then again, they're still supposed to not know about each other at this point. She can just act out like she changed her attitude towards her after she found out that they're related. Besides, this encounter might be a good memory to bring up during one of their family gatherings.

With all that said, she was rest assured that returning the favor of her impertinence would not ruin any of what she prepared for what was ahead of them.

"Bianca? What're you still doing here?"

At someone's call, Bianca turned around and looked behind her.

Winter also could not keep herself from looking at whoever this was. As soon as she did, she got to learn why her attention was caught right away. Apparently, her adopted elder sister was not the only one who was there - she actually had a companion in the form of this fine-looking eighteen-year-old.

As for how Winter managed to guess this certain someone's age, it just turned out that he was none other than Bianca's future husband, Jacob.

'Jacob Minerva? Seriously? The heck is this guy doing here too?' was all she could think about at that situation.

Like how she remembers he used to look like, he appears to be all sunshine and rainbows with that smile of his.

He had the features that could grab attention in a matter of seconds. His light brown hair has this satiny sheen that always seems to transfix while his pair of keen irises has a much darker shade of the same color that somewhat foreshadows the depth of his character. He also carries this mysterious air around him despite his gentle expressions and collected poise. 

Although Winter does not know much about Jacob, she used to have the impression that Bianca does seem to love him, which means he may actually be the strongest ally she can get on her side.

'Well, I kinda doubt that. While it's true that he's indeed the strongest I can hold against her, I find it hard to be on the same page with such a shrewd, cunning dude. And he also happens to be very close with Bianca even way back before,' she then came to recall all of the sudden and changed her mind. 

But as soon as Winter saw how Bianca had a hundred and eighty degree change in character after Jacob arrived, she felt like taking it back once more. Seeing how she started acting all nice and well-mannered made her cringe - and that's because it's downright cringey. She approached Jacob with this small leap on each of her steps and talked with such a honeyed, tooth-rottingly sweet tone.

"I'm sorry for making you wait for too long, Jacob..." Bianca apologized to Jacob before turning back to Winter and pointing an accusing finger at her with a scorning look in her narrowed gaze. 

"This girl has no shame at all. She bumped into me and even dared insult me. That's why I took too long to-"

"Or more like you're the one who bumped into her and insulted her."

All three of them were taken by surprise at that.

Marcellus suddenly appeared and joined the scene.

He walked from behind Winter and stood beside her. Despite how he seemed to have taunted Bianca, he looked laid-back and nonchalant, especially with his hands shoved inside his pockets like that. But then, there's that look he's giving. Even when he seems indifferent, she can see that he's actually exasperated through his half-lidded, incandescent gaze.

Bianca and Jacob are at a loss for a moment.

That is all until they finally recognize Marcellus.

"Marcellus... Lexington...?" she blurted out without thinking until she realized that she did not use any sort of honorifics.

"I-I mean, President Lexington! Is it... really you, Sir?"

"Good day, Mr. Lexington. I'm surprised to find you here..." her fiance chimed in and tried to steal his attention away from her small slip-up.

"It has been a while, hasn't it? It is I, the heir to Minerva Foundation - Jacob Minerva."

"And I'm her fiancee, President - Bianca of the Middleton's." 

Marcellus looks unimpressed all throughout their introduction.

Then again, this was not supposed to be the time they should be doing something like that - it was like they neglected Winter and the situation at hand. If anything, that had ticked him off even more. He felt like gathering more attention at that place and making a bigger mess. With how angered he was at that moment, he wanted to make them pay twofold right there and then.

"Chill out. I'm alright..." Winter whispered to Marcellus all of the sudden, pulling him back to his right thinking.

"I don't want to make a scene here, and I don't want you ruining your chances with any potential business partners. Can we just go and move on?"

Much to his surprise, she actually noticed what he'd been feeling that whole time.   

He was trying his hardest to keep his calm and cool, which was the only reason why he still had not talked them out of their impression that he would go easy on them. And with her talking him out of his anger as well, he felt the need the retreat and let them off the hook for the time being.

"It's okay, Marcellus.. Thank you for trying to back me up," Winter then added out of nowhere, throwing Marcellus off guard.