Chapter 72 - Good Luck Charm

Even though Jacob had no idea what was going on nor did he get to see enough for longer than a fraction of a moment, he was able to tell that this familiar-looking girl, who had practically thrown herself all over this certain guy, was the same one he had seen with Marcellus a couple of times. 

"Are you seeing this, Jacob?" 

"Yes, Bianca. Seems like a troublesome commotion."

That petite figure, her shoulder-length brown hair, and a somewhat conspicuous presence - indeed, they're all pointing to the person he's suspecting.  However, there are also her strange girlishness, that squeaky, high-pitched tone, and the impression that she seems to be caught up in some love triangle - he couldn't remember her acting like this nor did he expect that she had such a side all along. 

But most importantly, Jacob didn't know that she's actually seeing a guy even though Marcellus started pursuing her romantically. And said guy even happened to be someone from the Miller's. 

"Huh? Isn't that..." Bianca chimed in again, peering at the other two who began arguing. 

"That super popular teen model in your company and Ms. Miller's step brother?" 

Jacob didn't say a thing, choosing to focus more on his object of interest. 

At that moment, something odd and obscure rises from the pit of his stomach all of the sudden. Time and again, he feels kind of unsettled. It always happens when this certain someone is around. It's almost like there's an important reason why he keeps seeing her like this.

But whatever that may be, he at least knew and saw enough from this peculiar existence.

If she wants to be noticed this much, then he'll have to do something too.

'Well, isn't this quite interesting...?' Jacob thought, smirking schemingly.

'I wonder how President Lexington will react to this.'   

---

"Ummm... Ace...?"

"Yeah?"

"You can let go of me now, you know."

It had been some time since the whole 'pretend couple' thingy commenced, and by this point, the flames they set off had been more or less extinguished. 

When Ace threatened Chloe after she tried to grab a hold on Winter, she fell in thunderstruck silence and was thrown at a loss from thereon. And once she finally decided to back off, he pulled his classmate away from the crowd in a hurry, still embracing her all the while.

But then, Ace seemed to be not satisfied with the pace of their escape at that time. Since the audience got larger without them noticing it, leaving wasn't easy. That was when he picked Winter up and carried her all the way out of the coffee shop. 

Though flabbergasted, she had no choice but to let him be and continue hiding her face. At that point, she only thought about how he ended up 'taking the lead' a little too literally. 

"Wait a bit more. I'll put you down when we get to the back of the building," he told her, holding her closer. 

Ace still appears mad after his confrontation with Chloe. Winter was grateful that he defended her, but she's also worried if he pushed himself too much. Threatening her isn't part of the plan, after all.

"You should really put me down now. It had been rough for you," she insisted, not wanting to trouble him any more than this. 

He can't possibly be not even a little exhausted. Not only did he get spent arguing with his obsessive admirer, but he also had to force his way through a large crowd when they left. 

"I'll never go back to that place again," Winter grimaced, making Ace chuckle.

"Yeah, let's not go back.

"Not like we still have a reason to, anyway-"

"Oh, but aren't you forgetting something?"

"Hmm? What?"

"Your hat."

Then, she paused.

On second thought, she has no choice but to go back there, after all. As her options weigh on her mind for a moment, she's beginning to feel torn between rushing back to that coffee shop and letting him continue to take her further away from it.

That floppy hat is one of her most precious belongings. There's even a point when she swore to swim even the unknown depth of the sea if ever she lost it there. However, going back to that place would only waste his efforts to get the two of them out of there. 

Not to mention, Chloe and her fan club are probably still there. 

"Don't worry, Winter. I'll find it for you. We have to wait for things to settle down, though. Is that alright?" Ace reassured Winter with a smile. 

"Well, if we're just going to wait anyway, I'll also come with you. Let's find it together. Hopefully, they won't take too long. I'm afraid someone already threw it away." 

"Sorry for involving you this much. Things almost got out of control in the end."

"We didn't expect that she'd go after me like that, so don't feel too bad. If anything, you just did the right choice to push her buttons. Otherwise, she wouldn't stop. And everyone would remain blinded by her pretentious facade."

Winter may sound like she's insulting Chloe behind her back, but even in the first get-go, she's not one to please others all the time. That being said, she's definitely got a say or two when someone's doing something wrong. That girl's obviously obsessed, and no matter what her reasons are for roping Ace into this mess, she can't just stand around and let a friend deal with it all by himself.

Now, Winter genuinely hopes that this incident has taught Chloe a lesson. 

"Here we go."

After what seems like a long time, Ace finally puts Winter down. The two then take this chance to let out a breath they didn't know they'd been holding. She must say that he's quite a tough guy, though. Even when he had carried her all the way from there to here, he didn't even break that much sweat.

Even though he's not that muscular, she can tell how strong and sturdy his arms are when he's holding her earlier. 

"Say, Ace, have you been working out?" Winter blurted out absentmindedly.

"Huh? Working on what?" Ace asked, a little confused.

"You know, body-building and stuff."

"O-Oh... Well, kind of. Why ask?"

"I just thought you've got a figure of a model." 

Though she only seems to be stating facts rather than complimenting him, he can't help but blush. For some reason, unlike when Chloe told him to be a model, he felt flattered. Then again, the main reason why he started working out was because he didn't want Marcellus to get ahead of him - he'll definitely be as fine-looking as him or even more someday. 

"B-By the way, sorry if I dragged you into something not very fun today. I even caused you some troubles," Ace started again, changing the subject.

"What're you saying now? Who told you I didn't have fun...?" Winter giggled.

"Don't you already know by now, Ace? I often get into troubles, and sometimes, getting into one turns out to be fun."

He reacts astonished to this while she only beams up at him. She didn't say that just to cheer him up, though. It's really what she feels.

"Now, let's go find my hat, then we'll take off!"

With that, Winter goes ahead and grabs Ace by the wrist before making a dash all the way back to the coffee shop. He only follows and laughs at her, finally looking at the bright side of things and putting all those drama earlier at the back of his head. 

"We can go and have a bit more fun if you want. I still have time before I go home. Oh, but maybe, we can leave out the trouble this time - you know, just to be safe," she quipped while she continued tugging him.

"If that's the lady's wish, then it shall be done~" he chirped with an amused grin.

Everything's fine and well from that moment on.

But that's until they finally got back to the coffee shop. To their relief, the coast was clear when they arrived. However, even this isn't capable of soothing the pain she's feeling right now.

"Seems like it's really gone, Winter."

It's already been almost an hour. They searched all around, high and low, flipping the whole place over. But in the end, there's still no sighting of her beloved hat.

"Oh, no... My precious baby..." Winter teared up and paled, feeling like starting an all-new drama for herself after the loss of her hat.

"August, my big bro, I'm sorry."

---

"Why did you have to take that, Jacob? You can just throw it away."

Bianca rolls her eyes at the sight of the floppy hat in her fiance's hands, feeling like it has this feeling to it that she seems can't stand - almost like a premonition. But being the rational person she is, she decided not to pay much attention to it. Rather than what she's sensing, she's more concerned with what her partner is planning with it. 

"Don't mind me, Bianca. I just feel like taking it with me..." Jacob said with a meaningful smile.

"It can be a good luck charm for all we know."