Chapter 79 - A Diamond In The Rough

Winter doesn't have to think too much about what George asked her - the answer is obvious, at least to her.

She did not start a business because she would own a whole ass company in the near future. But of course, she could not say that to him. Even Marcellus is not aware yet. She understands why he is curious about that, though. It's just that she's not expecting that it's the first thing he'd say.

In the meantime, she had to use an excuse.

"I did think of taking up business management in college, but I did not consider starting a business at this age. Maybe you can say that I'm still preparing for it," Winter reasoned out. 

"I see. To be honest, I think you're more than prepared. Not only are you knowledgeable, but you are also analytical. Pretty impressive, I must say..." George commended as he took the pile of papers on the table and looked through each of them one more time.

"You prepared an elaborate and detailed report, and you made use of statistics, business designs and marketing strategies. This is no mere advice at all. It's already a whole plan. Not to mention, you were able to explain everything clearly in less than half an hour. Not everyone could do that and come up with these ideas in one sitting - not even those from my company." 

Now that George said it, Winter realized that she must have gotten carried away for a bit. Since she was in a hurry to finish her explanation, she did not even ask Marcellus to chime in from time to time like what she initially planned. Instead, she did everything on her own.

'Why didn't he try to make a gesture and tell me to slow down, anyway? I already told him that I needed help in case I slipped up or missed a point,' she thought before she turned to the side and glanced at him.

That's when Winter saw Marcellus joining George in reading her research papers and analytical reports.

He looks so serious that it somehow makes her a little proud of herself. Then again, she doesn't often seen him that focused. That's how he usually looks whenever he's dealing with something that either catches his interest or makes him think that there's a huge potential in it - a look that he never showed her back when they were still married. 

Although Marcellus does compliment her a lot of times during this present timeline, Winter thinks that him praising her for her actual work is much more fulfilling since she poured all of her strength and time in studying business back then - it's the result she got after working herself to death. 

"If I hadn't known better, I would've thought this was done by a graduate of business management at the very least. Great job, Ms. Agreste."

And when Marcellus said that with a smile, proud and impressed, Winter felt really accomplished. 

She remembered that she didn't show her papers to him for checking and revision. That must be why he was this pleasantly surprised - maybe amazed even. 

"I'll take on this plan of yours, Ms. Winter. I did consider doing some of them, but I did not really think of the others before. Still, they all seem feasible to me..." George continued and regarded her.

"The plan is specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and-"

"And timely - or SMART in short. Isn't that right, Sir?" Winter giggled, making him smile in return.

"Indeed. You sure caught on fast."

"It's a fundamental part of business planning, after all."

"I think you should make the most of what you have right now, Ms. Winter. You're capable enough. Why not try to start a business as early as now?"

"O-Oh, ummm..."

She didn't expect that he'd bring that up again. Now, he's no longer asking why she didn't think of doing that. Instead, he's suggesting her to do just that. She had to think of another excuse. 

"Well, uhhhh... I guess... I can do it if I have the money?" was what Winter ended up reasoning out, which she realized was not as convincing as she first thought. 

"Oh, money, huh? You're right. It's important. You can't just get the resources you need that easily, after all..." George agreed and nodded, much to her relief. 

"How about I solve that problem for you? I can help you."

"Huh? What?"

"I'm saying I can give you the money that you need."

For a moment, she went quiet and still, taking it in. Then, as soon as she was able to accept the reality that he really just offered that to her, she felt her eyes bulging wide in utter surprise.

That was not what she was after at all. She didn't think he would go that far. 

"Ummm... Excuse me, Sir George. But you might wanna ask that to me too," Marcellus chimed in, finding him daring and intrepid for implying that he wanted to get her to their side while he was there with them. 

"What? Do you need money, too?" George flatly said.

"No, of course not. That's not what I meant. I'm talking about your plan to get Ms. Agreste to work for you. Don't deny it. I'd definitely notice that." 

"You're thinking I'm going to recruit her to my company and give her a job there? It seems to me that you're just afraid that I'll steal her from you."

"Well, what's the money for, then? Surely, you're not going to give it for nothing."

"If you're able to realize how much potential she holds, you'd most probably suggest the same thing. But I guess you just don't appreciate her well enough." 

Marcellus scowled at that, his brow twitching slightly.

George only gave him a smirk before he turned to look at Winter once more. He found her too deep in thought that she was not paying attention to their conversation anymore. Thinking that he must've caught her interest, he decided to persuade her more.

"Trust me when I say that you're a diamond in a rough, Ms. Winter..." he commended her again, stealing back her attention.

"If this plan of yours ends up succeeding, which I think has a high chance of happening, I can't possibly not give you recognition for that. So, allow me to offer you this - something like a scholarship. I'll help you invest in businesses that you think will make a killing in the future, and I'll give you the resources that you need to start your own little by little."

A golden opportunity.

Winter can't help but see this as a golden opportunity.

However, at the same time, she's starting to have a feeling that George managed to catch on. He has the confidence, and he seems certain - almost like he had realized at some point that she knew what would happen in the future.

Still, she thinks that it's unlikely. He can't possibly figure it out with just this. 

'Anyways, it probably won't hurt for me to try starting as early as now. I mean, it's a good way to prepare for the future. I can learn more things, and I can gain more experiences. While I think that helping Sir Lexington and Sir George in their respective endeavors is enough, having my own endeavor is not that bad...' Winter thought to herself, considering the offer.

'I just need to make sure I'm not going to attract attention, especially from the Middleton's. If I'm going to invest in a business, I'll have to stay anonymous as I do it.' 

Since she knows a number of businesses that will thrive and prosper in the next month or so, she is sure that she will do well. She really doesn't want to steal their ideas and make them her own, so all she can do is invest in them. But if she is to conduct more observations and analyses, she can eventually think of her own business - ones that the Middleton Corporation don't have.

"In return, you can just do what you've been planning to do with me - hold this kind of discussions, give advices, and make predictions..." George added while Winter continued to contemplate on it.

"So, what do you say, Ms. Winter?"

"I say that it's a good idea, Sir George. I appreciate your offer. Thanks for the compliments, too."

"It's nothing. I appreciate your efforts as well."

"I'm glad to hear that. Thank you for letting me have some of your precious time." 

With that, Winter finally had her fate-changing deal with George sealed. 

--- 

"You never told me you needed money. I could've done that myself."

Later that day, Winter got to hear Marcellus complaining over and over again. He didn't like how she easily agreed to assist George in return of making money for her own, and he wasn't pleased with himself for not doing that before him. But then again, he didn't know that she wanted to be an investor and a business owner this early in time. After all, he thinks that she should enjoy her youth as much as she can while she is still young - not enter the world of adults so soon. 

But then, what George told Marcellus back there was probably right, he didn't realize that Winter held so much potential in this kind of thing.