Chapter 100 - Her Future And His Past

Since all the way back then, Winter was already laying out her plan to take over the Middleton household.

Blackmails, info brokers, networks, and all types of connections – she handled all of those private dealings before she proceeded to gather certain individuals on her side. In one way or another, she succeeded in most of her endeavors, and she is determined to make her mark in more. Now that the real battle will begin from now on, she'll have to step up her game.  

Yet before anything else, Winter wanted to get some sort of confirmation, a pledge of allegiance or a sense of reassurance, from her now most trusted partner in crime, Marcellus.  

"Even before I met you that day, I was already preparing for this…" she began once more.

"So, see? I've got my reasons for approaching you back then and helping you out all this time."

"Reasons, you say…" he sighed heavily, staring down at the pair of shades on the table.

"Considering that you prepared this much, does this mean that what you want to do goes beyond simply managing the household and taking over your family business? Just how bad your circumstances were for you to go all through this trouble? What happened in the future?"

"It's a secret that I've always buried deep within me – a secret that's too dark to be shed light on. Telling you everything means opening up my heart to you. I'll come bare and vulnerable in front you. I won't ask you to take responsibility afterwards. Instead, I'd like to ask if I could trust you with my heart." 

Marcellus sat unmoving, his eyes widening. 

Winter may appear calm and composed. But he already her well enough by this point. And he could tell that she was petrified – it showed in her heavy, hooded eyes. To begin with, she's not the type to ask if she could trust anyone. She's discerning and perceptive enough, so she believes in her judgement more than anything. Yet as it turned out, she still went and asked him that.

It perplexes him since she already should know the answer to that, especially after everything they went through together. But at the same time, it enlightens him. It proves that she can still waver like this despite her image as this strong and independent young lady.

"Let's make a bargain, Sir Lexington," Winter then added out of nowhere, taking Marcellus aback.

"A bargain?"

"I'll tell you my secret in one condition."

"If you want to ask for my help, you know that it's already a given. I'll do whatever you ask me to, Ms. Agreste."

"It's not that. It has nothing to do with helping me out or anything."

"Then, what is it?"

"I want you to confide in me as well. Rely on me. Tell me everything."    

He stiffened right then, certainly not expecting that.

Or perhaps, he should've seen that coming. Then again, that's her only wish that he couldn't fulfill – telling her about his sins and his filthiness, that is. Now that he thought about it, they're kind of similar. While he's afraid of revealing his past, she's terrified of unveiling her future. He knows for himself that the reason he can't tell her about what he did is because he doesn't want her to walk away from him. 

Marcellus doesn't want Winter to leave him like what his mother did.

However, in order to help her, he had to do this. He couldn't keep it a secret for much longer, anyway. The more she gets closer to him, the more she'll learn things about him. And because he will not be able to bear it if she does the opposite of that and drifts far from him, he has no choice but to let her see this entirely different side of him.

'Even then, I'm still afraid. What if she still ends up leaving me if I choose to tell her everything? What then? I will not be able to turn back time unlike her. I will not be able to take back what I said,' Marcellus languished over, looking away from Winter.

Again.

He is about to have a breakdown again. 

Before that happens, she gets to notice his uneasiness. She holds out her hand and places it on top of his in an attempt to calm him down. And he did, much to her relief. She didn't mean to corner him like that. Perhaps, she should've just let him open up to her naturally instead of making that bargain.

For now, Winter has to retreat if she doesn't want to make Marcellus any more uncomfortable than he already is.

"You don't have to say it now, Sir Lexington…" she reassured him while lightly patting his hand. 

"Just promise me that you'll depend on me, too. You can tell me all about it once you're ready."

"Okay. I will…" he accepted, earning her smile.

"Sorry for nearly losing my cool. We should be talking about you right now." 

"Will you listen to my story?"

"Of course. You can trust me, Ms. Agreste."

And with that, Winter reveals everything to Marcellus.

Starting from the moment she entered the Middleton household up until her tragic death which she still could not recall in detail, she told him all of it. He was shocked and speechless through it all. It's a lot worse than he expected – she had it worse than he could ever imagine. If he had known this much earlier, he wouldn't even let her take a single step near this so-called family of hers. 

Among the riot of emotions that he felt, the one that stood out in the clamor was anger.

"They did all of those monstrosities to you?! Those goddamn bastards!" Marcellus growled, fuming.

"Calm down, Sir Lexington. Getting mad isn't gonna solve a thing," Winter tried to talk him out of it, thrown off guard to see him flaring up. 

"They worked you to death then stole away your everything! How could I not get mad?!"

"And that is why I'm doing this. Instead of letting my grudge fester, I decided to think things through and come up with a much better way to exact my revenge-"

"To get rid of them from the face of the earth, right?"

"No! To take back what's rightfully mine!" 

"Oh."

"What 'oh'? Were you serious just now?"

"You bet I am."

"Sir Lexington!"

"Well, they deserve it."

"You can't do that!"

Now, she's getting a headache.

To think he'd think as far ahead as committing murder – that's dangerously overboard. She never wanted to kill anyone nor did she want others to do the same in her stead. But seeing his furious reaction, she knows he's serious. It may look like he only got too caught up in his moment of rage, but for the head of Lexington Empire, it's not at all far-fetched.   

"And you said that I was your husband…?" Marcellus brought up all of the sudden, making Winter go still and silent. 

"I was your husband… And I didn't do a single thing…? Then, aren't I the same as those people-"

"Don't say that. No, you're not. You may have never treated me like a wife, but that's because you're not in love with me or anything. And we have our own respective circumstances. Besides, you did help me out-"

"No. Don't defend me."

Winter never saw Marcellus so remorseful before. 

He has his head stooped low, his eyes so dim that they seem lifeless. Not wanting to make him feel guilty any more, she gives his hand a little squeeze. His body twitches at her touch but tries not to let it show. 

"Everything is okay now. You're different from before. I'll accept your apology if you want to ask for forgiveness. But don't let it get to you. Besides, I myself am not the same as before," Winter said with a smile. 

"Wait, no. I'm pretty sure," Marcellus blurted out, looking deep in thought.

"Sure of what?"

"I'm sure that I fell in love with you back then, too." 

"Huh? What're you saying?"

"I thought about what you said about us getting married and everything. Then, I realized that I'd still fall for you whether you've changed or not."

"Yeah, right. Who would be dumb enough to fall for someone like me? Oh, right. You're the only one who's dumb enough to do so. Just what is it that's so great about me, anyway? Whether it's the 'me' back then or the one I am now, I have nothing special."

He gave her a smirk before he stood up from his seat, much to her surprise. 

She watched him walk over and sit beside her. He then wraps his arm around her waist. Startled, she flinched at this and shot him a pointed look. He did not mind her as he only leaned closer and whispered into her ear, "Do you really want me to answer that?"

"N-No…!" Winter hastily stammered out, turning away. 

"It's okay. So, please go back to your seat."

Marcellus did not.