Chapter 102 - A Glimpse In Their World

It's the day after the welcoming party. 

Winter and August are now spending their very first morning in the Middleton family's estate. Since it was already too late in the evening when yesterday's celebration came to an end, they were not able to have a tour around the place. However, just from the front yard alone, they can already see that the residence is resplendent and palatial. It's almost like a castle out of a fairytale.

Winter would like to tour August around herself. 

She could still remember the layout of the mansion since she once lived there before her arranged marriage with Marcellus, though she knows she should at least take the head maid with them given that she should not expose herself and reveal that she knows too much. The same should go at this very moment. As they eat breakfast together with her other family members, she should be on guard while pretending to be the complete opposite of it. 

'Everyone in this estate is under Uncle Cyrus and Aunt Grace's control. They'll be keeping a close eye on me from this point on. But I'm no more than a guest to them…' Winter quietly pondered as she seated herself beside August at the dining table. 

'To them, Bianca is still the one and only daughter. That's because she has Uncle and Aunt's favor. They also think that she's much more intelligent and capable than me.'

She glances at Bianca from across the table, and as expected, she catches her smiling to herself.

Even though she tries to pretend like she is beaming at her, she knows that there's a hidden meaning behind that amused expression. She gets to figure it out as soon as she looks down at the plate that's been served for her. Upon seeing the mockery that greeted her, she resisted the urge to snort right then and there.

'Hah. What a nice welcome.'

Not only did the maids give Winter a set of toys that're meant for five-year-old's as cutlery, but she could also smell that they added something unpleasant in her food. 

Winter didn't react. She already expected this – already prepared for this. Nevertheless, her lack of response still seemed to have entertained the maids who're behind this. Even without looking, she can tell that Bianca is smirking along with her underlings.

Sneering. Mocking. Laughing silently among themselves.

'These imbeciles.' 

Winter took a look at what had been served to August. To her relief, he'd been given the same serving as the others. It appears like he's the only one they're properly treating as a guest here. Not to mention, he already became popular among the house workers even though it's only his first day in this estate just like her – and she's betting all her wealth that it's because of his good looks.

'Seems like being attractive can be quite a privilege too. Kinda ridiculous, I must say…' she begrudgingly thought, deciding to dig in and eat what she could eat despite her will. 

'It's understandable that they're only targeting me, though. And it's better this way. I'd rather have them leave him alone instead of involving him. Knowing Bianca, she must be planning to get on his good side so she could use him against me at some point. Any sort of kind treatment from her is only motivated by the thought that she could use people as means to an end. Or perhaps, she's only indifferent to him.'  

For now, Winter won't do anything.

It's too early to make a move. This is still nothing. So, instead of making a fuss over this, she'd do as she initially planned.

"Hmm? What the?" 

Bianca didn't see this one coming.

Here she was thinking that Winter would either complain about the food and the cutlery or pretend to be fine with it and end up looking pitifully submissive. But then, how she responded was out of her expectations. While she did choose to turn a blind eye on it, she did it with class and grace. Her table manners are on point – almost as if she'd been taught etiquette beforehand. 

Everyone else also took notice of this, and for a moment, they look a bit astonished.

'Yeah, yeah. I'm fully aware. You guys also pay attention to this kind of thing, right...?' was what Winter wanted to scoff at their faces upon seeing their reactions. 

'First impressions are everything. Even in something as simple as eating, I should not show a flaw. They most probably didn't expect that a commoner like me would know such manners-'

Then, she paused.

When she glanced at August once more, she was surprised to see that even he was doing great. He knows table etiquette as well, and he's applying it quite splendidly. Perhaps, he's used to this setting because he attends work-related banquets sometimes. Now, she feels bad for thinking that the recognition he's getting from the house workers is only because of his good looks.

Anyhow, Winter just silently applauds August for this even though he doesn't even realize the kind of attention he's getting. 

"By the way, I've been thinking…" Cyrus chimed in all of the sudden, gathering their attention almost immediately – even his tone has power, it seems.

"I want to look for a new business, considering that the company's previous project has already finished."

"Uncle, how about investing in cosmetics?" Bianca suggested, earning a thoughtful look from him.

"Cosmetics, huh?"

"Yes. Besides the gigantic tech and finance sectors, another sector we should pay attention to is the fashion and beauty industry. Cosmetics in particular is booming nowadays. Apparently, the habit of following, liking and sharing make-up tutorials and reviews on social media platforms is allowing newer but less established labels to compete with the traditional big players. Thanks to that, beauty companies are seeing an increased ability to reach and engage with their core customers at unprecedented levels."

"I see. That's a good idea, Bianca. As expected of you."

Winter can see it – these two are bragging.

By bringing up a business-related topic, they want to make her feel out of place, to make her feel inferior. They're letting her take a glimpse of their world. It further shows when Bianca continues to support her suggestion with factual details and observations - noted that she's glancing at her from time to time as she does so. 

Talk about boastful. 

"This year saw leading beauty stocks make double-digit gains. And this trend is likely to continue. Today, the thriving cosmetics brands enjoy a global presence spanning a number of countries. They've also built a reputation for excellent products at budget-friendly prices," Bianca explained, practically turning breakfast time into some sort of a business meeting.

While Cyrus and Grace make a show of looking proud, August simply continues with his meal. Winter is kind of surprised to see him not that interested. Business is also his thing, apparently. But then, he doesn't even appear like he is listening to Bianca.

'Bianca is smart, so I believe she knows what she's saying, but still…' Winter thought to herself, already aware of the future that awaited this cosmetics business of theirs. 

'That's too ordinary.'

The Middleton Corporation ended up pushing through Bianca's idea in the previous timeline. 

However, its popularity was nothing but short-lived. That's because the competition would be tight and the production would only be a copycat of other labels. To begin with, their company never tried out this kind of business before. On top of that, the team that managed this project wasn't as competent as those of the other companies. It'll only be a waste of time, effort and money.

Fortunately, Winter already thought of several good businesses that they could invest in instead – ones that she was yet to try out but knew would succeed in the future.

"Uncle, may I also try suggesting something?" Winter piped in, stealing their attention.

And she swore she heard some of the maids snort right then. 

Cyrus and Grace was taken aback by her uncalled-for participation. August looks more intrigued than flabbergasted. Bianca, on the other hand, chose to be as petty as ever – along with her underlings, she is mocking her in secret, sneering in silence. They're clearly underestimating her.

"Of course, you may. What is it, Winter?" Cyrus asked, forcing out an amicable smile.

"Why not try investing in jewelry?" Winter proposed with confidence.

Once more, she swore she heard the maids snorting. Even their petty little mistress almost did it too.

By that point, August is starting to notice. 

For now, however, he decides to let his sister take the stage and talk her talk. She appears serious about this even though her suggestion came out of nowhere. And it seems to him that Cyrus is trying to test her by hearing her out.

"Why jewelry, darling…?" Grace spoke up in Cyrus's stead, voice honeyed and silvery.

"Can you explain it like what Bianca did?" 

"Well, what's beautiful about investing in jewelry is that it is timeless and its value does not diminish. Real jewelry becomes more valuable over time and it is a great investment asset to have as it pays dividends in the future," Winter began, calm and collected. 

"So what? Everyone already knows that," Bianca interjected. 

"Indeed, it's common knowledge, but that's not all there is to jewelry. If you don't mind, I'd like to propose not only a business idea and the reason why you should choose it. Please, allow me to talk about some marketing strategies and the production, too."  

At that moment, the dining hall went silent.