7 The Lady's Advice

Ranging from glimmering diamonds to radiant golds, that jewelry store is a whole treasure paradise filled with lavish accessories and opulent ornaments that are crafted from the rarest of gemstones.

Beholding such a sight is already a luxury. The sophisticated and posh decorum of the setting alone does the talking of how expensive the products are. Even the employees appear spruce and well-dressed, living up to how grandiose the entire thing is.

Today, a scene is beginning to stir in that place. Aside from the jewels, there is a certain someone who has started attracting everyone's attention. Staff and customers alike - they all can't help but look at this glorious human masterpiece and be helplessly dazzled.

Marcellus has paid a visit, looking around for a present that he will give to his date later.

'She is an important one. I have to make a good, lasting impression if I want to establish a relationship with her. For that, I'm willing to make extra efforts and spend more money than usual...' he mused as he pored over sets after sets of all the decorative ornaments in that store.

"That being said, what is better to give a woman but a man's greatest display of affection?'

As he thought about that quip, he flashed a devilish smirk and a knowing gaze. He then looks at the jewels as if they are the sole forms of what he has pertained to - a man's greatest display of affection, indeed. Almost every woman he met was like that. They were all easily swooned by these kinds of things.

Resplendent bouquets of flowers, imported boxes of chocolates, fancy dinner dates, and luxurious items - paired with romantic gestures, they are enough to make most women fall head-over-heels.

"Oh, so this is where you are."

At someone's sudden remark, Marcellus reacts taken aback and tears his gaze off of the diamond necklace that he is peering at. He then draws back and looks through the glass that is encasing the jewelry. There, he finds an all-too-familiar face in an all-too-familiar pair of shades.

"Hey, there~! How's it going?" Winter greeted with a smile.

"You... You're that..." Marcellus blurted out while his eyes widened a little in surprise.

"You're that highschooler from the cafe the other day, aren't you?"

"Yeah. That's right."

"I take that you feel bad so you're here to give my shades back?"

"If you're implying that I looked everywhere for you just to do that, then you're wrong. I don't feel bad at all. Besides, you've probably got thousands of sunglasses."

"Mind telling me why're you here, then? With the way you're talking to me now, I don't really get the feeling that you're here to shop."

"Oh, how sharp of you. As expected of Sir Lexington~"

That gets Marcellus tilting his head to the side for a bit, thinking that Winter is actually aware of who he is all along. But even then, she is still acting this chatty and blunt. The level of casualness that she puts on show is quite dumbfounding. He really feels like she is not doing all of this without a particular purpose.

"Anyway, I just came to give you an advice. You're going on a date after this, right?" Winter started again, still talking through the jewelry display case.

"No. No, I'm not," Marcellus lied and feigned innocence despite his surprise, trying to match how easygoing she was on this whole thing.

"Yes, you are. No use lying 'cause I can just show up at that restaurant you're going to even if you deny it now-"

"How in the world did you even know about that?"

"Just a hunch."

"No, it's not. You can't possibly know about something like that. Do you even know who I am?"

"Hmmm... Going by the way you talk, it seems like your dates are more than mere get-togethers. Are they something you can't let other people know about? What more can they ever be, I wonder? Oh, and I may sound like a stalker now, but I have a reason for stalking you like this-"

"Then, you're a stalker."

"Okay, let me rephrase that. What I'm telling is that I have a reason for poking my nose into your business-"

"Now, you seem to be worse than a stalker."

"For a guy, you can be quite grumpy."

"I just don't enjoy this kind of conversation with a stranger."

Winter does not respond that, settling with a smile.

She is getting the impression that Marcellus is already starting to get both suspicious and impatient. He must have finally caught on that he could not take her lightly. Then again, it was true that she should not know about his schedule - more particularly, his dates. The fact that she knows where he is right now might have piqued his curiosity as well.

"Pardon me for taking some of your time, then. I just really wanted to give you an advice..." Winter calmly continued despite the sharp and intense gaze the he was giving her at the moment.

"Your date is the daughter of that certain chief executive, right? The head of the Miller Holdings."

"That too? You know that much...?" Marcellus snorted incredulously.

"Which family do you belong to? Are you the daughter of one of our business partners?"

"Oh, no, I am not. Didn't you see my uniform the other day? I'm studying at a public school. Free tuition fee and all."

"Just what kind of advice does a public schoolgirl want to give someone like me, then?"

"Ms. Violet Miller, your date, is not fond of jewelries. Better quit this."

"Huh? What?"

"You ought to go for a simple present. Like flowers, for one. Not a bouquet, though. She doesn't like something that fancy-"

"Ummm... Excuse me, young lady... But are you going to buy something here? Or are you only bothering our dear customer?"

All of the sudden, the manager of the jewelry store joins in their conversation, taking both of them aback for a bit.

Right then, Winter realizes that talking with Marcellus must have caught the attention of the onlookers. With the manager hearing her discourage him in buying their products, she might have come out to be bothersome too.

That is not really her intention, but at the rate of how this is going, she should probably retreat. To begin with, it is true that she is not going to buy anything there.

"I'll take my leave now, Sir Lexington. Again, sorry for taking some of your precious time..." Winter said for the last time before turning back around and leaving him thoroughly confounded yet again.

"But please, keep my advice in mind."