Life and Death Matter
This particular establishment is a high-class, luxurious five-star hotel that is filled with sophisticated people that complement its opulence.
That is why Marcellus is able to spot Winter among the crowd almost immediately. She is wearing a plain and simple dress that makes her stand out in a way. He would not say that she stuck out like a sore thumb, though. In all honesty, he even thought that she was such a refreshing sigh to behold.
Marcellus already had enough of all those ostentatious and exquisite apparels - there is beauty in simplicity, too.
"President Lexington, will that arrangement be alright?"
The person he had been talking to had asked something that he failed to catch on. He is too focused on a certain someone who is not in the lobby with them. His gaze is pointing all the way to the lounge in a distance.
"Ummm... Sir? Are you still with me?"
"Oh, right. Yes, of course."
It took him that second call to snap out of his daze.
From thereon, Marcellus tried to concentrate on their conversation. He will have to finish this business first before he gets to the other one that is waiting for him at the lounge.
'Seems like you've got to wait a little longer, Ms. Agreste.'
Eventually, their exchange comes to a close, taking much more time than he expected.
Even then, Marcellus still found Winter at the same spot. She is sitting there in all modesty, waiting for him patiently. However, that's not what really caught him off guard. Rather, it's the expression that she made the moment she saw him making his way in her direction.
Winter smiles at Marcellus right then - a smile that almost knocks him out of breath.
It is not her usual playfulness nor it is mere pretense. She beams at him just like the scintillating summer sun. Not so much as dazzling, but it is bright and warm. It kind of contradicts her name, though it also has parallels to her personality.
"You sure took your time, Marcellus Lexington! I'm starting to get hungry!" Winter chimed in, greeting him with a huge, ear-splitting grin.
"So, you're now calling me without the honorific, huh...?" Marcellus sighed as he wondered just how unpredictable she wanted to be.
"Why are you even here, anyway? I'm still working. I told you I'd be the one to meet you instead. And this is not really the time."
"Can't recall I agreed to that. Besides, what if I have something urgent to attend to and tell you?"
"Like what you hopefully have now, I guess?"
"Yeah. That's right. This one's extremely urgent."
Fortunately, there are only the two of them in that lounge at that point. If there happened to be someone else around, they'd not be able to get rid of the attention they'd gather from them. He should blame this on her for saying it all of the sudden, but much more than that, he should be minding what exactly she disclosed at that moment.
"So, I'm confident you're still in contact with Ms. Violet Miller - you know, the woman you went on a date with a while ago..." was what Winter said in grim solemnness, suddenly bringing up that certain acquaintance of his.
"The thing is, she will be having a huge accident on this very day. It was an accident that almost costed her life."
Marcellus did not see that coming at all - not the emergence of this life and death matter nor how serious Winter would turn once she dropped that revelation.