Chapter 94 - No Longer Lost

The whole grand reveal thingy didn't take too long.

It was just probably as long as it would take for the revelation to settle in on everyone. And for that whole time, Winter only stood there in front of all the guests as Cyrus continued to introduce her to them. While she may be smiling, welcoming everyone warmly, she knows for herself that it takes more than that for them to reciprocate the sentiment. 

In silence, she studies the crowd. 

There are chatters and murmurs. There are sneers and mockeries. There are looks of contempt and envy. And there are those who hide their true feelings behind straight expressions. 

'Based on their appearances and how they are positioned, all the people who are making noises at the moment are part of the Middleton's branch families that're of lower ranking. The scene is being set by decoys. The real ones might be trying to watch the situation from behind.'

This is how things are in high society. Everything is not how it seems.

Those who let their thoughts and emotions spill through their actions and facial expressions are the naive ones. True villains and villainesses have more class than that. Therefore, some of those who are keeping silent at that moment are the ones she should be more wary of. They're like dormant volcanoes that're waiting to erupt. But that's only at a time that they think will be convenient for them.

'And of course, Bianca is one of those people.'

Winter glances at the side where Bianca is standing.

She finds her smiling the same saintly smile that gives her a saintly image. If she doesn't know that it's only one of the earliest forms of her deceptions, she would've thought that she's truly glad for her. But all she thinks right now is, 'Her face must be hurting from all that smiling.' 

Winter will take up the challenge, though. If Bianca wants a game of charade, she will happily play one with her. 

"That's all, everyone. Once again, thank you for attending my niece's welcoming party. And I hope that you'll all treat her well. Please, enjoy a fun afternoon." 

Eventually, Cyrus finished his speech.

The visitors give a round of applause, and with that, the party officially begins. Before he lets his niece go, he turns to look at her with a smile. Though a bit taken aback by how sudden that is, she immediately schools her features and returns it with a grin.

"Welcome to the Middleton family, Winter," Cyrus said to which Winter nodded.

"Thank you, Uncle."

"For now, why don't you meet your other relatives? My wife, for one, has been raring to meet you for some time now. And so is your elder sister."

As if summoned, the people in question join them.

Bianca, in her dandelion-yellow summer dress, comes up from her behind, still wearing her flowery smile all the while. Grace, on the other hand, approaches her with a fan covering half of her face. She looks elegant and graceful in her dark green mermaid dress, which accentuates her beauteous features that are composed of a pair of ocean-blue irises and long hazel-brown hair.

Seeing the three of them together, Winter can't help but think that they look more of a family than they can ever be when she's in the picture. Despite being adopted, Bianca resembles Cyrus and Grace for a bit. Maybe it's because they're cunning and crafty.     

"Welcome to the family, my lovely niece…" Grace greeted sweetly, giving her an embrace and a cheek-to-cheek kiss.

"My, how pretty you have become~ I see that you grew up to be like your mother, Jeanette. You've got her hair and eye color."

"Thank you for welcoming me, Aunt…" Winter greeted back, pretending to be sweet as well.

"I'm happy to hear about my mother. Aunt herself looks beautiful, too. Almost like a goddess."

"Oh, my, my~ What flattery. Seems like you've got Wesley's attitude."     

"As much as I want to let you two talk more, I'm afraid I have to take my little sister away now, Aunt Grace…" Bianca chimed in, reaching for her arm and wrapping hers around it all of the sudden. 

"I want to tour her around. Is that alright?"

"Of course. Both of you should also take time to catch up. We'll be leaving her to you, then."

"Yes. I'll take care of her."

With that, Cyrus escorts Grace, leaving them behind to talk with the guests. 

Bianca looks at Winter right then, her smile dropping a little. She still has her arm locked around hers. To others, it may appear like they are close to each other or she is trying to reassure her. But the truth is that this is a fine-drawn act of domination. She's holding her as if she's going to get lost in this sea of people, and that she's telling her to not worry since she's in command of the flow of the waves – 

And that she is.

"Hello there, Winter. Pleased to meet you. My name is Bianca – as you probably already know…" Bianca started, talking a little condescendingly.

"You can call me big sister if you like."

"Say, aren't you going to bring up something…?" Winter replied, deciding to go off topic.

"Big sister and I met before, didn't we?"

"O-Oh… Yeah… We did." 

Bianca trailed off then faltered, not expecting that Winter would suddenly talk about that encounter they had a while ago – and in their first conversation as sisters, to boot.

By doing that, it's almost like she's trying to tell her to back off or something – like she doesn't get why she's trying to get close right now when she's clearly rude to her before. It seems like she can't take her so lightly, then. She's got pride, and she doesn't forget so easily.   

"It was months ago, I think? Who would've known that you're actually my long-lost sister all along? Now, I feel bad for being so rude to you that day. Will you forgive me?"

"Of course, big sister. There's really nothing to feel bad about, though. To be honest, I'm just happy that you accepted me. I was scared that you would not like me because of what happened back then."

"Oh, no, no! Why would I not like you, my little sister? That's all in the past. Right now, we should enjoy ourselves and get to know each other more." 

As always, Bianca's acting skills are on point – and so are Winter's.

She's got to give her credits for that. Because of her, she's able to learn how to deceive, too. Now, she can easily get a grasp of what kind of game she's playing. However, she knows that she will not stay like an open book for too long. Once she realizes how smart she is, she'll definitely step up her game of deceit.

"For now, why don't we go meet my friends…?" Bianca offered as she started pulling Winter towards a particular group of guests whom she recognizes as her circle of followers.

"You must be feeling pressured by the other visitors here. They're all rich and famous, after all. We should start with those near your age. I myself am excited to introduce them to you."

She's excited because she prepared an evil plot with them beforehand.

Winter already knows what will happen. Bianca's group of friends will humiliate her in a roundabout way. They'll belittle her background as a commoner, and they'll treat her like she's dumb by bringing up the fact that she's from a public school. Not this time, though. She's not going to let them have their way – 

She's not going to get any close to them in the first place.

"Thank you for your concern, big sister. But there's no need to worry. I've got this handled," Winter reassured her, halting on her tracks.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Bianca asked in surprise and confusion, stopping as well.           

"I should greet the other guests first. Since you are here, you can go and entertain your friends. I'll do the same with the older ones in the meantime. That way, we can make sure that everyone's having a good time."

"But Uncle Cyrus and Aunt Grace are already talking with them. You should just sit with us. You don't need to force yourself."

"I'm not. And it's fine with me. I'll just join you later."

When this first happened in the previous timeline, she was so desperate to be 'in' that she just kept tailing her elder sister around like some lost puppy. She endured all the offending remarks and the subtle mockeries just so she could be accepted. But this time, she's not lost anymore. She finally knows her ways around this kind of setting, and she already has her place in this world.           

So, Winter strides forward and approaches the other guests, leaving Bianca in stunned silence.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance…" she greeted them with a beaming smile, poised and confident. 

"My name is Winter Middleton, the 'biological' daughter of Wesley and Jeanette Middleton." 

And when Winter emphasized the word 'biological' at that moment, she didn't have to turn around to see how bitter Bianca looked right then.