Chapter 104 - Nothing To Lose

In the end, their breakfast had just carried on like how it had before the whole conversation was brought up. 

Cyrus was given no choice but to drop the subject and left the exchange at that. Winter could see that he still wanted to say something. But with Grace guarding him, he could not do anything but obey. 

'Well, it's up to Uncle if he'll push through my idea or not. I've got nothing to lose here…' Winter thought to herself, a little amused by the situation.

'If he decided to invest in a jewelry business, it would be good for the company, especially since there are certain events in the near future that'll lead it to be in demand. It'll be good 'cause even though he's still acting as the head of our family business, he's nothing but my proxy. Soon enough, I'll completely take over Middleton Corporation. On the other hand, if he decided not to take up my idea, it would be his loss. I could just do it myself and start my own jewelry business instead.'

No matter what her uncle chose, she'd still be the one who'd benefit here the most.

Just like this, she's got the business sphere dealt with. Her preparations these last several months are meant for this. Little by little, she'll gain power and influence by manipulating the ones who have them first. Throughout this course, however, she still had to act naive and gullible.       

'I may have overdone my business proposal just now, though. I got too carried away that I forgot I had to look trusting and inexperienced. But then, I couldn't stand pretending to be dumb and stupid either. There's a limit to how much they could humiliate me.'

While Winter is having these thoughts, Bianca is staring at her intently.   

As much as she doesn't want to admit it, she finds her to be quite eloquent and well-informed. Not only does she have good manners, but she also knows how to be a good conversationalist. On top of that, she is knowledgeable in business. 

'Is it because of her adopted elder brother? I did a background check on both of them, so I know that he is an office worker at some company. Surely, he knows a thing or two about how a business operates. Apart from that, I've also heard that she's going to take up business management as her college course. Could it be that she's seriously preparing to become the next head of our company…?' Bianca contemplated as she continued to regard Winter in contempt.       

'Not on my watch, you brat.'

It seems like she has to get more serious too.

She takes a moment to study her further, recalling every little snippet of information that she has gathered about her. That's when she remembers those moments where she's greeting the guests at her welcoming party. Even at that time, she already appears mysteriously formidable. That impression grew stronger whenever she displayed some sort of closeness with a certain few of them.

'The current leader of Ratri Order, the heiress of Miller Holdings, and the next head of Collins Firm…' Bianca recalled, still feeling as perplexed as she was when she first saw them hanging around Winter yesterday. 

'I believe she's acquainted with the CEO of Lexington Empire too, but even when I invited Sir Lexington on purpose to confirm this, I never got to see her talking with him during the party.'

This won't do at all.

No matter how many times she does a background check on her, she'll still end up lacking in information – or more appropriately, she just really can't seem to get the kind of information that she wants. At this rate, she'll have to step up her game. She'll have to know what she's hiding. May it be her former affiliations or her private connections, she'll have to find out about them.

'Perhaps, I should hire a spy?' 

Bianca smirks at that thought.       

--- 

Winter was not able to eat anything.

She almost forgot that the cutlery that was given to her was meant for toddlers. It couldn't even cut through a piece of bread, and as if that wasn't enough, her food had an unappetizing smell. In the end, she only got to barely finish half of her plate.   

'Let's be patient for now. I can't do anything yet…' Winter told herself as she tried to calm down and keep her cool.

'As long as Uncle and Aunt are around, all my complaints will only fall on deaf ears. The house workers have their backings, after all. If I'm going to do something about this, I have to do it in one blow. Once I take action, I'll make sure they're gonna regret messing with me.'

At least, that's what she decided.

But as soon as the desserts came, things took an unexpected turn. It just happened that the maid who're in charge of the kitchen had served her a measly amount of cookies – worse, they're as hard as rocks. Everyone else's desserts seem fine, which means that this is done on purpose.

Again. 

'Why, these dirty little…' she wanted to curse right then, but she held it back.

'I'm so gonna get you all for this-'

Winter's thoughts had been cut off when August took one of her cookies all of the sudden.

She couldn't even react properly since he already went ahead and took a bite. His eyes went as wide as saucers then. He was stunned and bewildered, wondering why her desserts were like that. Before he could ask about it, he also caught sight of the kind of silverware that had been given to her. They're as small as that of a toddler's toys.

Unsure of what to do or say at that moment, Winter could only watch as August flared up in anger.

"What the hell is this…?" he hissed before whipping his head around to glare at the maids.   

"Hey, are you messing with my sister?!" 

Cyrus and Grace are taken aback when he unceremoniously bolts out of his seat. Bianca flinches in surprise, not seeing this coming. She didn't foresee that he'd notice and react like this. The maids that he's confronting, on the other hand, have all went frozen still. Everyone in the dining hall right now is completely caught off guard by his outburst. 

Winter didn't do anything. Bianca turns to look at her, expecting her to stop August. 

But she did not. 

She just stayed silent as she took one last sip from her glass of water. Her expression is cold and indifferent, hardly bothered by this turn of events. Though this isn't a part of her plans, she's left with no choice but to deal with it as she sees fit. She won't blame her brother for going off course and causing a racket, though. He's only doing this for her sake, after all.       

"Take me to your chef this instant! You dare serve such a thing to my sister…?!" August continued to exclaim in aggravation, frightening the maids. 

"Just what kind of household would do this?!" 

"What is going on…?" Cyrus asked as calmly as he could, standing up in an attempt to hold him back. 

"What's the problem, Sir Agreste-"

"I'll handle it, Uncle…" Winter chimed in, smiling at him reassuringly.

"There's a problem with what has been served to me. But don't worry. I'll take care of it."

"Take care of it? How…?" Bianca dared to interject, pretending to be oblivious.

"You can't just do anything you want, alright? You do know that Uncle and Aunt are the ones who're in charge here-"

"They're not the ones who caused this mess, aren't they, big sis?"

"Huh? Of course not-"

"Then, what's the matter? I'm just going to confront those who did this. Why would I still trouble Uncle and Aunt over it?"

"Because they have the right to know what you're gonna do!"

"I'll let them know afterwards, then. What's the problem with that?"

Winter is beginning to run out of patience. 

She's not like some 'Karen' who'd demand to talk with the manager to resolve an issue. To begin with, she's the real manager here – neither her nor their uncle and aunt. That said, this is between her and the people who wronged her.

'Don't worry. You'll also be dealt with soon enough, Bianca…' Winter thought darkly as she spared Bianca one last look before trailing after August who had already went to confront the chef. 

'For now, let's clean up the other smaller filth of this household.'   

--- 

If August hadn't started a commotion, Winter would've saved this part of her plan for later. 

But then, before she knew it, he was already flipping the whole kitchen upside down. All the maids from the dining hall earlier as well as the cooks who're in charge of their meals are present in the scene. Just from watching at the side, she could already see that everyone was in it. 

Some didn't give a damn while others were unnerved.

"Now, please explain what you've served on my sister's plate," August demanded.

And like what Winter was expecting, nobody stepped up and admitted anything.