High School Again: The President's Secret Lady Boss

Before Winter knew it, she's already letting Courtney and Maxine get their ways with her.

The whole idea about her choosing an ideal outfit for her imaginary date had worked somehow. Not only did the selection process give her enough time to sort out her feelings, but picking what to wear also boosted her self-confidence. She gets to have a clearer picture of her hidden charms and beauty, and she realizes that she does look pretty in her own way.  

"First dates can be nerve-wracking and exciting at once, making a great outfit all the more important so you can feel as confident as possible. When planning out a look, staples you'll feel like your best self in are an ideal starting point – whether that's a T-shirt and jeans, a pretty dress, a matching set, or a jumpsuit. Eye-catching pieces and fun accessories will catch your date's eye and undoubtedly make a great impression, too, be it a uniquely cut top, pants with a bold print, colorful heels, or sculptural earrings!"

Courtney had kept rambling the whole time. Maxine, on the other hand, had acted as her assistant. Realizing that they're totally serious about it, Winter listened to their advice. 

In the end, she chose a white frilled summer dress and a pair of lace-up espadrilles. It has a chic look that fits her dainty figure nicely. Since she didn't want to overdo it, she decided to stick with a minimal yet cute image. 

"See?! I knew you could do it!" Courtney chirped, greatly elated.

"I-I guess I did. Thanks," Winter said timidly, feeling accomplished herself. 

"So, then, who is it, Wintry~?" Maxine drawled with a teasing look.

"Huh? Who is what?"

"Who were you thinking about when you were choosing an outfit? Your imaginary date, I mean. Is it our sunshine boy or that cool-looking mister?"

Winter blushes fiercely, still not prepared to answer that.

Of course, there's only one guy who kept popping up in her mind when she's debating what to wear. There's only one guy she can imagine going on a date with, and as she takes a look at her reflection in the mirror, it becomes a lot more apparent. There's only one guy who she knows will be impressed with the outfit she picked – it could only be him.

But then, Winter can't find it in herself to say it out loud yet.  

"Well, I think you already figured it out. No need to tell us now," Maxine reassured her while patting her head. 

"Yeah. You can talk about it with us anytime. What matters the most is that you finally know," Courtney seconded, grinning encouragingly. 

Winter is silent for a moment, wondering if she even deserves to have them as friends.

Sweet, honest, and loyal – over the course of time, she'd gotten this close to them and even learned those sides of theirs. Though she doubted she did anything special, she's more than grateful that she got to know them better. In the past, she never imagined that she'd be one of them, considering their contrasting personalities and all. Right now, though she couldn't imagine what she'd be doing if she hadn't become their friend.

To them, Winter is incredibly thankful.

---

"Ms. Middleton, you have to come with us quietly if you don't want to cause any trouble."

Every good moment has to end, it seems.

Not even sometime after the three of them stepped out of the mall, a certain predicament arose – one that'll challenge Winter's resolve to cherish her friendship with Maxine and Courtney. Apparently, they'd been cornered by a group of men in suits on their way home. It's evening by that point, and there aren't many people around. But then, that's not what frustrated her the most in that situation.

Rather, it's the fact that she'd been too laid-back and carefree.

"If you don't want to involve your friends here, you have to come – as quietly as possible," one of them proceeded to threaten Winter, giving a once-over at Courtney and Maxine who still appeared to be oblivious of what's happening.

These strangers pretended to be asking for directions at first, and while one of them singled Winter out and informed her of their true intentions, Courtney and Maxine continued to converse with the others like normal. They thought they're still merely entertaining questions, but in reality, they're already being threatened behind their backs. 

Now, Winter deeply regrets not taking at least one bodyguard with her - she just never learns.

But she has no choice at this point. The damage had been done, and to keep it from getting worse, the right decision must be made – a sacrifice must be made.

"Alright. I'll go with you." 

Winter knew that she's being too naive, but fortunately, Maxine and Courtney caught on.

She briefly said goodbye to them, telling them that she had to go. As she did so, she showed them the most uncomfortable look she could manage at that time. That's when they understood. She knew that they already got the message since they didn't ask who she'd be going with or if she's even going back home.

"I'll call the cops," Courtney whispered to Maxine as they watched Winter get taken away – both trying to be as calm as possible.

"Hold on. Some of them are still monitoring us. Let's go back inside the mall first where there are people around. Then, we'll call."

--- 

Winter doesn't know where exactly everything went wrong.

At one point, she's just shopping with her friends in the mall. Everything seemed perfect despite the reason why they're there in the first place. They turned her day around, and they'd been a great company. But then, all of the sudden, she found herself in a downright harrowing situation.

It happened too quickly.

Chaos stormed in when Winter least expected it – when she's too caught up in other matters. It's a little too late when she realized that danger had pounced on her. She'd been taken to a car, and there, she met who seemed to be the mastermind's frontman.

He, along with the others in that vehicle, is wearing a sumptuous black-and-white attire and a mask that accentuated their foreboding shadiness – professionals that give off the impression that they're working for a big shot. 

"Please, be at ease, Ma'am Middleton. We won't harm you. You're a special guest of our boss, after all…" was what he said, though she was not a bit least reassured.

"We're simply escorting you to the location of your marriage interview."

"Marriage interview…?" was what she said in return, wary and appalled.

"What marriage interview? Were you ordered by my family?"

"No, we're not, Ma'am. Our boss is your marriage interview partner."

"I see. Then, tell him I refuse to meet him. I'll sue him for kidnapping if you don't stop this at once." 

"I apologize, but we can't do that, Ma'am. His command is absolute and final – we have to take you to him 'no matter what.' That was his order." 

"Do you know the consequence of forcing me into this?"

The frontman didn't respond, much to Winter's dismay.

Then, before she realized it, she had lost consciousness. All along, there was actually some sort of sleep-inducing scent in the car. That explains the masks they're wearing. 

Now, almost an hour has passed since then.

Winter has found herself all tied up in what appears like a decent-looking office.

She's seated on an armed chair right in the middle of that unfamiliar place. Trying to stay calm, she scanned around her surroundings for a clue, though all she found were several picture frames, some furniture, and a huge glass window that gave her a good view of the city nightscape.

Winter absolutely has no idea as to where she is. 

"Sir Lexington," she breathed out shakily, perturbed to an unfathomable degree.

She keeps calling his name silently, hoping that Marcellus will show up right then and there. For a while, she tried several ways to remain calm, and calling his name had turned out to be the only thing that did the trick in the end. 

Winter didn't regret what she did for Maxine and Courtney earlier, though.

She feared that something bad would happen to them had she not complied. Besides, she trusts them enough - they'll report the situation. Both of them are smarter than they seem, so they'll know what to do without wasting her effort to keep them out of danger. They must have already called for help by now.

All she had to do was to wait.

'No. Maybe I can still do something other than wait. No matter what happens, I have to protect myself until help arrives.'

This isn't the first time she's been abducted, but this is definitely the worst so far. Even though she's told that this is a marriage interview, this doesn't look anywhere near one. If anything, she feels that the one who's behind this is nothing but a total creep.

"Why, hello there, my lovely bride."

And a total creep it is.

Someone whispered in her ear out of nowhere. Taken aback, she turned to the side and found someone familiar. Her eyes bulged wide right then, her body going frozen still.

"N-Neil… Schwartz?" Winter stammered out in shock and disbelief.