"Thanks!" Marcus sincerely accepted the praise from passersby toward Cornelia, responding with a warm smile.
As time ticked away and the sightseeing tourists started to dissipate, a snowball smacked Marcus hard. Then came Cornelia's playful voice, "President Hartley? What are you doing here?"
This girl always had a new gimmick when she got drunk. Marcus laughed helplessly, his eyes behind the silver-rimmed glasses filled with tender indulgence, "It's freezing. Let's go home and come back tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay, let's go home." Cornelia, now tired from all the play, tossed her last handful of snow and wobbly made her way into the snowfield.
Marcus quickly pulled her back, "This way!"
Brushing off his hand, she went ahead on her own. It was slippery due to the snow and she was so drunk she could barely think straight. Every step she took seemed like she would tumble over.
Marcus couldn't care less about anything else. He wrapped his strong arm around her waist and guided her toward the parking lot.
Cornelia was truly drunk and instinctively thought the person helping her was either Zack or Abigail. She leaned her entire body against Marcus, not wanting to exert any effort, so essentially Marcus half-carried her to the car.
Marcus helped her into the passenger seat and patiently fastened her seatbelt. Just as he was about to move away, Cornelia suddenly reached out to cup his face.
Marcus's heartbeat slowed as he held his breath, waiting for her next overstepping move. To his surprise, Cornelia just patted his face lightly, "Zack, what's up with you looking better after not seeing you for half a month? Be honest, have you had plastic surgery?"
She was drunk and rambling about another man. Even though Marcus knew they were just friends, like family, he couldn't help but get upset. His face darkened.
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