Fil and Marianne excused themselves, which the group didn't mind. They made their way to the bar station, sitting on the stools facing each other.
"Fil, is everything okay?" asked Marianne. "I'm a little worried."
Fil cocked her head to the side. "Worried? About what?"
"Your clothes," Marianne pointed out. "You'd never wear something like this if nothing pushed you to do it. Did Vincent tell you to change your style?"
"Huh?"
"Fil." Marianne paused, holding Fil's hand tightly. "Or is it the articles today? Are you angry about the articles? Is this why you are wearing something different?"
For a moment, Fil observed Marianne's reaction. From the look of Marianne's eyes down to her tone and body language, it was hard to detect the hidden agenda behind her line of questions. Fil had fallen for this woman's 'concerns' in the past, thinking about how beautifully sincere Marianne to her well-being was.
