Love or Die: CEO’ s Daily Dose of Swoon (Cordelia)

Chapter 7

Cordelia was confused in her mind.

What was Midnight Scent doing ordering so many balloons?

She didn't probe further, sensing that Midnight Scent wasn't the same as the one she had known. Even the name itself was unique. Midnight Scent?

Cordelia fell silent. She didn't know Everard. It was only their second meeting, and she had no idea how to engage in a romantic relationship with someone.

Yet her silence only made the dull ache in her chest grow. Seeing Everard leisurely reading a book with no intention of speaking, she wrestled with herself before reaching for another conversational lifeline. "Where's Little Fang?"

Little Fang?

Everard raised an eyebrow. Was she referring to Calvert?

She has the most amusing ways of coming up with names, he thought.

His cold, slender fingers tapped on the counter as he replied. "Out to get breakfast."

Just then, Calvert came through the door, bags of breakfast in hand. "Boss, chow time!"

He paused upon spotting Cordelia, then greeted her with a casual "Hey" before laying the breakfast on a nearby table.

Everard stood up, his towering height adding a sense of dominance to the room, making it somewhat cramped.

He walked to the breakfast table and asked indifferently, "Joining us?"

Cordelia blinked. She hadn't felt quite right upon waking up, which made her skip her usual morning meal. Besides, the Delaney family's breakfast differed from the bread and oatmeal she was used to at the orphanage, so she hadn't eaten much.

After a brief consideration, she nodded. "Sure."

Calvert watched the girl sitting across from the boss and picking up a muffin to eat, and he was stunned.

Who else could be so at ease in front of the boss? This girl was something else!

As Cordelia nibbled on her muffin, she secretly studied Everard across from her.

He ate swiftly, his movements neither rough nor clumsy but rather elegant. When Cordelia finished her muffin, he had already polished off three.

Picking up the pace, Cordelia finished breakfast, and with it, the pain in her chest subsided. She wiped her mouth with a napkin, stood up, and asked, "Can I go now?"

Everard looked up leisurely, his deep brown eyes shimmering with a restrained sharpness. "You're free to leave whenever you wish."

Cordelia hesitated.

This man was shrouded in mystery and danger, so mysterious and unpredictable, but at least for the time, he seemed kind, without malice.

Cordelia had mulled over several ideas from the previous day to that morning.

She had considered calling the police.

But what could she tell them? Was she going to say this man did something to her that made her fall in love with him? The police wouldn't believe her and would probably take her for a lunatic!

After much thought, she decided to take no action and see what he wanted.

Everything had been normal until that morning when her chest began to ache. Did it mean she had to see Everard every day to play at romance?

She asked, "Should I come back tomorrow?"

Everard raised an eyebrow, his lips curving slightly. "Up to you."

-

Cordelia stepped out of the shop and walked to school.

The classroom was buzzing with energy, the students lively even after being battered by the previous day's exams.

"That test was brutal! I couldn't solve so many math problems!"

"Did the questions feel off-topic? Hanley, did you find it tough? How did you do on the math test yesterday?"

Seated in the first row, Hanley straightened up when he heard the question, his tone full of superiority. "Not bad."

"Looks like you nailed it, as expected of the whiz kid!"

Amid the exclamations, Cordelia entered the classroom.

Illuminated by the light filtering in, the girl was tall and graceful, her hair neatly tied back, her soft cheeks framing big, misty eyes.

As a naturally radiant beauty, she caught the attention of everyone in the room, including Hanley, who couldn't help but steal a few glances.

Juliana caught this little gesture and, suppressing the distaste in her eyes, called out loudly, "Cordelia, how did you do on the math test yesterday?"

Cordelia paused a little, looking at Juliana.

Without showing much expression, her indifferent demeanor seemed to have seen through Juliana's petty thoughts, causing Juliana to avert her gaze unconsciously.

Cordelia moved on to her seat, leaving behind a light response. "Not bad."

Not bad? She gave the same response as Hanley.

Hanley scoffed as everyone turned their attention to him, his chin slightly lifted, "What an arrogant person!"

His 'not bad' was modesty, an affirmation. But Cordelia's 'not bad' was above herself.

The implication was clear, and the room erupted in laughter. "Yeah, for Hanley, 'not bad' means anything less than perfect, but for Cordelia, maybe scoring a "D" is 'not bad'. She’s setting the bar pretty low, huh?"

In the faculty office, the math department for senior year was bustling.

As the bell rang, the homeroom teacher, Mr. Latham, picked up the math exams, ready to distribute, when someone from another class asked, "Latham, I heard there was a full mark in your class. Is it

true?"

Latham paused, his smile wrinkling his face. "Yeah."

The other teacher was impressed. "This test was intentionally tough to knock some sense into those kids and get them to focus. That math exam was no joke. Hanley's really something! Your class must be leading the grade average again, right?"

Before Latham could reply, another teacher, Lucille, from Class Two, interrupted, "Class One does have excellent students, but it's a shame some hold them back!"

Lucille, in her thirties, smirked. "Latham, how did that transfer student do in your class?"

At that, Latham stopped in his tracks. "Lucille, I heard the principal originally planned to place Cordelia in your class, right?"

Lucille's face soured at the mention, clearly bothered by the thought.

Two rival honors classes, AP English and AP Math, were the talk of Hamilton High. They were constantly neck and neck, competing for the top spot. Both classes housed a random assortment of the top hundred whiz kids in the senior year, and the competition was fierce.

When Cordelia transferred in, the Delaney family, her folks, had only insisted on her being in an honors class. Principal Matthews had initially intended to place her in Lucille's class, thinking it might be easier to handle any issues with a woman's touch.

But Lucille had none of it and promptly dumped the task on Latham.

Why should Latham get Hanley, a perennial top student, and she be stuck with a problem child like Cordelia? Besides, with Cordelia in the picture, the class average for Class One would surely take a hit.

As Lucille mulled over this, she calmly said, "Oh, yes, but our class is full."

But Latham, who had initially seemed weighed down by the prospect of taking on Cordelia, was all smiles. "Well then, I guess I owe you one!" he said cheerily, striding past Lucille while humming a tune.

Lucille was left dumbfounded.

Over at Latham's office, someone had dashed to check the latest test scores he'd tallied. A gasp cut through the air. "The perfect score this time is not from Hanley?" Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

After hearing that, a sinking feeling hit the pit of Lucille's stomach. "Who is it then?" she asked with a sense of dread creeping into her voice.