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

Chapter 6

Lorna's heart ached so fiercely that she nearly burst into tears, but she quickly bowed her head, covering her swollen cheek, fighting to keep her voice steady. "It's nothing, Lia. I just went overboard with the blush. You, um, you should return to your room."

Cordelia watched her silently before responding with a flat "Oh."

When Lorna thought she could finally sigh in relief, Cordelia skirted past her and headed downstairs.

Lorna's eyes widened in alarm, and she hurried after her. "Lia, Lia..."

The few people in the living room heard the commotion and turned their heads in unison.

Cordelia walked straight up to Laurinda, her expression blank, her beautiful eyes slightly vacant. But when she spoke, her voice was icy. "Why did you hit her?"

Laurinda was stunned. For the second, she felt Cordelia's presence was formidable, but she quickly shook off the feeling.

It was just a delusion, after all. Cordelia was just a girl, no older than Juliana.

She sat on the couch, slightly tilting her head up, and scoffed, "She gave birth to a fool, tarnishing the Delaney family name. Slapping her was letting her off easy!"

Lorna had caught up and stood protectively in front of Cordelia. "Laurinda, Lia is not a fool!"

"Not a fool?" Laurinda snorted, "Then, how would she look like this? Lorna, don't you feel sorry for yourself? I'm not asking for Cordelia to be as brilliant as Juliana. Just close enough in grades, I'd treat you with the utmost respect!"

Lorna's lips trembled, unable to speak.

"No need." Cordelia suddenly spoke up, her gaze steady on Laurinda, sweeping past Edwin and Belinda with a chilly tone. "If my grades are better than Juliana's, an apology to my mom will suffice."

With that, she took Lorna upstairs.

It wasn't until the pair disappeared up the stairs that Laurinda snapped back to reality, scoffing at Belinda's scrutinizing gaze, "She talked as if she could outdo Juliana in grades. Huh, in her dreams!"

-

Cordelia led Lorna back to her room.

Once the door was closed, Lorna's eyes brimmed with tears as she grasped Cordelia's hand, "Lia, did you just call me Mom?"

Cordelia stiffened, and her "Hmm" was noncommittal, with a hint of distance and awkwardness.

Despite knowing her parents hadn't abandoned her on purpose and holding no grudges against Lorna, the sudden introduction to a mother after eighteen years was unsettling.

Seeing Cordelia's reaction, Lorna didn't press further but lowered her head and began to ramble, "Lia, I'm sorry. I failed to keep you safe when you were born, and you went missing."

Her voice broke into sobs. "Your father and I have searched for so many years. Now we've finally brought you home, but you're still suffering due to me."

Cordelia awkwardly offered Lorna some tissues, uncertain how to comfort a crying adult.

Eventually, Lorna's tears subsided, and she looked up with reddened eyes, managing a small smile.

Cordelia's defense warmed her heart, but the memory of the evening's events and concern for Cordelia's stress made her comfort her daughter in return. "Lia, don't feel pressured and don't listen to what your grandma says. Grades don't define a person's worth, you know?"

Cordelia nodded blankly.

Lorna continued, "No matter what, you're the best in my eyes. I want you to be safe and happy. For you, I'll grow stronger. Don't worry!"

Cordelia murmured, "Okay."

Laurinda's slap wasn’t hard. The swelling had gone down when Sanderson came home. He hadn't noticed, and Lorna didn't mention it.

After dinner, Sanderson finally sighed as they lay in bed. "I'm not as good as Kermit at making Mom happy. I'm sorry for putting you two through this. Just wait a little longer, and I'll take you and Lia to live somewhere else."

Lorna suddenly spoke up, "I want to start painting again."

She had been an artist, but after losing her child, she had been broken, not touching a paintbrush for years. As Lia was back, she felt a renewed strength. Laurinda was bullying them because her parents were just professors, and she had no income of her own. It was time to change that.

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Dawn broke.

Cordelia woke up feeling heavy in her chest but dismissed it as she got ready and headed downstairs for breakfast. On the way to school, the discomfort intensified. Her heart, as if gripped by an invisible hand, tightened.

When the car slowly passed by "Midnight Scent," the pain in her chest spiked sharply.

Instinctively, she called out, "Larry, stop the car!"

The vehicle abruptly halted. Caught off guard, Juliana scoffed after regaining her balance. "Cordelia, the grades come out today. You're not trying to skip school to avoid them, right?"

Cordelia ignored her, rushing out of the car and toward "Midnight Scent."

As she struggled to think, a thought struck her. Did she have to be with that man to feel better? Couldn't anyone else do so?

The notion halted her in her tracks as she grabbed the arm of a passing red-haired boy in a school uniform, not even taking in his features. "Hey, wanna go out?"

At her words, the boy was baffled.

Cordelia's pain didn't let up; instead, it got worse. She hastened her steps, pushed open the door to Midnight Scent, and upon seeing the tall figure behind the counter, the pain eased dramatically again!

It meant she had to be with Everard.

Leaning on the door frame, Cordelia fixed her gaze ahead. So, it was related to Everard, after all? Was she poisoned or cursed? How could such weird things happen in the world?

When she was lost in her daydreams, Everard slowly lifted his head.

The air conditioning in the shop was high, and Everard was still dressed in all black, casually sitting there with a book in hand. His chiseled features were expressionless as his gaze lightly settled on Cordelia. And he asked in a low voice, "Girl, what are you doing here?"

Cordelia paused, then blurted out. "To fall in love with you."

Everard was speechless.

Their eyes locked, and for a moment, they exchanged no words.

The shop was eerily silent for thirty seconds until Everard let out a chuckle, a sound so deep and enchanting that it seemed to weave magic around Cordelia's ears, causing her cheeks to flush slowly.

Grasping for any conversation, she asked, "What does this store sell?"

Her eyes scanned the shelves.

Everard glanced down, replying, "Groceries."

He had asked Calvert to rearrange the shop's inventory last night.

But—

Puzzled, Cordelia mentioned, "When I was here yesterday, there were all these little boxes on the shelves. What were those?"

Everard leisurely closed his book, leaned forward, and said expressionlessly. "Balloons."

...