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

Chapter 12

Everyone simultaneously looked at Juliana and Hanley.

Feeling the collective gaze, Juliana straightened up and flashed a smile at Hanley, asking, “What if Cordelia starts hounding you?”

Hanley lifted his chin with an air of finality. “Our engagement is set. It’s not changing for anyone.” Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

With that, Juliana relaxed.

She and Hanley had grown up together, their relationship always teetering on the edge of something more. Now, with their engagement on the horizon, she trusted that Hanley harbored no feelings for Cordelia.

Their conversation was neither hushed nor loud, but just enough for the onlookers to overhear.

A few snide voices began to mock Cordelia, “Being the top of the class doesn’t mean you can win Hanley’s heart, huh?”

“If I were her, I’d stay well away. How shameless can you get, always hovering around Hanley…”

Cordelia cooled her gaze but before she could speak up, Merry interjected, “Some folks really have nothing better to do than to poke their noses into others’ business!”

Merry had a sing-song quality, even when she was hurling insults.

The teasers promptly shut their mouths.

Merry then glanced at Juliana and Hanley with a snort, “And some people really have the gall!”

The classroom fell silent. When it came to quick wit, no one could outdo Merry.

Seeing that Merry had defused the situation, Cordelia nodded to show her thanks and made her way to her seat, but Merry turned and headed for the door.

The class president called out, “Merry, class is about to start, where are you off to?”

Merry looked back, blowing a bubble with her gum, “Arcade.”

Cordelia blinked in surprise.

Merry didn’t return for the rest of the day.

Soon it was time for the afternoon study period.

Hanley packed up his books, ready for his tutoring session. Juliana stood up as well, heading to her physics competition prep class in room 302, right next to the math classroom.

As they reached the door, Juliana caught a glimpse of Cordelia rising a beat slower and heading in their direction. She couldn’t resist asking, “What if she talks to you? It would be rude to ignore her, right?”

Hanley paused, seemingly conflicted, “That’s true…”

He slowed his pace. By the time Cordelia caught up, they were at the stairwell. As they hesitated on whether to acknowledge her, Cordelia walked past them without a glance, not even sparing them a greeting.

Hanley and Juliana stopped in their tracks, enveloped in an awkward silence.

-

Cordelia entered the classroom to find only a handful of students had shown up.

She found a seat. Soon after, Latham walked in. He discussed a few competition problems and set the class to work on them before approaching Cordelia with a test in hand, “Try this out, I want to gauge where you stand.”

Cordelia nodded and got to work.

Hanley watched her from a not-too-distant seat, unable to keep from monitoring her progress.

The test Latham handed to Cordelia was standard competition level. Hanley, a seasoned math competitor, had gotten them all correct.

Cordelia worked quickly, finishing the two-hour test in one, causing a twinge of concern in Hanley.

Latham graded the test on the spot, announcing the result, “Failed! All wrong!”

Hanley breathed a sigh of relief. A sense of superiority bloomed within him.

After all, excelling in regular math didn’t guarantee success in competitions, which were more complex and demanded higher logical reasoning.

Besides, it was just an off day for him at the last test. He was sure to reclaim the top spot next time.

On the other hand, Cordelia stared at her test, marked with three red wrong signs and asked, puzzled, “How could they be wrong?”

Latham spoke in a low voice to not disturb the others, “You got the answers right, but in a formal competition, everyone will mark these as incorrect. Do you know why?”

Cordelia shook her head.

Latham sighed, “Calculus is a college subject. Where did you learn it?”

Cordelia simply replied, “Self-study.”

Latham was silently impressed, then he explained, “The high school math competition tests logical reasoning, which means you need to solve these problems with high school knowledge. Your answers are correct, but your method is beyond the syllabus, not using the designated knowledge points.”

Cordelia looked up, her misty eyes filled with confusion. This was unexpected.

Latham reassured her, “Don’t worry, it's good we caught this early. There's still time. I’ll compile some notes for you to review.”

Then he added, “If you have any questions, you can also ask Hanley.”

Cordelia just murmured, “Oh.” She glanced at the test on her desk.

These problems were new to her. Without college knowledge like calculus, they indeed seemed challenging, but she found them intriguing!

The double period ended quickly, and Latham dismissed the class. Cordelia packed her belongings.

Hanley, standing by the door, couldn’t help but follow her with his gaze.

Cordelia’s figure was slender, her steps light, and her neat ponytail swayed with her movement. In the glow of the sunset, her figure was attractive...

Juliana emerged from her physics class to find Hanley staring intently in a certain direction. She crept up to tease him, but as she followed his gaze, she saw Cordelia...

Juliana furrowed her brow, her grip tightening on her textbooks.

Cordelia was the first to the school gates, waiting in the car for half an hour before Juliana appeared, her expression stormy, setting a tense tone in the car.

Cordelia, unbothered, asked Larry to stop by the Midnight Scent to pick up some coffee beans.

The box that once held coffee beans was exquisite, a genuine antique by any standard. Cordelia couldn't help but marvel, "Such a gorgeous box. It almost seems a shame to waste it on coffee beans."

Everard, still draped in his signature black attire, twitched the corner of his mouth slightly, saying in a tone laced with hidden meaning, "Ever heard of missing the forest for the trees?"

Cordelia looked up slowly, confused. She sensed he was speaking in riddles, but she didn't dwell on it. After all, how could a hundred bucks worth of coffee beans compare to the forest?

Her ride was waiting outside and she couldn't linger. "See you tomorrow," she said briskly and made her exit.

Juliana, who had been waiting with mounting impatience, scowled as Cordelia climbed into the car. "Why do you always have to make a production out of everything? Hurry up already!"

Cordelia ignored her.

As the car pulled into the Delaney family and came to a stop, Juliana bolted out and slammed the door behind her with a force that echoed her fury. She stormed into the foyer without looking back.

Cordelia, taking her sweet time, carried the coffee box out of the car. Yet, before she reached the door, she spotted a familiar figure sitting by the entrance, her hair a dignified silver, her poise elegant and intellectual. Mathilda?

Confused, Cordelia approached and asked, "Grandma, what are you doing sitting out here?"

A bitter expression crossed Mathilda. "Lia, that coffee beans are unattainable. How could I have been so naive as to make such bold claims? I'm too ashamed to go inside..."