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

Chapter 49

A soft chuckle from Everard broke the silence in the Midnight Scent.

He set aside the book he was holding, his deep eyes twinkling mischievously. "What were you dreaming about, girl?" he asked with a hint of amusement.

Cordelia's cheeks flushed at the question.

In her dream, she had not only touched him but also...

Normally unperturbed, Cordelia seemed slightly flustered at that moment. For the first time, she cursed her uncanny memory, which replayed every vivid detail of the dream.

Even the sensation of his abs felt unbelievably real.

The usual indifference in Cordelia's eyes seemed to shatter as she glared at Everard and snapped, "Bastard!"

It was only the second time Everard had seen her so mad. Her smooth cheeks puffed up in anger, and he must suppress the urge to poke them, imagining how satisfying it would feel.

But that would probably make her even angrier.

Curbing his impulse, Everard leaned back casually, his smile unfolding, not a light chuckle or a low laugh this time, but a full-blown grin. His sharp features softened with joy, and the deep sound of his laughter tickled her heart.

Then, Cordelia heard him take the blame. "My fault."

Was he responsible for her dream?

Before she could explode, he drawled, "There's an old saying, 'Daytime thoughts become nighttime dreams.'" His smile deepened as he continued, "It's my fault for not satisfying you, which led to such dreams."

Cordelia took a moment to process his words, and then she rolled her eyes at him.

The sound of a chair scraping against the floor signaled Everard's rise. At a towering six-foot-two, he stood a full head taller than Cordelia. He approached her with his lithe figure, leaning down to whisper, "I have a good idea to stop you from having that dream again."

Intrigued despite herself, Cordelia asked, "What's that?"

He chuckled low, his breath tickling her skin, and with a naughty tone, he suggested, "How about we make your dream a reality?"

Silence fell.

Two seconds later, Cordelia stepped back her right foot, her fist clenched, and threw a punch straight at his face!

Smack! Quick as it was, Everard caught her wrist with ease, raising an eyebrow. "If I lose my looks, I won't be the man of your dreams."

Amid their standoff, Calvert strolled in with breakfast. "Morning, early birds! What's up? Practicing some moves?"

The tension dissipated.

Cordelia withdrew her fist and, acting as if nothing had happened, bit into a muffin as if it were Everard. The softness reminded her of the dream, and she froze mid-bite.

Why did that dream keep haunting her?

For the rest of the day, Cordelia was as cold as ice, holding a grudge as if someone had pissed her off.

Usually, Everard's mood would match hers, but that day, there was a wicked curl to his lips, a playfulness in his eyes.

Breakfast ended quickly, and still simmering, Cordelia grabbed Everard's hand before leaving.

At the door, she remembered Little Fang's text about the sports car.

Cordelia had never liked to be told what to do. She turned coldly to him and said, "Little Fang, do you know the secret to a long life?"

"Don’t meddle in others' business?" he guessed.

After a brief pause, Cordelia nodded. "Good to know you understand." With that, she left Midnight Scent.

Calvert was puzzled. Had he just been threatened without knowing how?

He looked to Everard for an explanation, only to find him chuckling softly.

“How could this girl be so adorable?” Everard thought.

-

It wasn't until Cordelia was back in her classroom that she began to calm down.

She settled into her seat, glanced over the homework, and headed to her advanced math class. Yesterday's concepts had been so engaging that she couldn't help but dive deep into them.

Passing Merry, her classmate grabbed her blazer and teased, "Lia, guess what? Yates got chauffeured to school today. Poor thing got his car confiscated!"

"Why?" Cordelia asked, puzzled.

Merry laughed. "Yates said Hackett made him follow the traffic laws. After all these years of wild driving, the Griffin family suddenly turns law-abiding. Yates is so down!"

Cordelia imagined Yates' frustration and couldn't help but feel her mood lift. She gathered her books and headed to her math class.

The day flew by as she immersed herself in new concepts, occasionally texting Mr. All-Round for help with a tricky problem.

The week passed in a blur, and the weekend brought the math and physics competitions and the Delaney family's annual piano assessment.

Saturday found Cordelia on the brink of solving the last step of the Batra’s Conjecture. She was so focused that time slipped away until, at last, she proved it. She took a deep breath, her whole body relaxing with the accomplishment.

At that moment, Cordelia finally noticed the commotion and liveliness from downstairs.

Curious, she opened her bedroom door, only to see Rachel orchestrating the household staff as they arranged various items around the living room while Juliana was at the grand piano, tirelessly rehearsing the piece she would perform later that afternoon. Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Lorna, who had kept an eye out for Cordelia, approached when she saw the door ajar. Dressed in a light purple flapper dress, she spoke gently, "Lia, taking a break from your reading?"

Cordelia nodded in response.

Following Cordelia's gaze toward the piano downstairs, Lorna felt the pang of emotion. "Lia, if you're interested, why not start practicing now? You're so bright. I'm sure you'll pick it up in no time! Consider this afternoon as a learning opportunity. It's okay if you can't have a lesson with Mr. Stanton today. I promise I'll find you the best piano teacher soon!"

Cordelia replied softly, "Oh, okay."

[Don't forget to leave a comment if you enjoyed this!]