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Cordelia hesitated for a moment as a thought struck her Lorna⦠Lorn⦠Could it be a coincidence that they sounded so similar? Was Lorn actually her mother, Lorna?
With this question nagging at her, Cordelia took a cab home.
On the way, her phone buzzed. Glancing at the screen, she saw a message from the âPioneers Group.â
Painter said, [Stop the search, everyone. Iâve got news about Lorn.]
News already? Cordelia was baffled; she hadnât even asked yet!
Pianoman asked, [Where did you find them?]
Painter said, [Greenmeadow. Ran into an old friend of hers. Sadly, Lorn passed away fifteen years ago.]
Pianoman said, [â¦RIP]
Painter said, [Seems weâll need to find someone else. Luckily, Iâm hosting an art exhibition here. Hopefully, I can discover some talented landscape artists.]
Bland asked, [Greenmeadow? Isnât that where Lia lives? @LearnLover]
Painter said, [Does the young lady have an interest in art? If so, she should come to the exhibition.]
The exhibition⦠That must be the one where her motherâs paintings were selected.
Without hesitation, Cordelia replied, [Sure.]
Painter said, [How many of you coming? Iâll send you eâtickets.]
After a brief thought, Cordelia typed: [Up to four, but might just be two of us.
Iâll ask a
at home.]
No sooner had she sent the message than her phone pinged six times in rapid succession â six eâtickets had been received.
Painter said, [Gave you a few extra, just in case you want to bring friends last minute.]
Cordelia instantly felt that Painter was quite generous and texted back, [Thanks.]
Painter said, [Hey, itâs my pleasure to be friends with you. Donât mention the tickets.]
Cordelia was at a loss for words. Though he wasnât as charming as Actorman or as soothing as Pianoman, she could still sense his goodwill.
She put away her phone as the cab whisked her home.
Stepping into the living room, Cordelia found not only her grandparents but also Steward, Laurinda, and Rachel gathered there.
Laurinda was midâspeech, ââ¦Why not introduce Cordelia to Julianaâs circle? Itâs a waste not to leverage such connections. Knowing someone like Calvert could benefit our company.â
Lorna looked uncomfortable, âMom, Lia isnât that with Calvert.â
Laurinda chuckled with a dismissive tone, âThen why does he seem so close to Cordelia? And isnât her boyfriend working alongside Calvert?â
Lorna corrected her. They ousted him from GoldGrasp Enterprises. At the gathering. Calvert merely greeted him. They havenât met since. Itâs obvious their relationship is strained, or Everard wouldnât have started up Midnight Scent.â
Laurinda grimaced, âSo what if theyâre not close? Have him swallow his pride and make the introduction. If need be, beg a little Could Calvert refuse to add him on social media?â
Lorna stood firm, âMom, thatâs not how it works.â
Chapter
Laurindaâs anger flared, âYou are saying no to everything. What can you even do for the Delaney â
She to Cordeliaâs grandparents with biting sarcasm, âYou never earned penny, brought a meager wedding fund, and now you live off my sonâs money. You bring over your parents, one a lunatic, the other an invalid, all my sonâs dime. And you, you waste your days painting trash that canât be sold, worthless! Tell me, whatâs your contribution to the Delaney family?â
Lornaâs face flushed with , but before she could retort, Grandma Mathilda rose fiercely, âYou ungrateful woman, you wouldnât recognize class if it bit you! My husband and I donât spend a dime of your sonâs money; we have our pensions!â
Laurinda retorted, âSure, I reek of money, but thatâs better than your pretentious poverty! Even a university professor, living so meagerly! And your daughter, a complete failure! Without our Sandersons, could Lorna earn a cent or support herself?â
Mathilda trembled with fury.
Steward stood up, his voice booming, âEnough!â
He frowned at Laurinda, âI brought you here to say hi, not to start fires!
you canât speak kindly, donât speak at
all!
He faced Lorna and Mathilda, sighing, âLorna, donât mind her. Sheâs got a sharp tongueâ¦â
He wanted to say âbut a soft heart, yet the words just wouldnât come out.
He had hoped to ease the tension, and indeed, an introduction between Juliana and Calvert could be beneficial for the companyâa point on which Juliana herself agreed.
But was this the way to ask a favor? Laurinda was fanning the flames, infuriating him.
Now that Laurinda had her own wealth, she had grown bold, no longer fearing Steward. She sneered, âWhat, I canât speak the truth now? A mother whoâs a failure, a daughter who wonât make help her own family. One
obsessed with ging, the other with studying. What can they possibly do for the Delaney family?â
The old man wished he could seal her lips, his hand gripping her arm, âSay one more word, and get out of my house!â
Laurinda finally clamped her mouth shut with evident reluctance.
Rachel took a step forward, her smile oozing charm. âI get it. Asking Liaâs boyfriend to hook us is a big ask. I wouldnât leave you guys hanging, though. Check out what Iâve got here.â
With a flourish, she pulled a sleek envelope from her purse and handed it to Lorna.
1 2 3 2 3 3 3 F288 954
Lorna glanced at it and her eyes instantly sparkled with excitement. âTickets to the art exhibition? âThatâs right,â Rachel said with a grin. âArtâs not my scene, but I do know that this exhibition is a big deal, hosted by some hotshots from Ontoky City. Itâs all about international art exchange so no tickets for the general publicâstrictly VIP. I had to call in favors and drop a cool five grand to pry this one from the hands of one of the staff. So, how about it, Lorna? Do us a solid for Juliana and the ticketâs all yours, deal?â
Lorna itching to attend the exhibition, she couldnât peel her eyes away from the ticket. Yet she took a deep breath and steeled herself. âI canât.â
A flicker of disdain crossed Rachelâs face as she persisted. âMaybe you donât realize how valuable this ticket is. Itâs not just about the money; even if your hubby was to foot the bill, you wouldnât have the connections
to snag one.â
Meanwhile, Cordelia, holding six eâtickets on her phone, was utterly baffled.