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Cordelia always possessed a photographic memory, but as she stared at the familiar handwriting before her, she experienced the unnerving of forgetfulness for the first time. She simply couldnât recall where she seen it before.
Furrowing her brow in concentration, she was snapped out of her thoughts when Merry spoke up. âCould it be that someone was pulling the strings behind Leilaâs actions?â
Cordelia shook her head, indicating she had no idea.
Merry let out a resigned chuckle, âWell, whether there was someone or not, Leilaâs definitely gone offâtrack. Could do her good to get schooled a bit.â
She shrugged nonchalantly before taking a seat across from Cordelia.
Unable to remember where she had seen the envelope, Cordelia tucked it into her backpack, planning to deal. with it when the memory resurfaced.
Just then, her cell phone buzzed, She glanced down to find a friend request from âSweetheart.â
Sweetheart?
It sounded a bit sketchy, but Cordelia didnât pay much mind. She never accepted requests from strangers and quickly shoved her phone back into the drawer,
Next was Lathamâs class. The recent events had taken a toll on him, but after a couple of days, he had bounced back. His voice was as booming as ever, commanding the attention of even the sleepiest student.
As Cordelia tried to focus on the lecture, her phone buzzed again, this time with more persistence. After a minute, it vibrated relentlessly.
Eventually, even Latham heard it. âPhones are technically banned in school,â he scolded, âand while we usually turn a blind eye, letâs not push it, shall we? Texting during my classâreally? You all could learn from Ms. Cordelia here. Tops in math competitions and still pays attention. Unlike someâ¦â
Cordelia silently switched off her phone and put it away.
When class finally ended, Merry turned around with a mischievous grin. âSo, Lia, what juicy texts were you getting from your boyfriend during class?â
Latham hadnât pinpointed whose phone it was, but Little Parrot had heard it loud and clear.
âItâs not him,â Cordelia replied, puzzled as to who would message her so urgently. She powered her phone back on to find the same friend request from Sweetheart, who seemed hellâbent on adding her, with remarks getting increasingly aggressive:
[Whatâs the matter? Scared to add me?]
Bitch, you seduced someoneâs man and now youâre playing coy?]
[Bitch, speak up!]
[Ugly duckling, stop clinging to my boyfriend for fame.]
All insults, leaving Cordelia baffled. What was this all about?
She furrowed her brow, blocked the person, and decided to forget about it. But Merry soon figured it out. âHey. Lia, isnât your gaming ID âLearnerâ?â
Cordelia nodded, and Merry exploded, âDamn, youâve been targeted!â
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Confused, Cordelia asked, âWhat do you mean?â
Merry showed her a forum post, âWerenât you teaming up with a guy named âJungler recently? Heâs a famous streamer from the same platform as me, known for his gaming skills. Apparently, heâs been duoâqueuing with a girl named âLearnerââthatâs you, right? And heâs been hitting on you during his streams⦠ahem!â
Cordelia was clueless; all she did was play ranked games with Jungler for a couple of hours each day. When did he start pursuing her?
Merry blinked, âAnd then, Jungler went public with a relationship with a streamer named âSweetheart. But when they streamed their games together, people criticized Sweetheartâs skills, saying she wasnât as good. as you. Thatâs when Sweetheart implied on her stream that you were so ugly, even Jungler ditched you!â
Cordelia couldnât help but smirk at the absurdity, while Merry burst out laughing, âLia, you ugly? Thatâs the biggest joke Iâve heard all year!â
At the diner for lunch, Everard was already waiting for them. Merry was taken aback when she heard Everard was there, âLia, doesnât he have work?â
Cordelia hummed in agreement, recalling Everardâs laidâback approach to running his shop, and repeated something she had told Mr. AllâRound the day before, âHis headâs filled with nothing but love.â
Merry was speechless but noticed Cordeliaâs usually stoic expression soften ever so slightly. To Merry. Cordeliaâs words seemed to hold a hidden affectionâEverardâs world revolved around her, and her tone hinted she might not be entirely oblivious to his feelings.
When they reached the diner, Merry made a beeline for a distant table with a pasta of pasta, while Cordelia sat down across Everard, who was lounging back, looking effortlessly dapper in a black shirt with the sleeves casually rolled up to his forearms.
He watched Cordelia with an amused gaze, remembering her comments from the day before. It seemed she was finally catching on to her own feelings. But if he didnât step up his game, they might never make progress.
Everard took a few bites of his spaghetti, glancing at Cordelia before casually inquiring. âSo I hear youâre planning to take a dip in the pool tomorrow, learn to swim?â
Cordelia savored a bite of her steak.
Merry had been making significant strides recently, and seizing the moment, Cordelia hoped to get Merry back on her feet quickly. With the weekend coming up, and it being their day off, sheâd asked Lorna to book the community pool. Concerned that Little Parrot might kick up a fuss if he got scared of the water, she decided to rent the whole place out for privacy.
Cordelia nodded. âMhm.â
A gleam of amusement flickered in Everardâs eyes as he chuckled, âCool,â
Cordelia was puzzled. Youâre happy about Merry learning to swim, why exactly?
It didnât take long for her to figure out why Everard had given his approval.
When she and Merry arrived at the neighborhood gymâs pool, dressed in modest oneâpiece swimsuits and wrapped in towels, Cordeliaâs eyes immediately found Everard. Shirt off, lounging on a poolside chair, he rested with hands clasped behind his head, his gaze lazily fixed on her, âGirl, youâre late.â
Cordelia was taken aback. âHow did you get in here?â
The community didnât allow strangers, and this gym was especially offâlimits to nonâresidents
With a sly, flirtatious smile softening his sharp features, Everard said, âTold your dad Iâd teach you how to
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