Chapter
As the eyes of the dinner table settled on him, Steward drawled out a name âCalvert Wallace.â
Cordelia, seeing that Steward had nothing more to add, picked up her fork and resumed her meal.
Sanderson frowned, âNever heard of any big shot in the Wallace family. Who is this guy?â
Steward shook his head, replying, âJust be wary if you run into someone with that name. They say heâs lurking around somewhere, unknown why heâs come to Greenmeadow. Just donât cross him!â
Sanderson, who was always thinking a step ahead, asked, âDoesnât Hackett have any plans?â
Steward cleared his throat, âIn a while, Hackettâs throwing his sixtyâninth birthday bash, and Calvert will be invited. So you all might want to start looking for your party outfits.â
That last bit was aimed at Lorna, who nodded eagerly.
After dinner, Cordelia went upstairs to tackle her mountain of practice tests. At ten sharp, a knock came at her door, and after granting permission, Lorna entered with a glass of warm milk and honey.
She set the glass down beside Cordelia, glancing at the pile of papers and couldnât help but say, âLia, youâre pushing too hard. Youâve got to rest.â
âOkay,â Cordelia replied without looking up.
Lorna sighed and pushed the glass into Cordeliaâs hands, âYouâre taking a break now.â
Cordelia sighed, a bit helplessly facing Lornaâs insistence, and quickly drank the milk. Just as she was about to dive back into her math problems, Lorna intervened, âLia, do something else for a bit. Take a tenâminute break.â Cordelia looked blank, âLike what?â
Lorna, equally puzzled, suggested, âDonât you ever chat with your boyfriend?â
Cordelia was curt, âNo need.â
Lorna persisted, âAnd you didnât go out over the weekend. Why not catch a movie together?â
Lorna weary. Most parents worried about their kids dating too early and neglecting their studies, but here she was, nudging her daughter towards romance.
To her surprise, Cordelia quickly shot back, âMovies are a waste of time. They distract from studying.â
Lorna was dumbfounded.
Cordelia blinked and asked slowly, âMom, can I get back to my practice tests now?â
Lorna picked up the empty glass, âFine, but make sure you get some sleep early.â
Since Cordelia stayed up late studying every night, Lorna was accustomed to letting her sleep in a bit longer in the mornings, packing her breakfast for the road.
As she grabbed her breakfast and headed out, Laurinda couldnât resist a snide remark, âOne top score and you think youâre some kind of genius? Math Club and now Physics Club? Spreading yourself thin, huh? Greed lead to loss on both fronts.â
Cordelia ignored her, stepping straight into the car.
When she arrived at Midnight Scent, Juliana cast a meaningful glance at the store and clicked her tongue, but knowing Cordelia wouldnât respond, she kept quiet.
Cordelia quietly got out of the car.
At breakfast, her phone chimed with a text. Unbothered, Cordelia kept eating her bagel, not bothering to check
the message.
Chapter
Everard, in his languid way, swallowed his mouthful and said, â
, youâve a text.â
âOkay,â replied Cordelia, continuing to eat without uttering another word.
Everard arched his eyebrows and, leaning back, cast a glance towards her schoolbag. âArenât you going to check it?â He Inquired
Cordelia finished eating the bagel in her hand, then picked up her schoolbag, took out her mobile phone and found that Louie was the one who sent her a text message.
Sheâd saved Louie as the sole entry in her contacts.
Everard stared at Cordelin and saw her lips hook slightly after seeing the message with a faint but quickly disappearing smile. His eyes fell on her phone screen.
Even after a certain distance, he still captured the text with good eyesight.
Louie suggested, âDownload WhatsApp and add my contact.â
Then Everard saw his girlfriend quickly open the App Store, download the app, and immediately register with her phone number. Then she added Louieâs contact without any hesitation.
After adding Louie, she received his message, âLia, you must be about to start . Hope Iâm not interrupting.â Cordelia was on the verge of typing a response, but she found it inconvenient to do while eating. Then she heard Everard suggesting. âIt has voice reply. Just press here.â
His fir
finger pressed the voice button and he said smoothly, âMy dear girlfriend, you can talk now.â
Cordelia paused before replying, âLouie, whatâs ?â
Everard released the button, sending the voice message.
Calvert was gobsmacked, his bagel lodged in his throat, unable to swallow.
Everardâs bold display had him floored.
Calvert winced as Cordelia finished her breakfast and grabbed Everardâs hand with an air of finality. The usually domineering Everard now looked like a wellâbehaved pup, indulging her every whim with a hint of
adoration.
Calvert suddenly thought that Everardâs doting appearance was⦠almost too much to bear.
Everard looked down at Cordeliaâs delicate fingers that seemed so soft and tempting to touch. As he
entertained the thought, his fingers gently brushed against her palm.
But just as Everard tried to tease her, he felt a firm grip on his hand, and heard her cool and slightly threatening. voice, âDonât move.â
Everard was puzzled, but after about ten seconds, when the pressure on his chest eased, Cordelia released him as if checking off a task, grabbed her backpack, and headed out.
Everard stared at the floor, a sudden emptiness gripping hisâpalm.
Calvert waited for a beat, watching as the smile slowly faded from Everard, once again replaced by a stony coolness, before he reported, âBoss, weâve had all sorts of riffâraff sniffing around lately. So Mr. Griffin said it was me who came by.â
Everard grunted a noncommittal, âOKâ
After a pause, Calvert added with a chuckle, âHe also said thereâs a big bash for his 69th birthday coming up invited me there. Heâll even set me up with a date.â
Cordelia stepped into the classroom just as the warning bell rang.
Her phone buzzed with what mustâve been a text from Louie. She was about to sneak a peek when Danielâs
13:10
Chapter 26
scream cut through the air. âWhereâs the class fund? The moneyâs been stolen!â
The room fell into an eerie silence
Following her instincts, Cordeliaâs gaze swept towards Merry but found the usually talkative young woman slouched over the desk, seeming dejected and not quite herself.