Keen was the high school heartthrob, a status cemented after he was voted âMost Handsomeâ last year. His chiseled features and easy charm had earned him a modest following, with over a hundred thousand followers his social media.
When he posted a comment online, it didnât take long for someone to spill the details about his family background Keen was the eldest grandson of the prominent Lewis family from Lakeshore City!
The post listed out the influence of both the Lewis family and the Delaney family, concluding that the Lewis family held more sway than the Delaney family, suggesting that if anyone was to benefit from nepotism, it would be Keen, not Cordelia!
The twist in the conversation diverted the attention of netizens who started flooding the internet with comments like, âThere are people richer than you who work harder than you. How do you outshine them?â
Meanwhile, the Keen & Cordelia shippers from fan forums swarmed Keenâs social media, dominating the comment section.
âOMG! My ship is sailing for real!â
is Keen clearing the air for Cordelia? Iâm so here for this couple!â
âCrying, this is so sweet! Keen hasnât been active in months, and the one time he is, itâs for Cordelia. And heâs totally shifted the focus away from Superiority College! Just think about that!â
Everard sat in the Midnight Scent, scrolling through his phone, his face growing darker by the second. Beside him, Calvert sensed the air tangling with jealousy.
Swallowing nervously, Calvert ventured, âBoss, maybe Keenâs just trying toâ¦distract everyone, you know?â
But at his words, Everard let out a chilling snort and asked coldly, âDoes this have anything to do with him?â
Calvert went silent. Hope Keen could dodge this trouble.
It was partially their fault for catching on too late. After all, Everard and his guys were all busy without time for social media.
Calvert asked, âWhat should we do about thisâ¦
â
Everard replied without hesitation, âDonât delete the post.â
The news of Cordelia proving Batraâs Conjecture would hit the newspapers eventually, shocking everyone. No special treatment was needed.
But they couldnât let Cordelia get bashed either. Changing the conversation was a good strategy.
âDid he think he can settle this with a little noise?â Everard tapped the table, saying coolly, âWe need a juicier story to capture everyoneâs attention.â
Calvert gulped. A juicier story⦠Someoneâs definitely in for it!
Cordelia was summoned to the office just so Latham could comfort her.
Latham was genuinely concerned, afraid that the online fiasco would affect her. He lectured for a good fifteen minutes before gulping down water from a large cup.
During this pause, Cordelia finally got a word in, âLatham, what are you trying to say?â
After setting down the cup, Latham reassured her, âLook, Cordelia, donât be upset, and donât waste your time on social media. What people say doesnât matter.â
Cordelia blinked, âWhat are people saying?â
Latham hesitated, asking, âYou⦠havenât been on social media?â
1/3
11:19
Cordelia stood with a puzzled expression, her misty eyes full of confusion,⦠No itâs a waste of time. Latham was taken aback, his prior attempts at reassurance proving utterly useless.
But seeing Cordelia was fine, he relaxed and waved her off, âAlright then, off you go.â
Cordelia nodded and headed back to class, only to find that her classmates had moved on from discussing her to huddling over their phones, animatedly chatting about something else.
Approaching ner desk, she noticed her friend Merry looking gloomy âLia, I was disappointed in love,â Merry
sobbed
Cordelia was taken aback, unsure how to respond to matters of the heart.
Her usual slow reaction to emotional stuff left her struggling, especially now at the sight of Merry like this. Cordelia ventured tentatively, âDid he cheat on you?â
Merry blinked in surprise.
Cordelia continued slowly, âShould I⦠beat him up for you?â
Merry was stunned, then burst into laughter after a beat. âLia, youâre so adorable!â
Then she showed Cordelia her phone screen, which read, âBland, my heartthrob splurges on a luxury bag for his mystery girlfriend!â
Bland⦠the name seemed familiar.
As Cordelia tried to place it, Merry explained, âIâm a fanâgirl of Landie who is supposed to be my celeb crush. But now heâs got a girlfriend, and Iâm heartbroken!â
Cordelia was speechless.
Merry pressed her chest, a little sad, but said with pride, âBut Landie deserves to be the superstar. When this news came out, Twitter was paralyzed! Now I even fail to get in the trend search!â
Cordelia didnât know what to say, but thankfully, the class bell rang, sparing her the dilemma.
During class, her phone vibrated quietly in her pocket, but Cordelia, focused on the lecture, ignored it until the break. Checking her messages, she found a new one in the Pioneers Group chat.
Actorman asked, âWho spilled the beans about me buying the bag? You?@LearnLoverâ
Buying a bag?
Slowly, it dawned Cordelia that Actorman might be Bland.
She typed back, âIt wasnât me.â
Bland unleashed his fury in the group, âI only asked for recommendations here! Who betrayed me? And why canât I delete that damn post?â
Actorman continued, âDonât you have a conscience anymore?â
âWho the heck did this? Whoâs got too much time on their hands?â barked Actorman.
Mathster replied with a quick, âNot me.â
Pianoman echoed, âNot me, either.â
Louie chimed in just as swiftly, âDefinitely not me.â
And the chorus of these messages followed from the rest of the crew.
Then, amidst the clamor, a single message from Mr. AllâRound cut through, âIt was me.â
For a solid two minutes, the chat could have been a ghost town until finally Actormanâs message appeared, the tone somehow managing to blend groveling with relief.
2/3
11:19
Chapter UT
âBoss, thanks so much! I was just fretting about where to flaunt this fancy handbag I splurged on, and youâve gone and made it a trend.
âCool it. No biggie,â replied Mr. AllâRound, the epitome of chill.
Actorman was nearly hysterical, âBut man, you got it twisted. I bought that bag for my mom, not some gal. If I donât, sheâs gonna make me hit the dating scene again. Can I clear the air on Twitter?â
âA hard no,âshot back Mr. AllâRound.
âAlrighty then, guess Iâve got myself a mysterious girlfriend. So mysterious that I havenât even met her!â Actorman quipped, somehow finding humor in his faux pas.
Later that night, in the dimly lit ambiance of Midnight Scent, Everard set his phone down. His deep eyes darkened as he ordered Calvert, âGet in touch with the editorial team at the math journal, pronto. I want Cordeliaâs name in the next issue, hitting stands in three days.â
âOn it!â