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

Chapter 38

Cordelia's face was taut with tension, a flurry of thoughts crossing her mind.

She stared at Everard, whose face was inches from hers, trying to decipher his intentions. What was he planning?

If she couldn't refuse Everard's demand, he could've easily made his move right after casting that bizarre "love or die" spell on her. He could be after her money or trying to seduce her.

Yet, he hadn't asked for anything significant in the past month. The most he'd done was to forcefully sell Cordelia some overpriced coffee beans and fleece her out of three hundred bucks.

But was he genuinely interested in a romantic relationship with her if he had no ulterior motive?

As Cordelia was deep in thought, Everard leaned closer, his deep voice tempting her. "Girl, close your eyes."

"No way!" No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than a sharp pain flared in her chest.

She took a deep breath, fury tinting her usually calm eyes, but ultimately, she closed them.

With her sight gone, her other senses seemed to heighten. She could feel Everard's breath drawing closer until it hovered before her face.

Her body tensed, detecting a kiss that landed on her eyelids. His lips felt soft and cold.

Cordelia clenched her fists.

As she felt she couldn't take it anymore, the kiss broke, and he stepped back with a low chuckle. "There, done."

Bastard!

When Cordelia's eyes snapped open, she stepped back and clenched her fists, readying the boxing stance Little Fang had taught her. She was about to kick when Everard stood unflinching, not even blinking.

But Cordelia's kick halted just two inches from him.

Chest pain flared again! Son of a gun!

Stubbornly, she withdrew her leg. As the pain subsided, she switched to punch, fast and fierce. Just as her fist was about to connect, he reached out.

Thud! Her punch landed squarely in the palm of his hand.

Cordelia had put all her strength into it, half-expecting to send this man flying. Yet he remained unmoved, catching her fist and gently pulling her into his embrace.

Everard's hand rested on the back of her head, patting it as if to soothe her, and he said with exasperation, "You'll feel it if you hurt me."

Cordelia was totally speechless.

As Cordelia started to struggle, she gradually calmed down. She wanted to say something, but Everard reminded her, "You're going to be late."

Realizing the truth in his words, Cordelia glanced at the clock. She had two minutes to spare.

She grabbed her backpack and sprinted toward the school.

With the speed of a sprinter, Cordelia arrived at the classroom door alongside her Literature teacher as the bell rang.

"Good morning," Cordelia greeted, about to enter when the teacher spoke, "Cordelia, you're excelling in all subjects except Literature, getting a B. It's mainly because of your essays. Can't you put a little more emotion into your writing?"

Cordelia looked puzzled, her large eyes filled with confusion. She thought she had been quite expressive!

Seeing her perplexed expression, the teacher gave an example. "Take the last essay, for instance. The theme was 'Autumn,' with one picture showing a farmer's bountiful harvest and another depicting a poor yield, emphasizing that effort doesn't always lead to success. You described the autumn scene in detail, and your prose is good but devoid of emotion. Can you imagine the joy of the farmer during the harvest?"

Slowly, Cordelia shook her head.

Sighing, the teacher continued, "What about the joy you felt when you won first place at the Galaxy Math Whiz Competition?"

The teacher hoped for a passionate response, but Cordelia's innocence shone through as if to say, 'Isn't it normal for me to take first place? What's there to be excited about?'

The teacher was at a loss for words.

With a sigh, the teacher, fond of this bright and pretty student, prompted again, "Have you ever felt happy from the bottom of your heart?"

Cordelia said nothing. Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

"Or deeply sad?"

Cordelia remained silent.

"Surely, there must have been times when you've been angry?"

Cordelia still hadn’t said a word.

The teacher, nearly giving up, said, "I'll give you a list of books to read. They might help you with your essays."

Cordelia nodded. Back at her desk, she thought about the emotions the teacher had mentioned. Suddenly, she realized she had felt anger during Everard's kiss, the most intense emotion she had ever experienced.

-

September brought increased pressure for the students in the honors classes as they began to use regular class time to prepare for the upcoming National Math League and Physics Competitions. These events could secure college scholarships for competitors and years of effort culminating at this moment.

Cordelia was focused on the competitions, eventually spending all days in preparation.

As for Everard, they seemed to have reverted to their usual interactions after that gentle kiss, as if as if they had forgotten the incident.

A week went by quickly.

Returning home from school one day, Cordelia was about to enter when she heard Juliana's excited squeals. "Mom! I've missed you so much!"

Caught off guard, Cordelia entered the living room to find an elegant and composed woman standing before Juliana. The woman looked capable and wore a warm smile. After embracing

Juliana, she turned to Laurinda and said, "Oh, Laurinda, look at Juliana. She's still our little princess!"

Laurinda agreed, "Indeed, she is the gem of our family!"

From the corner of her eye, Rachel noticed Cordelia but acted as if she hadn't seen her. She measured Juliana's height and lamented, "Ah, I remember when Juliana was just this tall. Now she's grown up and even taller than me! It's incredible to have watched her grow up before my eyes."

Cordelia ignored their maternal affection show and headed upstairs to her room, brushing past the living room.

Laurinda snorted, "Yes, unlike some who weren't around to see grow up, which just feels like a stranger."

Rachel hurriedly said as if she had just noticed Cordelia, "Oh, you must be Lia, right?"

She plucked a gift-wrapped box from the couch and approached Cordelia with a beaming smile. "I'm your Aunt Rachel! I was overseas with your Uncle Kermit when they brought you home. It’s our first meeting, and my, aren't you a sight for sore eyes! Lia, here, I got you a little something!"

The box bore the iconic LV monogram, hinting at a designer bag inside.

Cordelia blinked in surprise. The phrase 'don't take a reward you haven't earned' flashed through her mind, but before she could dwell on it, Rachel's laughter cut through her thoughts. "Lia, we're all family here, and families help each other out, right? Could Aunt Rachel ask you for a favor?"

Cordelia was puzzled.

Without missing a beat, Rachel's smile widened. "You enrolled in the math competition. But about the physics competition, could you step aside and give Juliana a chance?"