The Contracted Ever After (Cordelia and Ronan)

Chapter 148

Cordelia reckoned that Deanna was trying to stir her curiosity with the flash drive, hoping she would

sneak a peek. She could guess what was inside, definitely intimate photos of her and Ronan from back

in the day, maybe even some saucy ones of them in bed, all to stir up some drama between them. But

Cordelia was having none of it.

When she clocked out, she spilled the beans to Ronan.

"You're really not gonna look?" Ronan asked her.

"It's all water under the bridge, nothing worth seeing. I'm not interested." Cordelia replied, her gaze

drifting outside the window, seemingly uninterested in Ronan.

Ronan's cell started buzzing, and he picked it up. Cordelia heard him talk about having HR clear out an

office for some onboarding.

"Got a new recruit?" Cordelia asked Ronan after he hung up.

"Yep, CFO."

"Who's the new CFO?" Cordelia asked again.

"A buddy of mine, Emerson. He's a top gun from the University of Chicago's finance department."

Cordelia was bummed to hear Brenda was out of the running.

"Playing favorites, are we?" Cordelia couldn't help showing some resentment.

"So, if I picked Brenda, that wouldn't be playing favorites?" Ronan fired back.

Cordelia was silent, her thoughts seen right through.

"I didn't say anything," was all Cordelia could say. She felt somewhat guilty about Brenda losing her

job.

"You're not crashing at the mansion tonight?" Cordelia asked, "Aren't you worried about your grandpa?"

"Are you trying to rush me out, or threaten me?"

"Like I could threaten you," Cordelia scoffed. She used to know little about Ronan and rarely saw him

at the company, knowing only that he was the big cheese. Seeing his style and determination now, she

knew she had to tread carefully.

Ronan drove off to Shelley's place. He found himself missing Cordelia's flower-printed sheets, and

missing her silhouette when she opened the window.

After some silence, Cordelia's cell rang a few times. She checked it and saw a shocking message from

Brenda. It was a bunch of photos, probably screenshots from videos. Jamie and Manda, stark naked,

doing the dirty right in the office...

Cordelia was taken aback. She felt like she had screwed over Jamie, who was a promising young man.

Cordelia clutched her phone, her hand going white and trembling slightly. Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

[See what Manda's done? That bitch ruined the most promising accountant at Millstone.] Brenda

messaged Cordelia.

The feud between Brenda and Manda was old news.

[Manda must've done something to Jamie. She's gonna wreck PrimeNumbers Accounting entirely!]

Cordelia chose to stay silent, worried that Ronan might tease her if she said anything. She felt like a

sinner, pushing Jamie into the abyss.

Once home, Cordelia looked sickly pale.

"What's up, Della? Feeling alright?" Shelley asked Cordelia.

"No worries, I'll just lie down for a bit," Cordelia replied before shutting and locking her bedroom door,

not caring about Ronan still outside. Once the door was shut, she cried, filled with guilt and remorse.

The maid was cooking in the kitchen, leaving just Shelley and Ronan in the living room.

"You didn't have to do that, Della's dad didn't want you to know because it makes us seem like we're

mooching off you," Shelley said, referring to Ronan giving Adrian a house. She had already made

Cordelia return the house he had given her.

"It's only right," Ronan replied casually, sitting on the couch. "If Adrian steps out of line, I can just take

the house back. It's under me and Cordelia's name anyway."

"What's up with Della? Did something happen?" Shelley glanced at Cordelia's locked door. "Girls can

be hard to read. Please be understanding with her. If Della's giving you a hard time, tell me. I'll sort her

out."

"I got it."

"I had time today, so I had the maid push me to get you guys some amulets," Shelley said, taking out

two small boxes from a drawer and handing them to Ronan.

"You believe in this stuff?" Ronan chuckled.

"Yep, it's just for fun. Yours is for success, Della's is for peace and joy. They're pretty, and just perfect."

Shelley explained. "Della hasn't come out, and I'm worried I'll forget, so why don't you hold on to hers?"

Ronan put both amulets in his bag. He remembered what Deanna said and felt the side of his bag,

there really was a flash drive.

He was staying at Cordelia's tonight, so he obviously couldn't watch it.