Novel Storm
Chapter 89
Chapter 89
Cordelia awoke to the familiar hustle and bustle of the household staff moving briskly through the corridors. The silverware was being polished and the fine china clinked softly as it was prepared for the evening’s dinner party
As Lorna laid out a hearty breakfast of pancakes and bacon, Rachel, with her usual sour tone, chimed in, “With all the fuss in the house for tonight, do you really need to fuss over Cordelia and her boyfriend with a full breakfast? Can’t you just whip up something quick?”
Lorna ignored her, carefully arranging the breakfast on a tray and handing it to Cordelia.
The family was busy trying to curry favor with the Smith family to secure an introduction to Calvert, which meant Rachel, usually sullen and withdrawn, held her head a bit higher today with a hint of smugness in her
stance.
Taking the breakfast from Lorna, Cordelia was about to retort to Rachel when Lorna tugged at her arm. “Come on, Lia, let’s get you to school.”
Once they
were outside, Lorna spoke up. “Don’t bother arguing with her. Laurinda will just have more nasty things to say. Let Rachel have her moment. It’s not like it’ll make a difference to us.”
Cordelia pondered for a moment before realization dawned on her. “Yeah, she might as well be a dog barking.”
Lorna paused, initially perplexed, but then she burst into laughter, proud to see her daughter develop a sense of humor.
As Cordelia climbed into the car, Lorna stood watching the vehicle pull away, feeling a shift within herself. In the past, Laurinda’s occasional jibes would find her desperate for Cordelia, touched by sadness. But Cordelia’s return brought a new attitude. Her carefree disposition affected Lorna. At nearly fifty, Lorna was learning to let go, all thanks to Cordelia. What did others‘ opinions matter to her?
Oblivious to these thoughts, Cordelia pulled out her book during the half–hour car ride to school, utilizing the Journey to absorb some knowledge.
Her memory was photographic, high school knowledge a breeze, and now she tackled specialized math terminology. Knowing that many resources were in foreign languages, she wanted to be ready to delve into the original texts without getting lost in translation.
By the time she pulled up to Midnight Scent, she had soaked up quite a bit of knowledge.
Exiting the car, she tucked the compact workbook into her pocket, grabbed her backpack and breakfast, and stepped inside.
Everard was, as usual, behind the counter engrossed in a book. As Calvert took the breakfast to set the table. Everard slammed his book down and stood up lazily.
Curiosity got the better of Cordelia today, and she craned her neck to peek at the book’s title. The cover was of a serene and muted color that seemed to calm the soul. The title read The Bible.
Sitting down to eat, Cordelia couldn’t help but steal glances at Everard. Why was he reading The Bible?
As her curiosity grew, she observed the store more closely. She had never seen it open for business, yet it was as spacious as any regular supermarket.
How did Everard and Little Fang make a living? And with Everard’s apparent lack of wealth, how could he afford to pay Little Fang?
Previously indifferent, Cordelia now saw Everard as a man shrouded in mystery. That was fitting considering he had the love curse on her
Cordelia swallowed the last of her muffin when she noticed Everard had finished eating and was gazing at her with deep eyes that seemed to pierce through her thoughts.
After a brief stare, he chuckled softly, leaned in over the small table, and closed the gap to mere inches, “Hey girl, don’t move.”
Frozen with a bite of muffin in her mouth, Cordelia watched as Everard reached out toward her…..
If he dared cross a line, she’d make sure he regretted it. But before she could react, his fingertip touched her lip.
His touch was warm, calloused, slightly rough against her skin, sending a shiver down her spine.
Everard simply whispered and pulled back, showing her the crumb he had removed from her lips.
Even when she left, the heat lingered on her lips, spreading to her cheeks.
At school, Little Parrot immediately began to gab, “Lia, my darling chatted with me again last night.” Her eyes sparkled with infatuation, “I can hardly believe I’m talking to my idol. He even chats with me every night for a bit. By the way, Lia, is your boyfriend still upset?”
delia, still processing the morning’s encounter with Everard, hesitated before answering, “I don’t think he’s
upset anymore.”
“Good!” Merry sighed in relief. “Bland said he’d hate for a movie role to mess up things between you and your guy.”
Musing aloud, she added, “It’s weird though, Bland seems really concerned about your boyfriend’s feelings. Shouldn’t he be asking you directly?”
Merry waved off the thought, “Maybe he’s just looking for topics to chat about with me. My mind goes blank whenever I see him.”
Each time Bland messaged her, her inner fangirl screamed with excitement.
Where was her sanity in texting? Thus, the tempo of their chats was always in Bland. But she was more than content. How many people in the world could say they’ve added their celeb crush on WhatsApp and chatted with them regularly?
The school bell rang, and Merry turned her head, only to hear her phone ping. She glanced down to see a message in the Flame Union group chat from Flame No. 1, “What’s with Yates? He’s bought a mountain of lollipops.”
Merry was at a loss for words.
Lately, there seemed to be an abundance of oddballs around.
After a full day of classes, Cordelia finished all the homework assigned by the teachers during the last two study periods in the afternoon. At the end of the school day, she carried a stack of thick English literature books home with her. Belongs to NôvelDrama.Org - All rights reserved.
As her car pulled up, Juliana had already arrived, looking splendid in a beautiful dress as she sat in the living
room.
Entering the living room, Cordelia saw that everyone was dressed to the nines, and the dining table was surrounded by a feast of delicious–smelling dishes.
While Cordelia was taking it all in, Rachel spoke up, “Cordelia, go upstairs and change into something nice. quick! My brother and the others are here!”