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

Chapter 33

The moment Everard's gaze met his, Calvert, stiff as a board, handed him the phone. "Boss, I just remembered, our shop hasn't restocked in two weeks. I'll go check it out!"

With that, he bolted out the door.

Everard faltered his expression momentarily when he read the message, a flicker of surprise crossing his deep eyes. But he quickly regained his composure, tapping his fingers on the desk out of habit. His stern features softened. After a moment, he let out a low chuckle. NôvelDrama.Org is the owner.

Cordelia seemed so sweet and sensible, but it turned out...

Not adding him on social media, she must be protesting against the curse about "love or die".

Cordelia hadn't accepted Everard's friend request but hadn't declined it either. What if she angered him and ended up with a heartache?

She wasn't a puppet to be toyed with but had to find a way out of this.

That night, she went to bed early after her nightly routine.

The next day, all the students gathered on the first floor before boarding a coach to the test center.

Upon arrival, Latham waved Cordelia over and whispered, "This test is unofficial, and there are no limits on the knowledge points. As long as you get the answers right, it's all good."

Cordelia's eyes lit up at his words.

Her less-than-stellar performances in the Math Club were due to her inevitable use of college knowledge to solve problems. After all, why take the long road when there's a shortcut?

The Galaxy Math Whiz Competition didn't mind that, which was a relief!

Her eyes sparkling, she nodded in agreement.

Once Cordelia and the other students entered the test center, Zack, who had brought the students from Greenmeadow High School, sidled up to Latham, grinning. "Latham, I heard your student Cordelia stayed in the Presidential Suite last night!"

Latham blinked in surprise. "Did she?"

Zack coughed, unable to resist adding, "Yuna said she's a gold-digger. After entering the room, Cordelia started bossing her around and even upgraded her room before sending Yuna packing. These days, if kids have money, they only seek pleasure. I've never seen her in any competition before. How could she do well?"

Students usually started competition classes in high school and had at least one competition under their belts by their sophomore year.

For instance, Hanley got a second-place provincial prize as a sophomore. Although he didn't advance to the National League, his teachers had high hopes for him this year.

Latham didn't know the full story but he defended his student without hesitation. "Zack, we can't just listen to one side when it comes to this matter. I don't agree with your comment. Is being wealthy a sin now? If you don't seek pleasure, why don't you stay in a cheap motel?"

Zack was at a loss for words, pointing at Latham and scolding, "Look at you, always talking about money. Where's the dignity of being a teacher? Latham, we can't prioritize money over everything..."

Feeling the conversation was ridiculous, Latham walked away.

After all, Cordelia didn't stay with their school's group, so why should he stand there and be lectured by Zack?

The Galaxy Math Whiz Competition, like the advanced math tests, was split into two parts.

The first round was an 80-minute test consisting of multiple-choice and open-ended questions. There were quite a few questions to answer.

The second round lasted 150 minutes and featured only four challenging open-ended questions.

After the first round, the students stretched their legs and chatted excitedly before heading into the second exam.

The atmosphere of the second round was much more serious and quiet, with the only sound being the scribbling of pens on paper.

The four long questions were tough, and the competition questions were a bit advanced.

At the end of the test, the students were mostly downcast.

"This year's questions were insanely hard, weren't they?"

"Yeah, I had no clue about those last two big questions. I'm not even sure about the first one."

Amid such discussions, Cordelia approached Latham, who was asking Hanley, their star student, "How did it go?"

Hanley pursed his lips, a slight frown on his face, "Got two of them right, but I'm not sure about the third and fourth questions."

Latham nodded, "That's not bad. I hear this year was particularly tough! And getting two right should secure you a top prize."

After asking a few more students, Latham turned to Cordelia. "How about you?"

Cordelia thought for a moment before answering, "I finished them all."

Latham's face broke into a smile, "Good, everyone on the bus. Lunch is on me today."

Once they were on the bus, Yuna snickered, "She thinks filling the whole paper gets a perfect score? That's crazy."

She pointed at Cordelia's back to the person next to her, "See her? The one who stayed in the Presidential Suite for the exam, as if she needed the whole world to know she's rich. People like that can't do well..."

A few students from Greenmeadow High School nodded in agreement, their expressions scornful.

Zack snorted in disdain, "Greenmeadow's competition team still relies on our school. Enough talk, let's head back!"

Latham had planned to let the group explore in the afternoon before heading back the next day.

But Cordelia had no interest in shopping. She told Latham she would return to the hotel, where Lorna's car was already waiting, and she went straight home.

As August drew to a close and September approached, the students of Greenmeadow International School were about to start a new school year.

Nearly ten days had passed since the Galaxy Math Whiz Competition, and the results were about to be announced.

The school's online forum was abuzz.

‘Waiting online for someone's scores!’

‘You can't cheat in the Galaxy Math Whiz Competition, so these will show the real deal.’

‘Have you heard the latest? Word is that Cordelia flashed her cash on exam day and managed to tick off Yuna from Greenmeadow High School next door. Now, Yuna said money comes from your parents but grades are all yours. Yuna is determined to slap back with her report card!

‘This is gonna be a good scene!

It was a Tuesday morning, 10 AM sharp, when the test scores were set to drop online.

Before heading to school, Lorna kept reassuring her, "It's all good, kiddo, no matter what the scores are, don't sweat it, Lia!"

Cordelia just nodded, "Uh-huh."

But as soon as they got in the car, Lorna pulled out a scribbled piece of paper with the exam registration number on it. She caught sight of Sanderson heading out and did a double-take, "Where are you off to?"

Sanderson replied, "Work, of course!"

Lorna grabbed his arm, "Work? Hang on a second, let's check the scores at ten, then you can go."

Hearing this, Sanderson turned back and changed his shoes, "Alright, I'll wait with you. But let's get one thing straight. You can't ace a marathon without training, and Lia hasn't had any proper coaching. So don't pin your hopes too high."

Lorna let out a sigh, "It's such a shame, you know? She's so bright. If only we hadn't lost her, if she had grown up with us... just think how amazing she'd be by now, sigh!"