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

Chapter 283

Lacy seemed to snap back to reality and yet appeared more confused than ever, muttering under his breath, "The founder?"

Mathilda and Lorna rushed to his side, trying to help him up.

But Lacy was quite a load, and the two women struggled to lift him. It was Sanderson, drawn by the commotion, who swept Lacy into his arms and laid him on the bed.

No sooner had Lacy touched the bed than he sprang up, darting towards the bookshelf. After rummaging through it, he pulled out an object wrapped in newspaper and handed it to Mathilda: "Give the money to Lorna. Don't let her take any nonsense!"

Lorna and Mathilda exchanged resigned glances and sighed: there he goes again, lost in his own world.

Unwrapping the newspaper, Lorna found, to her surprise, a bundle of cash. Lacy gripped her hand tightly, "For my daughter Lorna, give it to her, not you."

Lorna felt a warmth in her heart. "Okay, Dad, I'll give it to her!"

She went upstairs, knocked on Cordelia's door, and handed over Lacy's money. "It's about five thousand dollars. It's not much, but it comes with all your granddad's love. You're running low on cash, so use it as you need."

Cordelia set the money aside with a simple "Okay."

After seeing Cordelia was still engrossed in her books and without further ado, Lorna left a bowl of bird's nest soup on the table and departed. Once alone, Cordelia put down her pen, stashed the money in her drawer, and as she did, something within the stack seemed to catch the light. But looking closer, nothing was out of the ordinary.

Cordelia shrugged it off, closed the drawer, and grabbed her phone.

She texted Mr. All-Round: "Hey, you up?"

The reply from Everard at Midnight Scent came instantly: "Yeah, what's up?"

At Midnight Scent, Everard was pondering how to make amends with his in-laws after the day's shocking revelations.

Seeing the text from Cordelia, he figured she must have been shaken up, too. Time to offer some comfort, he thought, about to reassure her that being the founder of Fortuna Group wasn't all that scary...

That's when he saw her message: "Hey, you're kinda like family, right?"

Everard was puzzled but played along: "Um?"

Cordelia's next text made him chuckle: "My boyfriend's the founder of Fortuna Group. Who's more badass, you or him?"

Everard replied with a smile, "Close call."

"Good enough," she texted back.

Everard was bemused.

"And hey, if he ever gives me trouble, I'm counting on you to back me up," she added.

Everard couldn't help but smile wider. Trust Cordelia to be so direct!

Lorna and Sanderson had a restless night, tossing and turning.

Everard's revelation wasn't intended to be a secret, and with such a public disclosure, it wasn't long before the news spread through the elite circles. Sanderson's phone was buzzing non-stop.

Initially, it was calls from the old Delaney staff, looking to jump ship with him, all of whom he gently declined.

Then came inquiries from other

wealthy families, hearing about his

resignation and eager to discuss potential collaborations or even investments with his future

ventures. Most were looking to

connect with Bill, but SandersonBelongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

politely deferred these offers,

promising to keep them in mind for

future opportunities.

At the Delaney Manor, the atmosphere was far from celebratory. Kermit was visibly shaken; Rachel feared Sanderson's retaliation, while Juliana, envious of Cordelia's influential boyfriend, spent a sleepless night.

Steward resolved, "Tomorrow, we all go and apologize to the boss. Even if it means Kermit has to kneel and beg, we have to get him back! And his shares, we must return them!"

Unfortunately, the first to arrive the next day wasn't Steward but Mrs. Brown, who had spent the night wide awake.

The Lewis family, known for their tea

business, faced a crisis with a

significant shortfall in their tea production, risking hefty penalties for unfulfilled orders. Their salvation lay in the surplus stock of the Dales Tea Estate, a Fortuna Group@enture, prompting Mrs. Brown to consider seeking Cordelia's help for a

purchase.

This deal could have been a simple negotiation if not for the formidable stature of Fortuna Group, making the Lewis family's plight seem insignificant by comparison.

Upon learning of Cordelia's partner's identity, Mrs. Brown decided to give it a shot, despite her husband's pessimism, given the tea's predestined buyers.

Facing the prospect of draining their liquidity, Mrs. Brown was determined to try, saying, "I've got to at least try!"

Mr. Brown let out a sigh, "It's no use trying, you know. Mr. Watkins just dated Ms. Delaney for a bit. How could he possibly let a young girl meddle in business matters? You've got to understand, when he was making his way in the world, he was ruthless!"

Mrs. Brown's heart sank.

Mr. Brown continued, "Besides,

they're just boyfriend and girlfriend right now, nothing official. Ms. Delaney might not even want to stick her neck out for you and risk ticking Mr. Watkins off. And let's face it, he's not likely to take advice from his girlfriend, is he?

Mrs. Brown knew he was right.

But for the sake of her family, she still headed to the Delaney residence early in the morning.

Knowing full well she might be facing a brick wall, but still unwilling to give up.

She arrived too early, Cordelia hadn't even come downstairs yet. After an absent-minded and stuttering conversation with Lorna, Cordelia finally appeared.

She was in her school uniform, the oversized clothes making her look even more slender.

A large backpack hung from her shoulders, looking incredibly heavy.

The girl's face was plain, her hair pulled back into a ponytail, her large eyes making her look all the more pitiable.

Seeing her, Mrs. Brown found herself at a loss for words.

She shouldn't be troubling a child with this.

In this romance, Cordelia was already at a disadvantage. Asking her to speak on her behalf would only make it harder for her to face Mr. Watkins in

the future.

And what if Mr. Watkins ended up scolding the poor girl?

Mrs. Brown decided not to mention her visit's purpose and just watched as Cordelia, carrying her breakfast, left the room.

Just as she was about to take her leave, Cordelia returned, standing before Mrs. Brown and asked slowly, "Mrs. Brown, is there something you wanted to talk to me about?"