The Contracted Ever After (Cordelia and Ronan)

Chapter 15

Cordelia moved into the company's housing, right across from the office. It was super close. This way,

she could save on travel expenses and rent.

She shared the house with Brooklyn and two girls from the customer service department. The house

wasn't big, and because they moved in later, the two other girls had already taken the sun-facing

rooms. Brooklyn wanted to argue about it, but Cordelia said, “No name on the door, if they've already

moved in, just let them be.”

So, Brooklyn dropped it.

Cordelia even gave Brooklyn the slightly bigger room and chose the smallest one for herself. There

were no windows in her room, and the ventilation was poor. It was summer, the room was still stuffy

and humid.

After a few days, Cordelia found her dim room not quite up to snuff. The apartment block had many

rooms, and theirs was in a not-so-great location, hers being the worst. She often had to dry her laundry

in the bathroom first before taking it back to her room.

However, the company's housing was located on the pricey Magnolia Terrace in Millstone, where

housing prices were the highest in the country and were a hot commodity. Rent would take up almost

all the salary of a fresh grad, so you had to apply as soon as you got a full-time position. If you were

late, you'd be out of luck. Cordelia knew this, so she didn't fuss.

On Friday, Cordelia got her period. She thought to herself, “Finally, I don't have to worry about whether

or not Ronan and I should have sex when I go back to Barney's.”

That night, Cordelia got a message from Ronan. [We're going back to my grandpa's tomorrow. Prepare Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

yourself.]

[Sure, Mr. Evans, wait for me near The Artful Brew at the end of Magnolia Terrace.]

She was worried that if Ronan picked her up at the dorm, her colleagues would gossip.

On Saturday, Cordelia got into Ronan's car.

This time, Ronan switched to a high-end Mercedes, not as flashy as the Maybach. As usual, they sat in

the back seat without much conversation. Suddenly, Ronan sniffed and asked, “What's that smell?”

Cordelia sniffed it, too, but didn't smell anything in particular.

Ronan squinted at Cordelia, “Your clothes, why do they smell like that?”

Cordelia was so used to the smell that she didn't realize what it was. She only felt embarrassed that

Ronan had noticed a strange smell on her. She was a girl, after all.

She thought for a second, “Is it like a damp smell?”

“Close enough.”

“Oh, it's probably because of my room. My clothes never dry properly, so they get this smell after a

while.” Cordelia instinctively blamed it on her surroundings, it would be way too awkward if Ronan

thought the smell came from her.

Ronan glanced at Cordelia, said nothing, and continued to look out the window.

This time, when they went back to Barney's, Barney was very happy. He and Cordelia had a great

relationship.

Compared to Ronan, Cordelia's relationship with Barney was more like a genuine grandparent-

grandchild relationship. Perhaps because Ronan was mature and stoic, he never complained to Barney

about his problems and always dealt with them on his own. Barney couldn't even help. So, Barney's

affection for Ronan was lacking, they were more like friends.

But with Cordelia, it was completely different. She would always ask Barney all sorts of questions, and

they would talk about everything, like the differences between Birchwood College and her school,

Millstone College's curriculum, Barney's interesting teaching experiences, and those pesky students he

had to deal with. Barney never talked about these things with Ronan, but with Cordelia, he was all

smiles and enthusiasm.

Ronan could hear their laughter when he was quietly reading by himself. It felt like he was the one

being left out. Barney even half-jokingly reminded Cordelia, “Della, have you ever thought about having

a kid? I'd love to see what your child would look like.”

It was as if Cordelia was his biological granddaughter.

Barney had started to call her Della. The first time Barney called her Della, Cordelia's heart warmed up,

and her eyes welled up. She felt like she could hear her dad, mom, and Logan calling her “Della,

Della.” They were her closest family.

But now, her closest family were all gone. She didn't know if her mom would ever get to call her Della

again in this life.

Barney was the only one in the world who called her Della now.

Cordelia's hand froze in mid-air as she was eating, she felt incredibly guilty. She thought Barney's wish

might not come true. She agreed to marry Ronan for the sake of the agreement, but they hadn't

planned on having kids. If they did, she would have had more strings attached.

“Grandpa, you've always been an intellectual, advocating for personal growth. Why are you suddenly

so interested in kids?” Ronan tried to change the subject for Cordelia.

“Ah, it's not...” Barney's eyes dimmed a bit. His past and current thoughts were worlds apart.

Seeing Barney like this, Ronan didn't say anything. He knew his grandpa's wish was impossible.

Cordelia also felt down. Remembering her father's last moments and looking at Barney, she felt even

sadder.

Once back in her room, Cordelia made a point to leave her tampon right on the nightstand.

Ronan spotted it immediately, and he got the message.