The Contracted Ever After (Cordelia and Ronan)

Chapter 514

When Cordelia got home, she found that Harold was already gone. She plopped down on the couch,

ready to dive back into her research project. But something was off—the file was nowhere to be found.

She searched her entire computer, but it was like it had vanished into thin air.

Sweat began to bead on her forehead as panic set in. She had poured over six months of hard work

into this research, and now it seemed to have disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Then it hit her—Harold had been over earlier. She dialed his number, her voice laced with urgency.

“Harold, did you see my project file on my computer?”

“What project?”

“The one I'm working on for the national grant.”

“I haven’t touched your computer,” Harold replied, his voice steady.

“Never mind.” Cordelia hung up, feeling even more bewildered.

She began calling her colleagues, Sean and Sally, asking if they had any backups. They both

responded that they only worked on portions of it and didn't have the full file.

Cordelia massaged her temples in frustration. She called Harold again, this time inquiring if anyone

else had stopped by that afternoon.

“Oh, Professor Petra dropped by, but she left when she saw you weren’t home,” Harold disclosed, his

tone casual.

Inside, Harold was playing a risky game. By mentioning that Professor Petra had visited, he subtly

shifted suspicion toward her. Whether she had taken the file or not, he couldn't be sure, so he

downplayed the significance of her visit.

Cordelia reached out to Professor Petra.

“A project? I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm not even in finance. Why would I need your

files?” Professor Petra sounded genuinely irritated. “What kind of person do you think I am?”

“I...” Cordelia was at a loss for words, cut off by Petra’s sharp tone.

Left with no other choice, Cordelia knew she had to start from scratch, relying solely on her memory.

But if someone had indeed stolen her work, redoing it would be pointless. The intellectual property

would no longer be hers. In frustration, she pounded her fist on the desk. Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

Meanwhile, with a sly grin, Professor Petra forwarded the mysteriously obtained project file from an

obscure email account to Dustin, a finance major.

She had already made it clear to Cordelia that she had no use for the research, hinting that only

someone in finance would benefit from such theft—someone like Harold, who was not only a finance

student but also Dustin's pupil. By planting the seeds of doubt, she hoped to direct suspicion toward

Harold, making it look like he stole Cordelia's work to curry favor with his professor.

Petra then began to spread the word, starting with a message in the student and faculty groups. [Has

anyone seen Professor Haselwood's research report? It's missing.]

The news spread like wildfire, and before long, the whole of Birchwood College was abuzz with rumors

that Harold had pilfered Cordelia's project.

The plot took an unexpected turn when Dustin came across the email in his inbox. Recognizing

Cordelia's work on trust research, he knew he could use it, but Dustin had a strong moral compass and

would never stoop to plagiarism. Without hesitation, he sent the project back to Cordelia through

Messenger. "Ms. Haselwood, is this your research by any chance?"

Overwhelmed with relief at the return of her work, Cordelia wept tears of joy.