The Contracted Ever After (Cordelia and Ronan)

Chapter 83

The next morning, Cordelia woke up snug in Ronan's arms, who was still fast asleep.

She was sore all over and ticked off, mostly because Ronan had rejected her request to enter the Audit

Department the night before.

She rolled over, turning her back to him.

Just then, Ronan's phone rang.

"Today? She's free too. Cool, see you at noon." Ronan hung up.

"Deanna's movie's wrapping up; she's gotta jet for some shoots. She invited me to lunch before she

bails and hopes you can tag along." Ronan explained to Cordelia after hanging up.

Deanna sure moved fast.

"Sweetie, could you put on the shirt I bought for you?" Cordelia looked at Ronan, asking him gently.

Ronan frowned at Cordelia. Didn’t she know that the shirts were from Deanna? This could be a setup.

Was she dumb?

"I'm not wearing it." Ronan flatly refused, grabbing another shirt from the side.

Knowing Ronan was a man of his word and wouldn't back down, she dropped to her knees on the bed

and planted a kiss on him.

It was the first time she'd ever initiated a kiss with Ronan.

The kiss lasted a good while.

"What are you doing?" Ronan asked, frowning at Cordelia as they broke away.

But his tone wasn't hostile.

Cordelia felt a bit embarrassed after the kiss, unable to meet Ronan's eyes.

She touched her lips lightly with her finger, as if she were ashamed of her actions.

"I just... I just wanted you to wear the shirt I bought." Cordelia said as she held up the shirt.

"If something happens, it's on you!" Ronan figured he'd be in hot water either way, and with Cordelia

being so insistent, he was curious to see what she was up to.

"I'll take responsibility for all of it!" Cordelia hurriedly responded.

They headed to the coffee shop that Deanna had booked.

Through the window, Deanna saw the lovey-dovey couple approach. The woman was cute and chic,

while the man was mature and poised.

That man was supposed to be hers.

Deanna wished she could immediately off Cordelia, especially after learning who her mother was.

Cordelia and Ronan sat across from Deanna.

Cordelia was all smiles, oblivious to the soon-to-ensue awkwardness.

Deanna was seething after seeing Cordelia like this.

Then Deanna seemed to notice Ronan wearing the shirt she bought. She took a sip of her coffee. "Oh,

Ronan, you look really good in this shirt. Who would have thought that even after all these years, you

still hadn't changed a bit. The size I used to have custom made for you still fits. Cordelia, thanks for

giving the shirt to Ronan."

This was Deanna being crafty, planning to expose Cordelia in public.

But Cordelia responded with innocence. "Ms. Deanna, what are you talking about? I don't get it!"

Deanna was smug, thinking Cordelia was naively assuming she wouldn't expose her in front of Ronan.

Deanna could tell Cordelia's "I don't understand" was merely an excuse to save face from the

embarrassment of having gifted her husband a shirt bought by his ex-girlfriend.

"I'm saying this shirt was a gift from me to Ronan. I had you give it to him, right? I sent it to your dorm."

Deanna stirred her coffee, speaking calmly.

"Ms. Deanna, you should have evidence before accusing people. You've never sent any shirts to me. I

bought this shirt for my husband at a high price." Cordelia looked wronged, trying her best to keep a

cool head.

Ronan stirred his coffee, wondering why Cordelia was arguing over this. Couldn't she see that

everyone would recognize this designer shirt from Dubai?

"High price? How much?" Deanna couldn't help but laugh.

Ronan actually married such a dim-witted woman, it was hilarious.

Today's scene would have been perfect with some paparazzi around.

Cordelia held up two fingers again. "A lot!"

"Two grand?" Deanna looked scornful. Two grand was a high price?

"Two hundred dollars a piece. It's quite pricey," Cordelia said earnestly.

Deanna wondered if Cordelia was stupid. When had Ronan ever worn clothes that cost only a few

hundred dollars?

Ronan coughed a little, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"Ronan, you've got taste. This shirt was custom made for you in Dubai for eight thousand dollars a pop.

I used to get you over twenty every year. Your name's on the label." Deanna looked uninterested in

talking to Cordelia, turning instead to Ronan.

"What Label?" Cordelia looked clueless. "What are you talking about? The label on the shirt I had

custom made for my husband says 'RC.' It's the initials of our names, Ronan Loves Cordelia." Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Cordelia turned to ask Ronan.

"What?" Deanna was surprised. "Let me see..."

"Who do you think my husband is? Do you think anyone can look at his clothes? You're an outsider, so

what gives you the right? But I can take a photo for you."

With that, Cordelia got up, used her phone to flip open Ronan's collar, and snapped a photo of the

label. After taking the photo, she even straightened out Ronan's clothes.

Ronan then realized that Cordelia was getting back at Deanna. Cordelia wasn't as dim as Deanna had

thought; she was clever.

He'd experienced her cleverness more than once or twice.

She even went so far as to seduce him just to get him to wear this shirt.

Even though this morning was fantastic, realizing it was all part of Cordelia's scheme made him feel

like he was being used.

RC? Interesting.

He hadn't really paid attention to the brand, but now he was suddenly curious.

"Take a look." Cordelia handed her phone to Deanna. "You lied and said you gave me the shirt. Would I

really give my husband a shirt bought by another woman? I'm not that dumb."

Deanna was speechless. It was only after a closer look at Ronan's shirt that she realized it wasn't

custom-made from Dubai.

Cordelia was crafty as hell. Her schemes had duped Deanna, costing her dignity in front of Ronan.

"I have a flight to catch, so I need to leave early." With that, Deanna picked up her bag and left.