Love or Die: CEO’ s Daily Dose of Swoon (Cordelia) novel Chapter 294

The moment the video call connected, Juliana was greeted by a strikingly handsome face.

Her eyes widened in surprise, and she was about to get a closer look when her phone was suddenly snatched away. Turning around, she saw Cordelia swiftly grabbing the phone from behind and handing it over to Merry.

Merry shot Juliana a wary glance.

Juliana was stunned, feeling a sense of déjà vu. That quick glimpse... it felt eerily familiar. Could it be... Bland?

Impossible. How could it be Bland?

She must have been seeing things.

Looking back at Merry, if Merry and Bland were that close, Bland could easily usher her into the glamorous world of Hollywood. Why bother with the grueling auditions for the Ontoky City Film and Animation Academy?

So, she must have been mistaken.

Merry was already glaring at her. “Juliana, didn’t your folks teach you not to mess with other people's stuff? What’s with your low-class behavior?”

Low-class?

That set Juliana off. “Oh, and you’re high-class? Obsessing over a celeb who’s already taken. I don’t know whether to call you shameless or just delusional!”

Merry, never one to lose a verbal spar, scoffed. Juliana’s words were like water off a duck’s back. “What about you? Sorted things out with your fiancé yet? Weren’t you two at each other’s throats just yesterday?”

That hit a nerve with Juliana, leaving her fuming and breathless with indignation.

Ever since Hayley transferred, Juliana felt isolated, her grievances and bitterness finding no outlet, making her lash out without a care for appearances.

At that moment, Merry’s words made her glance at Hanley in the front row.

He seemed oblivious to the drama unfolding behind him, engrossed in his work, which only fueled her anger further.

Just yesterday, Hanley had snapped at her, suggesting they call off the engagement if she was so bothered by it.

Men are all the same, heartless.

Taking a deep breath, Juliana tried to collect herself and focused on distributing the examination papers instead.

Unbeknownst to her, Hanley had headphones in, blasting English songs, completely tuning out the commotion around him.

With Juliana’s interruption, Merry didn’t get to video call Bland, so she settled for a quick text to wish him a good morning before diving into exam preparations.

As days turned into routines, Yates’ leg injury healed within a week, being just a minor cut.

Come the end-of-January mock exams, Cordelia unsurprisingly topped the year, while Merry’s grades steadily improved, breaking into the top hundred. With a solid foundation, she was well on her way to securing a spot in the Ontoky City Film and Animation Academy.

Even Little Flame showed progress, climbing from the very bottom to rank around five hundred, a jump of a hundred places. Yet, the gap to Superiority College remained vast.

Despite discouragement from many, Yates, as stubborn as his fiery red hair, refused to give up. Only through effort could he live without regrets.

Life smoothly sailed towards the year-end, with underclassmen breaking for winter holidays while seniors buckled down, grinding till the 28th before getting a break.

On the last day, their homeroom teacher, Mr. Latham, cycled to class on his beat-up bike to deliver a pep talk about not slacking off during the holidays with the SATs looming in less than five months.

After class dispersed with palpable excitement, only Cordelia and Merry remained, packing up. That’s when Cordelia’s notebook fell to the floor.

Both bent down to pick it up, their hands brushing against each other beneath the desk. They shared a smile, but before they could stand, footsteps approached, and the door shut.

Hanley’s voice, weary and heavy, broke the silence. “Juliana, what are you doing?”

Juliana, much more somber than before, pleaded desperately, “Hanley, can we not break off the engagement? I promise to change. If we break it off, my reputation will be ruined!”

Hanley sighed, “I’ve given you a way out. Blame it on me, say I was inconsiderate, anything. I’ve given you plenty of time. Why hasn’t your family approached mine yet?”

“I won’t break it off!” Juliana declared.

Hanley rubbed his temples, “Juliana, don’t be so stubborn. You’ve disappointed me too much. If your family doesn’t reach out by the new year, I’ll have to initiate the break-off. I’ve given you enough time.”