Love or Die: CEO’ s Daily Dose of Swoon (Cordelia) novel Chapter 57

Frankie stared at his phone, the words familiar yet strung together in a way that seemed to mock his understanding.

Lost in thought for too long, his thick-framed glasses slid down his nose before he caught them with a single hand, nudging them back into place with a practiced push. Squinting, he looked at the screen once more.

Frankie, a man in his sixties, face etched with lines of time and fingers trembling slightly, deleted his meticulously typed message to replace it with a less certain reply, “Are you pulling my leg?”

An eighteen-year-old girl proving Batra's Conjecture? It seemed about as likely as a piglet winning at the Kentucky Derby.

LearnLover replied, ‘What?’

LearnLover continued, ‘What's your email?’

Frankie composed himself and sent his email address. Then, setting down his phone, he waited in silence.

Patience, he reminded himself.

Over the years, there had been many claims of proving Batra's Conjecture, only to fall apart under scrutiny, riddled with errors. Perhaps this girl was just another wild goose chase.

He took a deep breath. About five minutes later, a reminder from his computer announced the arrival of an email, his phone lighting up in tandem.

LearnLover said, ‘I sent it. Did you get it?’

Frankie asked, half in disbelief, “Do you even know what you've proven?”

Perhaps she didn't understand the magnitude of the conjecture in the mathematics.

LearnLover replied, ‘Batra's Conjecture. It was tough, sure. I had it half done when you first reached out. With this last week, it took me about twenty days total.’

Frankie was dumbfounded.

Did she have any idea how many had spent their lifetimes without cracking it?

With dwindling hope, Frankie replied, “Alright, I’ll take a look.”

After sending the message, he downloaded and printed thirty-some pages of draft proofs, binding them in order before turning to the first page. Once he started reading, he couldn’t stop.

Cordelia waited a bit longer, noticing Mathster had yet to reply. With ten minutes left before class ended, she pulled out a set of math Olympiad problems to pass the time.

Hanley, also in the math club, watched her with a mix of curiosity and concern. He'd been researching Batra's Conjecture and realized she'd attempted to prove it. She must have given up by now, he thought.

When class was dismissed, Hanley approached her with a brotherly tone, “Batra's Conjecture isn't kid's stuff. You shouldn't bite off more than you can chew. Better to focus on the National League, huh?”

She glanced at him, indifferent, and quickened her pace to leave.

Hanley thought Cordelia had listened, he explained to her, "You can't underestimate others in the National League. Do you know the first place in the Galaxy Math Whiz Competition last year? He got 270 points as a sophomore last year! Moreover, he won the first prize in the National League last year. If he hadn't had a physical problem and didn't go to the winter camp, he might have been accepted by the Top Crest Academy now, and he would be Keen of our province. And don't underestimate Jake. Although he didn't do well in the Galaxy Math Whiz Competition, it doesn't mean that his results in the competition are worse than yours."

Cordelia thought he was noisy, picked up her books quickly, and walked out with her arms.