Love or Die: CEO’ s Daily Dose of Swoon (Cordelia) novel Chapter 97

Chapter 97 

The classroom fell into a sudden hush, as if someone had hit the pause button on a remote control. Every student was frozen, their eyes wide with disbelief as they turned towards the dean. 

Juliana dropped her jaw, her eyes bulging as if she’d seen a ghost. Hayley felt as though she’d been slapped across the face, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. 

Those who had spoken up for Cordelia reveled in the discomfort that Juliana and Hayley now wore like a second skin. They remained silent, as did the few who had joined Juliana and Hayley in their campaign against Cordelia, all of them now looking down at their shoes, unable to muster a word. 

There were no cheers or applause in response to the dean’s announcement, and the dean felt a twinge of unease, turning to Latham with a puzzled look. “What’s wrong? Not happy with the result?” 

Clearing his throat, Latham was about to reply when the dean hastily added, “Of course, this is just part of the award. We’ve also got a cash prize. Our school has a tradition. A first–place win gets you a scholarship to a top–tier university and a ten thousand dollar reward. Cordelia, with her special circumstances, won two first–place awards and a scholarship offer. Our school has been called non–stop for asking about Cordelia. She’s brought us a lot of pride, so we’ve decided to award her an additional 180 thousand dollars. Cordelia, could I get your bank account details?” 

The mention of additional cash awards elicited a collective gasp from the class. 

Though they were all children of affluent families, those in the honors class were under strict allowances from their parents, with a fixed amount of spending money each month. 

180 thousand dollars was still a decent sum, even to them. 

Cordelia, who had been engrossed in her work, looked up blankly and muttered, “Oh…” 

The dean sighed, feeling a bit deflated. He’d expected to see a burst of excitement from the students but instead was met with their stoic calm. He then turned to Latham, asking if he could leave. 

Latham, visibly annoyed, retorted dryly. “Why don’t you stay and sit in on a class before you go?” 

With a pointed look from the dean that seemed to calm Latham’s pride, he left the classroom. 

A few moments after the departure of the dean, Merry was the first to break the silence. “Wow, Lia, you’re killing it. You were late just now, but then you’re getting more awards!” 

The others chimed in with their praise. 

“Cordelia is a genius!” 

“Well, that put the bullies in their place, didn’t it?” 

Latham coughed to get their attention, and the class fell silent. His gaze shifted to Juliana and Hayley as he spoke, “This Honorable Medal isn’t a reason to turn on each other, Besides, our class was tied with Class 2. According to the school rules, even in a tie, the Honorable Medal goes to them. Is Cordelia’s rare tardiness that important?” 

His words hung heavy in the air, causing Juliana and Hayley to lower their heads. Juliana whispered sheepishly, “Mr. Latham, we just wanted the Honorable Medal.” 

Latham shook his head in mild disappointment and turned on the projector, plugging in his USB drive. “These are last month’s performance. Without any tardiness or absences, we were ahead of Class 2. Do you know why?” 

Juliana knew. “Because our class had a higher average score!” 

The Honorable Medal was linked not only to discipline but to performance as well. 

Latham nodded, then asked, “And do you know who brought up those points?” 

1/3 

He proceeded to remove Cordelia’s scores from the class average. Instantly, the total dropped by a full four points. 

Latham looked at Juliana, “Cordelia has been with us for two months. Last month, it was because of her that we won the Honorable Medal. This month, it’s the same story.” 

The classroom fell deathly silent. 

Juliana stared a disbelief at the projector screen, her teeth clenched tightly. 

Latham concluded, “Class honor isn’t about blaming individuals when things go wrong. It’s about shared. success and shared responsibility” 

With a final and meaningful glance at Juliana, Latham left the room. 

A prolonged silence followed, broken only by Merry, “Mr. Latham is right. Those who accused Lia should apologize to her.” 

All eyes turned to Hayley and Juliana. Hayley bit her lip, her gaze fixed on the floor, and Juliana simply clenched her fists. 

Merry pressed on, “When Lia apologized, she didn’t hesitate. Now it’s your turn, why can’t you handle it?” 

Juliana, pale with anger, muttered an apology. 

Merry cocked his head, “What was that? I didn’t hear you. Did you, Lia?” 

Cordelia, her concentration broken again, lifted her head slowly, “What?” 

Merry pointed at Juliana, The person concerned didn’t hear it. How can that count as an apology?” 

Juliana flushed, tears rolling down her cheeks as she shouted, “I’m sorry, okay? Is that good enough?” 

Merry grinned, “Is a flippant apology really all we get? At the very least, you can give everyone a bow, right?” 

Merry shot back by repeating what Juliana had just said. 

Watching Merry’s retreating figure, a smirk pulled at the corners of Cordelia’s mouth. This little chatterbox was morphing into quite the ‘Sass Queen‘. 

Juliana wouldn’t bow, instead, she ran out of the room, escaping the awkwardness. 

Cordelia didn’t care about the apology. She never took Juliana seriously and went back to her work. 

Soon, the lessons were all over, and