The Contracted Ever After (Cordelia and Ronan) novel Chapter 671

"Hey, bro, do you always have to play games when you're interested in someone? Can't you just go after them straight up? Or are you just not confident in yourself?" Emerson asked Ronan, glancing up from his burger.

Ronan paused, taken aback by Emerson's bluntness, and then simply replied, "You don't like it?"

"It's not that I don't like it," Emerson sighed, pushing his plate aside. "I just don't want to waste so much energy on something that might turn out to be a wild goose chase."

With that, Emerson got up and left the diner.

Ronan was left sitting alone, his mind swirling with thoughts.

He was already drowning in his own problems, too busy to meddle in others' affairs. Besides, Cordelia had been staying on campus a lot lately. Even though she always seemed so sure of herself, Ronan couldn't shake the feeling that she had other things on her mind.

Ronan leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. Was he really being too manipulative?

He also wondered if Cordelia felt the same way Emerson did. Did his tactics make her uncomfortable?

When the news of Lumos Enterprises' bid came out, Daniella was all over it. She desperately wanted to land that contract—it was worth over ten million, and it promised long-term collaboration. For her small company, it was like hitting the jackpot, a full year's worth of business.

Daniella remembered doing an ad campaign for Ronan. Her company might be small, but she believed they deserved a shot at competing.

And since Emerson had the final say, she decided to reach out to him.

That evening, she texted him.

"Hey Emerson, are you free for dinner tonight?"

Emerson knew right away that the dinner invite was about the bid.

"Sure," he texted back.

"Great, see you at 6 at the Corner Bistro. Don't stand me up!" Daniella replied with a smiley face.

"So, if I wanted to... find a backdoor, that's out of the question?" Daniella ventured, her expression one of innocent audacity, as though she was saying, "I'm going to find a shortcut, deal with it."

Her approach to bending the rules was refreshingly straightforward.

Emerson couldn't help but chuckle at her boldness. "And how do you plan on doing that?"

"By winning you over!" Daniella's eyes sparkled as she leaned in slightly.

But Emerson's mood soured. "You're planning to win a bid by winning me over? What do you take me for? And what does that make you?"

Since that dinner at Mr. Evans', Daniella had developed a bit of a crush on Emerson. But she was shy, scared of making the first move and losing face if he rejected her. The bid offered a perfect excuse to express her feelings—if he turned her down, she could brush it off like an April Fool's joke.

Put on the spot by Emerson's blunt question, Daniella fumbled for words, "Then... could you consider the past work I've done for Mr. Evans and give my company a chance? Please?"

"Go through the normal bidding process!" Emerson insisted firmly.