The Contracted Ever After (Cordelia and Ronan) novel Chapter 121

The staff of the Finance Department, despite being seemingly busy, had an uncanny ability to keep an ear on all the office gossip. When they caught wind that Cordelia was toting a knock-off bag, the office broke into a chorus of laughter.

Ronan was right here and she had humiliated him like that. Everyone was curious to see how he'd handle it.

Cordelia shot Ronan a covert glance before softening her tone. "Don't be mad."

"Why would I be mad?" But Ronan was already fuming. The audacity of his staff to challenge him and cause such a scene was infuriating.

"The money you gave me, I didn't use it to buy a real bag. I bought a fake one and saved the rest. I mean, it's just a bag, right? There's no need to break the bank over it. We shouldn't be using expensive bags to show off. What's the point in buying such pricey bags?" Cordelia explained. By saying this, she not only saved Ronan's dignity but also took a jab at Manda's show-off tendencies.

Ronan thought. He was supposed to be the referee, but now he was a part of her plan. Even though she had salvaged his dignity, he still felt a bit uneasy.

"Go home early after work," Ronan left her with these words and walked away.

The day's events soon became the hot gossip topic around the company, with everyone adding a bit of spice to the story. Those who had previously gossiped about Cordelia now kept their mouths shut. But they all agreed on one thing: Manda's days at Lumos Enterprises were numbered.

Cordelia wondered, he told her to go home? Should she really go home today?

Brooklyn also messaged her, [Cordelia, this genuine Chanel bag looks really good on me, how about you give it to me?]

[Don't be ridiculous. This bag is worth three to four grand. That would be fraud and punishable by law.]

[Well, I see.] Brooklyn quickly replied.

But Cordelia knew that she couldn't return the bag to Manda or Adrian. If she did, she would be admitting her guilt. The best person to handle this was Jamie.

The thought of dealing with Jamie gave her a headache.

In the afternoon, Cordelia was waiting by Ronan's car, her head hanging low. She had moved to the dormitory because of the stand-in issue, and now she was waiting for him by his car.

Ronan glanced at her and got into his car. "How many days has it been?" he asked.

When he visited the Finance Department at noon, he noticed her pale face.

"What?" Cordelia had been looking out the window and didn't understand what Ronan was asking.

"Your period."

"Three days."

"Explain." he commanded.

"Explain what?" Cordelia was still clueless.

It felt like so much had happened since they last spoke, as if a century had passed.

"The tie incident."

"Let's go buy it today," Ronan glanced at Cordelia, "Also, you should change your clothes."

"I've bought clothes before, but I never had the courage to wear them out," Cordelia whispered.

Ronan shook his head, "I guess that your fashion sense is lacking."

"I..." Cordelia wanted to argue, but she couldn't find the words.

"Also, explain what happened today," Ronan added.

Cordelia then proceeded to tell him about Adrian giving her a bag, and her swapping it with Brooklyn, leaving no detail out.

"So what were you doing during work hours? Shopping for bags? Do you think your salary is too high?" Ronan asked again.

"I..." Cordelia felt wronged, thinking. “You asked for an explanation, didn't you? And now you were blaming me for not taking work seriously?”

Normally, Cordelia would have a solid argument, but she always seemed to lose ground when facing Ronan.

Ronan's car was heading towards Lumos Plaza. This seemed to be the first time he was accompanying Cordelia to the mall.

The cost of shopping at Lumos Plaza was significantly higher than at City Mall.