The Contracted Ever After (Cordelia and Ronan) novel Chapter 514

When Cordelia got home, she found that Harold was already gone. She plopped down on the couch, ready to dive back into her research project. But something was off—the file was nowhere to be found. She searched her entire computer, but it was like it had vanished into thin air.

Sweat began to bead on her forehead as panic set in. She had poured over six months of hard work into this research, and now it seemed to have disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Then it hit her—Harold had been over earlier. She dialed his number, her voice laced with urgency.

“Harold, did you see my project file on my computer?”

“What project?”

“The one I'm working on for the national grant.”

“I haven’t touched your computer,” Harold replied, his voice steady.

“Never mind.” Cordelia hung up, feeling even more bewildered.

She began calling her colleagues, Sean and Sally, asking if they had any backups. They both responded that they only worked on portions of it and didn't have the full file.

Cordelia massaged her temples in frustration. She called Harold again, this time inquiring if anyone else had stopped by that afternoon.

“Oh, Professor Petra dropped by, but she left when she saw you weren’t home,” Harold disclosed, his tone casual.