The Contracted Ever After (Cordelia and Ronan) novel Chapter 667

"Mom, I'm fine. Really, don't worry," Jayson said with a grin that spread across his face like sunshine breaking through the clouds.

The kid wasn't exactly a picture of cuteness, and life had roughed him up more than anyone his age deserved, which left his features a bit rough around the edges. But right then, with that smile, he might as well have been a blossoming flower.

Cordelia's heart eased at his words. "Alright, hon. Shall we head home together soon?" she asked.

She couldn't pinpoint exactly when her initial reluctance had melted into this warm acceptance. It was probably Shelley's influence creeping into her subconscious. She had this notion that you ought to treat others' kids even better than your own. After all, this kid had been cast aside by his own family. If he couldn't find a slice of warmth from his adoptive parents, his life might as well be chalked up as a loss.

"Sure," Jayson replied.

As they sat there, side by side, Cordelia toyed with the idea of shooting Victoria a message on Messenger, inviting her over to see Jayson.

But after the slapgate incident, the two hadn't exchanged a single word. Cordelia wondered whether Victoria would even entertain the idea of showing up, but she also knew that after last time, Victoria had been completely written off by Harold. Maybe this would be a chance for her to salvage some good grace, to heal a bit of the deep psychological scar they'd left on Jayson.

After much deliberation, Cordelia took out her phone and typed out a message to Victoria: "Victoria, Jayson's been under the weather. When can you come by to see him? I'll post on Facebook. About the other day, I'm sorry. I was hot-headed. Can we put a decade of friendship above that moment?"

She knew what she was implying: a Facebook post, mainly for Harold's eyes, to show she wasn't completely heartless, that her previous outburst was just that—an outburst. Otherwise, Victoria's image in Harold's eyes would be tarnished forever, and all her efforts would have been for naught.

Victoria didn't immediately respond. She was either tied up with something, hadn't seen the message yet, or, perhaps, was deliberately ignoring Cordelia.