The Contracted Ever After (Cordelia and Ronan) novel Chapter 80

Ronan was back in bed with his nose buried in a book, while Cordelia sat at the desk.

She found it great that both of them were such bookworms. They were a diligent couple indeed.

"Why don't you read in bed?" Ronan asked.

"I'm afraid if I get too comfy in bed, I won't feel like getting up to do the laundry." Cordelia answered, picturing herself as the hardworking heroine in fairy tales and feeling a pang of sympathy for herself.

"Your determination to do the laundry is truly commendable." Ronan said as he flipped through his book.

The arrangement of the desk in their bedroom reminded Cordelia of her grandfather's house since she always sat with her back to Ronan.

Sometimes she would hear the sound of Ronan flipping pages. Sometimes it'd be quick and sometimes slow, with moments when he didn't turn a page for a long while. Whenever he stopped flipping, Cordelia would wonder what was up with him. Why wasn’t he reading? Did he fall asleep?’

She’d occasionally glance back.

This happened quite a few times.

Until one time, when Cordelia glanced back, she made eye contact with Ronan.

“Why do you keep looking at me?” Ronan raised his head to ask.

Cordelia was at a loss for words after been caught in the act.

"I'm going to do the laundry." She quickly responded and headed for the bathroom.

To Cordelia, doing laundry was no big deal. She had been washing her own clothes since elementary school, and even in college, she didn’t using the washing machine, believing it to be more efficient and less wasteful. Washing a shirt was a piece of cake for her.

She quickly finished the laundry but didn't wring it dry, fearing she might ruin Ronan's clothes. So she hung them in the bathroom to drip dry before moving them to the balcony.

His clothes, like him, were treasures.

As Cordelia climbed into bed, her hands were red and looked tender. Without thinking, she blurted out. "You look really good in that shirt."

"Oh, really?" Ronan responded.

"Yes, you look good in dark blue, gray, black, basically any color." Images of him wearing those colors filled Cordelia's mind. "Especially that time you wore a dark gray shirt. The girls in the office couldn't stop talking about how dashing you looked."

"Is that so?" Ronan's tone remained calm. "In that case, why don't you buy me a few more?"

Cordelia was speechless.

She only wanted to compliment Ronan. After all, everyone loved a good compliment, and if Ronan were in a good mood, her night would be easier. But she didn't see this coming, and now she was in a bind.

"Not willing to?" Ronan turned his head to look at Cordelia.

Suppressing a laugh, Cordelia said, "Of course I am. I can come back late tomorrow night, go shopping with Brooklyn at Lumos Plaza, buy your shirts, and then come back. Or I could just stay at the dormitory tomorrow."

"As you wish."

As they were looking at makeup, the ground floor of the mall suddenly became crowded. A lot of people poured in.

Cordelia and Brooklyn looked over to see Deanna walking in, followed by a group of bodyguards. She was probably here for an event, considering how high-end Lumos Plaza was.

Upon seeing Deanna, Cordelia became upset. "Let's go; we should continue shirt shopping."

Just as Cordelia got on the elevator, she received a message from Deanna. “Cordelia, is that you? I just saw someone who looks a lot like you.”

Cordelia didn't reply.

Although she was still shirt shopping, she felt uneasy. She figured once Deanna saw her, she'd start scheming again.

Sure enough, as soon as Cordelia left a store, Deanna caught up with her. "Are you shopping for shirts for Ronan?"

"Ms. Deanna, is your event over?" Cordelia asked.

"Yes. Actually, I have a few shirts I bought for Ronan at home. About four or five. Since you're picking shirts for him, why not take mine as well?" Deanna offered.

Cordelia raised an eyebrow, wondering why Deanna was so juvenile!

"Sure, the shirts here are pretty expensive anyway." Cordelia said with a smile. "He asked me to buy him a few, but I didn't even want to buy one. They're so pricey. You can't tell my husband though, or else he'll scold me."

"No way. Now that I've given you all this, how could I possibly do such a thing?" As Deanna said this, she thought to herself. “Serves you right for getting scolded! You’re such a greenhorn, falling so easily into the trap I set, all for a little bit of cash.”