The Contracted Ever After (Cordelia and Ronan) novel Chapter 83

The next morning, Cordelia woke up snug in Ronan's arms, who was still fast asleep.

She was sore all over and ticked off, mostly because Ronan had rejected her request to enter the Audit Department the night before.

She rolled over, turning her back to him.

Just then, Ronan's phone rang.

"Today? She's free too. Cool, see you at noon." Ronan hung up.

"Deanna's movie's wrapping up; she's gotta jet for some shoots. She invited me to lunch before she bails and hopes you can tag along." Ronan explained to Cordelia after hanging up.

Deanna sure moved fast.

"Sweetie, could you put on the shirt I bought for you?" Cordelia looked at Ronan, asking him gently.

Ronan frowned at Cordelia. Didn’t she know that the shirts were from Deanna? This could be a setup. Was she dumb?

"I'm not wearing it." Ronan flatly refused, grabbing another shirt from the side.

Knowing Ronan was a man of his word and wouldn't back down, she dropped to her knees on the bed and planted a kiss on him.

It was the first time she'd ever initiated a kiss with Ronan.

The kiss lasted a good while.

"What are you doing?" Ronan asked, frowning at Cordelia as they broke away.

But his tone wasn't hostile.

Cordelia felt a bit embarrassed after the kiss, unable to meet Ronan's eyes.

She touched her lips lightly with her finger, as if she were ashamed of her actions.

"I just... I just wanted you to wear the shirt I bought." Cordelia said as she held up the shirt.

"If something happens, it's on you!" Ronan figured he'd be in hot water either way, and with Cordelia being so insistent, he was curious to see what she was up to.

"I'll take responsibility for all of it!" Cordelia hurriedly responded.

They headed to the coffee shop that Deanna had booked.

Through the window, Deanna saw the lovey-dovey couple approach. The woman was cute and chic, while the man was mature and poised.

That man was supposed to be hers.

Deanna wished she could immediately off Cordelia, especially after learning who her mother was.

Cordelia and Ronan sat across from Deanna.

Cordelia was all smiles, oblivious to the soon-to-ensue awkwardness.

Deanna was seething after seeing Cordelia like this.

Then Deanna seemed to notice Ronan wearing the shirt she bought. She took a sip of her coffee. "Oh, Ronan, you look really good in this shirt. Who would have thought that even after all these years, you still hadn't changed a bit. The size I used to have custom made for you still fits. Cordelia, thanks for giving the shirt to Ronan."

This was Deanna being crafty, planning to expose Cordelia in public.

Cordelia turned to ask Ronan.

"What?" Deanna was surprised. "Let me see..."

"Who do you think my husband is? Do you think anyone can look at his clothes? You're an outsider, so what gives you the right? But I can take a photo for you."

With that, Cordelia got up, used her phone to flip open Ronan's collar, and snapped a photo of the label. After taking the photo, she even straightened out Ronan's clothes.

Ronan then realized that Cordelia was getting back at Deanna. Cordelia wasn't as dim as Deanna had thought; she was clever.

He'd experienced her cleverness more than once or twice.

She even went so far as to seduce him just to get him to wear this shirt.

Even though this morning was fantastic, realizing it was all part of Cordelia's scheme made him feel like he was being used.

RC? Interesting.

He hadn't really paid attention to the brand, but now he was suddenly curious.

"Take a look." Cordelia handed her phone to Deanna. "You lied and said you gave me the shirt. Would I really give my husband a shirt bought by another woman? I'm not that dumb."

Deanna was speechless. It was only after a closer look at Ronan's shirt that she realized it wasn't custom-made from Dubai.

Cordelia was crafty as hell. Her schemes had duped Deanna, costing her dignity in front of Ronan.

"I have a flight to catch, so I need to leave early." With that, Deanna picked up her bag and left.