The Contracted Ever After (Cordelia and Ronan)

Chapter 538

At noon, Jayson wasn't in the mood for lunch, so she took him out for some fastfood. They settled into

a quiet corner of the diner, but Petra's attention wandered when she saw Cordelia and an unfamiliar

elderly man walk in. Petra was curious, so she let the kid play outside by himself while she sidled

closer to eavesdrop.

Cordelia had chosen a private booth in the back, where the entrance faced the rear window, making it a

secluded spot. After the server brought their food, they were left undisturbed.

Petra overheard a convoluted tale that unfolded before her, revealing Cordelia's birth mother and even

a mention of someone named Thomas. Petra wasn't sure who Thomas was, but she guessed he

must’ve been an acquaintance of Cordelia's from Millstone. She made a mental note of the name.

After the old man left, Cordelia clutched a vinyl record with Scarf's latest album. Clearly, Eason was

using it to convey his and Tony's relationship and to let Tony know his affections were for Cordelia. This

meeting wasn't just about Tony sharing Cordelia's origins but also a chance for a would-be father-in-law

to meet his son's beloved.

Eason's thoughts were always meticulous. This time, he was serious, seeking an answer from

Cordelia, but Cordelia's mind was far from Eason’s. She held the record, lost in thoughts about her own

past.

Alana was her biological mother, but her mother had lost her sanity. The revelation hit Cordelia hard.

She sat there, head in her hands, when her phone rang. It was Ronan.

"Where are you?" he asked.

Cordelia was jolted back to reality. Glancing out the window, she noticed the evening had crept up on Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

her, and she suddenly remembered her child had planned to join her for dinner.

"I'm at the diner."

"Have you eaten?" Ronan inquired.

"No, I... I met someone here. They told me something that's been troubling me for ages. I need to talk

to you about it," Cordelia said, her fingers threading through her hair in agitation.

"Tonight?"

"Yeah," Cordelia replied.

She knew it was going to be a long story, one she might spend the entire evening sharing with Ronan.

"Callum and I will come join you for dinner. Should we meet you at the staff canteen?"

"Sounds good."

After hanging up, Cordelia noticed several unread messages from Victoria on Messenger. She had

been so engrossed in her conversation with Tony that she hadn't seen the notifications.

[Cordelia, what are you up to? Ronan's gone viral. The whole campus is buzzing! You've got to see the

bulletin boards. Every single one is plastered with it; it's freaking spectacular.]

Victoria had sent a photo followed by a message, [This is just one of them. It's all over the bulletin

boards.]

Cordelia looked closely. It was a love letter Petra had written to Ronan years ago, filled with passionate

promises of a life together.

Cordelia wondered who would have posted it. Wasn't that letter supposed to be with Ronan?

Then Cordelia's phone rang again—it was Petra.

"Cordelia, I can't face this scandal. That letter is out there... I'm mortified. I loved Ronan so much; he

was my whole world, to the point where I lost myself. Cordelia, maybe we'll meet in another life," Petra

said, then hung up.

"Where are you? Where are you? Petra, don't do anything stupid!" Cordelia's grip tightened on the vinyl

record.

She redialed frantically. Finally, the call connected, and a child's voice came through, "My mom's going

to jump. She's on top of Empower Tower."

"Wait for me, I'm coming. Hold onto your mom!" Cordelia rushed out, first dialing 911, then hailing a taxi

as fast as she could.