Love or Die CEO’s Daily Dose of Swoon

Chapter 154

Cordelia was halfway through her roast chicken dinner when Yates pinged her back.

Little Flsaid, “Did sdigging. She transferred to Elite Future Academy out in the suburbs. That place runs like a military camp, so no phones are allowed. Makes sense she hasn’t texted you back.”

Relieved, Cordelia set down her fork and typed back, “Is she doing okay?”

Little Flreplied, “Talked to a few grads from there. They all turned out pretty decent, went from spoiled brats to straight arrows. Sfolks even suggested to my granddad to shipoff there. But Gramps thought my average Joe life was just fine.”

Cordelia was speechless,

Classic Hackett, spoiling the kids.

Little Flsent another message, “I’ve got a lead. They get a break once a month, and the next one is in a week. I’ll have someone on it to check on her then.”

Cordelia replied, “Thanks.”

Lorna nibbled on her green beans, eyeing Cordelia as she texted seriously, and shot Sanderson a knowing look. “Cordelia was finally in the throes of young love, glued to messaging.”

Sanderson just gave her a look that said, “You’re reading too much into it.”

After their silent exchange, Cordelia put her phone away, and Lorna, seeing her dive back into her meal, exclaimed in surprise, “That was quick?”

“Aren’t those mushy chats supposed to last ages?” she thought.

Cordelia, a bit perplexed, slowed her pace and replied, “Well, I’ll slow down. You know, chew slowly, digest

better.”

Lorna was speechless.

But then Cordelia put down her fork and looked at her mother seriously, “Mom, Little Parrot was pulled out by her folks for a forced school switch. No contact. You don’t think anything bad happened, do you?”

Lorna sighed upon hearing this. She knew about Merry through chats and had even talked to Mrs. Collins to get a sense of their families.

She began, “What parents don’t love their kids? I’ve asked around about their situation. Apparently, Leila’s only brought them pride and praise, while Merry has been rebellious since she was little. Over time, her parents started playing favorites, but they wouldn’t harm their child.”

Remembering a recent incident at the school office, Cordelia wasn’t so optimistic.

Seeing Cordelia’s worried face, Lorna offered, “I’ll look into which school they’ve sent her to. If you’re still worried, I can take you to see her.”

With Cordelia finally making a few friends, especially a girlfriend, Lorna was more than willing to help.

Cordelia nodded in agreement.

After dinner, they headed upstairs. Lorna, who usually would be off to her stuor her bedroom, unexpectedly veered toward the study.

Cordelia, sensing something was off, looked at her mother with a hint of curiosity.

Lorna suggested with a smile, “Lia, fancy a gnight?”

Cordelia blinked, “Not really.”

She had her mind set on reviewing schemistry.

1/3

13.06

While other parents fretted over their kids‘ gaming addictions, Lorna worried that Cordelia’s life lacked pleasure. She feared Cordelia would be out of the loop during conversations with classmates, so she often nudged her toward new experiences.

But Lorna insisted, tugging at her arm, “Con, helpout with this one.”

With a sigh, Cordelia followed her into the study, where Lorna picked up her phone and downloaded the mobile gPOT.

POT was a five–player competitive game, available on both mobile and PC, with tutorials for newbies and random matchmaking for ranked play.

Lorna was to design the upgraded background animation for this game.

Lorna explained, “I was planning to play a couple of rounds for research, but I’m no good at it. You kids catch on quickly. Play for a bit while I watch for sinspiration.”

Cordelia said, “Sure.”

She understood that all Lorna wanted was for her to relax, so she decided to humor Lorna’s thinly veiled

excuse.

After Cordelia downloaded the game, Lorna said, “Pick a gname.”

Cordelia said, “How about ‘Learner‘?”

Lorna’s lips twitched. Cordelia’s mind was always on studying.

Then Cordelia discovered the gwas quite engaging. It wasn’t just about skill, strategy played a part too, and she found herself getting hooked.

After five rounds, she finally grasped the essence of the git was all about tower defense. But it required teamwork, and one strong player couldn’t carry four others.

Luckily, in her third game, she teamed up with a player named Jungler. Under his lead, they won, and to her surprise, he invited her for a duo.

Cordelia accepted.

While waiting to queue, Jungler complained via chat, “Trying for a winning streak on my alt, but the others are braindead. You’re good. Let’s play a few.”

Cordelia replied, “Sure.”

They gamed for two hours until Cordelia had to hit the books. Just as she was saying goodbye, Jungler also signed off, “Reached my goal rank on this account. Gonna climb on my main. Gtomorrow?”

Cordelia was about to refuse when Lorna chimed in, “Play again tomorrow night for a couple of hours.”

Cordelia could only reply, “Okay.”

They set the tfor the next day, and finally, Cordelia could return to her beloved desk and her books. For the following week, Cordelia found herself roped into nightly gaming sessions with Lorna. Playing solo had lost its luster, so she teamed up with a player known as Jungler for sduo action. Together, they hit a winning streak that seemed almost supernatural, climbing the ranks from the lowly level to the esteemed Hall of Fposition without a single defeat. And as they ascended the leaderboard, Cordelia discovered an increasing fondness for the game.

Before she knew it, Saturday rolled around. Greenmeadow International School operated on a full schedule that weekend, so Cordelia had her usual classes to attend. However, upon waking up, she noticed a text from Yates, “Merry’s got the day off today, and the Jordans scooped her up first thing in the morning. Let’s head over to the Jordan residence after school to see her. Withtagging along, they wouldn’t dare turn us away.”

Cordelia replied with a simple “Alright.”

13:06 N

Chapter 154

Truth be told, she had grown strangely unaccustomed to the absence of Little Parrot’s daily chatter. The quiet was unfamiliar, almost unnerving in its own way.