Chapter 127
Chapter 127
Cordelia stood frozen, a flicker of disbelief crossing her face as she clutched her
phone, staring at the six digital tickets on the screen. A thought raced through her
mind were these really worth $50,0007
She wandered into the living room, where a few people turned their heads in
unison towards her.
Laurinda snorted through her nose, making no move to greet her
Steward, on the other hand, smiled warmly. “Hey Lia, how was school today?
Tiring?"
Cordelia didn't intend to engage with her grandmother or Rachel, but she couldn't
ignore her granddad’s friendly inquiry.
She shook her head. “Not really.”
Having said that, she dropped her by the couch and took a seat next to Lorna.
Rachel
continued, addressing Lorna, “Lorna, help us out, will you? Here's the ticket.”
With that, she tried to press the ticket into Lorna's hand, but Lorna pushed it
back, steadfast in her refusal. “Really, I can't. Lia and Everard are just dating; it
wouldn't be right to make Everard bow his head.”
Seeing Lorna's resistance, Rachel turned to Cordelia. “Lia, what do you think?
Your mom would love this art show. If you could just swallow your pride a bit and
get Calvert to add Juliana on Facebook, I will give her the ticket! You're such a
good daughter, surely you wouldn't want to disappoint your mom, right?”
Lorna frowned. “Rachel, don’t talk nonsense. I'm not interested in the art show!”
As she attempted to give the ticket back to Rachel, Cordelia’s leisurely voice
chimed in, “Is this ticket really worth 5 grand?”
Lorna blinked in surprise.
Rachel's face lit up. “Yes, and you can't just buy them, you need connections. I
knew you'd care about your mom. She’s just being stubborn because she doesn’t
want to put you on the spot. Isn't it worth just a little pride to make her happy?”
Cordelia let out a nonchalant “Oh,” then turned to Lorna, “Mom,
lets g
go
Lorna was visibly touched but still hesitated. “Lia, I appreciate what you're doing,
but some lines just shouldn't be crossed.”
Lorna already saw Everard as a son-in-law and was about to say more when
Cordelia turned to Mathilda. “Grandma, would you like to go?”
Mathilda was taken aback, glancing at Laurinda and Rachel before coughing.
SET
Before she could finish, Laurinda cut her off. “Her? Why should she go? Does
she have the money or the ticket? Pfft, I heard someone saying they wouldn't
spend my son's money and would rather use their own pension.”
Mathilda’s frown deepened. She took a deep breath to calm herself. “Lia, I'm not
interested in watercolors. I won't go.”
Laurinda scoffed “I heard you were quite interested. Is it the money that you
worry about?”
Mathilda’s face tightened.
Beside her, Lorna clenched her fists.
Grace and virtue were her hallmarks. Having spent a lifetime trying to be the
picture of serenity, she now realized how humiliating the lack of financial
independence could be
If she could earn her own money, why would she let her mother be insulted this
way?
Seeing Lorna's distressed face, Laurinda grew more smug “Dear, shall I lend you
some money? I'm not like you
my money is what my son earned, rightfully shared with me...”
As Laurinda continued, Lorna's quilt grew, and just then, Cordelia’s cool voice
rose again. “Grandma, il treat you”
Silence enveloped the living room
Laurinda huffed, “You're treating? Is it not your dad’s money you're spending? Do
you have your own
Eventually.L money?”
Rachel giggled behind her hand “Mom, even money can't buy these tickets; you
need the right connections”
Before Laurinda could speak, Cordelia added, “I have tickets.”
She lifted her phone, informing Lorna, “I have six of them.”
The room fell into silence once more.
After a moment, Lorna was astounded. “Lia, where did you get these?”
Cordelia pondered briefly before replying, “A friend gave them to me.”
Lorna pressed, “Which friend? How do you know them?”
Cordelia explained with her phone in hand, “Just through... online.”
Lorna interrupted in surprise, “An internet friend?”
Cordelia hesitated slightly. “... You could say that.”
Before Lorna could respond, Rachel laughed out loud. “Tickets to this art show
are like gold dust, and someone just gave you six? Lia, you've been had. There
are so many scams online. Lorna, you gotta keep an eye on Lia: pretty young
girls can be easy targets.”
Lorna's expression darkened. “Who's being careless? What are you implying?”
Rachel shrugged innocently. “I didn’t say anything, don't overthink it...
Lorna exploded, “Is it me overthinking, or are you insinuating something about
Lia? Rachel, we don’t want you here. Please leave!”
The presence of these three had soured the atmosphere at home, and Lorna's
frustration had reached boiling point.
Laurinda, being Sanderson's mother and an elder, couldn't be dismissed, but
what right did Rachel have to cause a scene in their home?
Rachel stood up, somewhat embarrassed. “Lomna, we're all family here, you...
Lorna was resolute. If you don't leave now, I'll call security!”
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)
Rachel's face showed her
discomfort. Accustomed to the
5 ey ,
decorum of high society, she wasn't
one for noisy confrontations.
Realizing she had overstayed her
welcome, she grasped the ticket and
=] ,
headed for the door “Fine, I'll leave on
” :
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chapter there!
Steward, having botched the situation, also felt awkward remaining. He stood up
and cleared his throat. “Ah, Lorna, I guess your mom and I will head out too.”
Lorna took a deep breath. “Sure, let me walk you out.”
Once Steward and company had left, Mathilda couldn't help but complain. “I told
you, Laurinda doesn’t mince words, but Steward, he’s the real sly one. Acts like
such a good guy..."
She stopped mid-sentence when she caught sight of Cordelia. Her good
upbringing made her swallow the rest of her words
Lorna looked at Cordelia with concern. “Lia, you can't trust people online, you...
“He's trustworthy.” Cordelia insisted. “He's B. Aster.”
1. Aster...
Without an explanation from Cordelia, Lorna might have found the idea slightly
credible
convinced she was being duped.
1. Aster was a busy man; how could he possibly have time for online chats?
but now she was
Yet Cordelia seemed so sure, Lorna couldn't outright dismiss her. In the end, she
just said, “Alright, then tomorrow afternoon, let's hit the art exhibit.”
Cordelia was too naive. Lorna decided she needed to accompany her daughter
to face the inevitable disappointment, to help her see the reality of the deception.
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That evening, Cordelia continued her
painting lessons with Lorna. She was
a quick study, grasping the
techniques almost instantly. Before
Lorna realized it, she had imparted all
her tricks of the trade in one night.
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The next day, Cordelia, carrying
breakfast, walked into Midnight
Scent. As she ate, her backpack
accidentally tumbled to the floor,
spilling its contents, including the
bottle of medicine Louie had given
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chapter there!
Before she could reach for it, Everard bent down and picked up the bottle, his
expression pausing briefly, “What's this?”
Chapter 128