The Contracted Ever After (Cordelia and Ronan)

Chapter 12

Ronan said coldly, "No."

Cordelia felt a pang of disappointment hearing his reply but didn't dare to push further. After all, she

was just an intern, hardly someone who would catch Ronan's eye.

Just then, her phone buzzed, and she picked it up to check. There was a friend request on Messenger

from someone named Jamie Colby. Cordelia didn't recognize the name, so she ignored it. The internet

was crawling with scammers, after all.

"I'm hitting the sack," Cordelia announced, a tad nervously, then turned off her bedside lamp and

snuggled into her bed. The air conditioning in the bedroom was cool, and the silk blanket was quite

comfortable.

Ronan didn't turn his head and just murmured a soft acknowledgment. He seemed busy with his work.

Cordelia buried her face in the blanket, peeping out at Ronan with doe-like eyes. Her gaze

inadvertently swept over his face, which was cold and stern. He looked nothing like Logan, except

maybe a little when he smiled. But Ronan rarely smiled, and she had no idea how she mistook him for

Logan that night.

Thinking of Logan made Cordelia's heart ache even more. His death was a tough pill to swallow.

Cordelia buried her head into her pillow, tears streaming down her cheeks. She was crying so hard that

she started sobbing.

"Am I making you this miserable?" Ronan's calm voice came from outside the blanket.

"No." Cordelia's voice sounded muffled from inside the blanket.

"Then why are you crying?" He asked again.

"I'm just a little homesick." She made up an excuse and turned around to sleep.

Ronan didn't ask further.

But despite her claims of wanting to sleep, she just couldn't drift off. That's when a picture frame on her

nightstand caught her attention. She picked it up. In the picture was a young woman. Although the

photo was a bit dusty, the woman was clearly very beautiful and only a few years older than Cordelia.

She turned the frame over and saw a name written on the back. Cordelia whispered it, "Deanna

Stains."

She suddenly remembered the first night they spent together, Ronan called out a name. Could it be

her? Was she the love of his life?

"Put it down. Don't touch!" Ronan's icy voice startled her.

Startled, Cordelia dropped the frame with a clatter onto the floor beside the bed. Ronan bent over to

pick it up, inadvertently pressing against Cordelia.

Cordelia's breathing became rapid, her chest rising and falling. She was frightened.

Ronan picked up the frame, carelessly stuffed it into a drawer, and remained leaning on her, not

moving away. Just when Cordelia was at a loss for what to do, Ronan abruptly turned off the light.

What was about to happen? The air was suddenly charged with a palpable tension.

Cordelia clenched her teeth and blurted out, "Mr. Evans, I want to stay at Lumos Enterprises, could you

put in a good word for me with the HR Department?"

This was not a request, but rather an exchange with Ronan on an equal footing, implying, “I know

you're turned on right now, Mr. Evans, but if you want something, you have to meet my condition and

let me stay at Lumos Enterprises.”

She knew that all interpretation of the agreement was in Ronan's hands, but Ronan hadn't clearly Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

addressed the issue of making love in the agreement, and when Cordelia asked, he didn't give a clear

answer. Cordelia needed money, and a job, and now was the perfect time to make her demands.

At this critical moment, Cordelia played her cards just right.

"Are you threatening me?" Ronan's low and icy voice echoed in Cordelia's ear.

"No, I'm confident! I'm confident I'm doing well," Cordelia retorted.

Ronan didn't respond, he just lowered his head and started kissing Cordelia's neck. His arm brushed

against Cordelia's soft chest, accurately jolting her memory. This caused Cordelia to feel a tingling

sensation all over.

Her mind was clear one moment and blurred the next, then she reiterated, "What do you say, Mr.

Evans?"

Ronan, pressing down on Cordelia, saw her eyes swollen and red, looking pathetic yet defiant, like a

cornered bunny.

His grandfather had once warned him not to bully her, as she was eight years his junior.

The anger in Ronan had subsided, and his hand gently brushed over Cordelia's cold cheeks. "What's

your boyfriend's name?"