All Novell Ebook
Chapter 90
Chapter 90
A car pulled up outside. Rachel and the oteir way outside.
Sanderson shot Lorna a meaningful glance. With a quiet understanding, she took Cordelia by the hand and led her upstairs. Once they entered Cordelia’s bedroom, Lorna pointed at a dress laid out on the bed. “Wear this. tonight, okay?”
It just didn’t seem right to entertain guests in a school uniform.
Cordelia didn’t fuss and slipped into the long–sleeved white dress that cinched at the waist. The dress was simple, something for everyday wear.
But on Cordelia, the dress took on a new life, making Lorna do a double–take.
Lorna always knew her daughter was beautiful, but accustomed as she was to seeing Cordelia in sweatpants or a school uniform, this sudden transformation was startling.
With her hair pulled back into a high ponytail, Cordelia followed Lorna back downstairs.
They had just reached the top of the stairs when they heard Steward’s voice booming from below, “Mr. Wallace, your presence graces our humble abode!”
A somewhat grating voice replied, “Mr. Delaney, you flatter me. We’re all businessmen here just for the money.”
Cordelia wasn’t particularly concerned with the guests. Her mind was on which set of problems to tackle after dinner, now that her homework was done.
Descending the staircase, she noticed a man standing next to Rachel who bore a slight resemblance to her, probably her elder brother, Jimmy Smith.
Beside Jimmy stood a man of average build with small eyes and a perpetual smile, dressed in a suit and looking to be in his late twenties
Something about his gaze made Cordelia uneasy. Although he bore the same name as Calvert, he didn’t possess the warmth that Little Fang inherently had.
However, upon seeing Cordelia, Calvert lit up his eyes and inquired, “And who might this be?” Text content © NôvelDrama.Org.
Sanderson stepped forward, positioning himself between Cordelia and Calvert, and introduced them briefly. “Mr. Wallace, this is my wife and daughter. Shall we proceed to dinner?”
Calvert narrowed his eyes, his gaze lingering past Sanderson to Cordelia behind him, and smiled, “Of course, let’s discuss over a meal.”
At the dinner table, Steward offered his seat to the guest, “Please, take the head of the table, it’s your honor.”
“That wouldn’t be right,” Calvert demurred with mock seriousness. “You are the elder, and besides, this is your house. Ill be fine anywhere.”
After a bit of polite refusal back and forth, Calvert finally took a seat next to Steward, and everyone else settled down.
While the others engaged in business talk, Cordelia focused on her meal.
The roast chicken was particularly good tonight. After enjoying two pieces, she reached for a third when Calvert interrupted, “Ms. Delaney seems to have quite the appetite for the roast chicken. Is it that good?”
Cordelia continued to eat her third piece, deliberately ignoring the conversation.
Silence fell over the table for a few awkward seconds.
Calvert darkened his expression until Rachel chimed in, “Lia, Mr. Wallace is talking to you. It’s rude to ignore him, you know?”
Cordelia looked up, puzzled, as if only now realizing she was being addressed. “Oh,” she said, “It is good.”
06.18
She then helped herself to a fourth plece.
Sanderson and Lorna were just about to steer the conversation elsewhere when Rachel, noticing Calvert’s fixated gaze on Cordelia, suggested with a laugh, “Why don’t you serve Mr. Wallace a piece, Lia?”
The flippant remark hung heavily in the air.
Sanderson and Lorna turned stormy. With guests in the house, they both shot Rachel a look of disapprov
Rachel’s laugh was strained, “It’s just serving a guest, Lia knows her manners, right?”
Lorna, eyes downcast, interjected, “The dish is closer to Juliana. Let her serve it.”
Rachel was caught off guard, “How could she?”
“How could she not?” Lorna retorted.
“But Juliana is engaged.”
“It’s merely a courtesy to serve a guest, what does being engaged have to do with it?” Lorna pressed.
Rachel was at a loss. She never knew that when backed into a corner, Lorna could be so sharp with words. As she tried to formulate a response, Calvert laughed, “That wasn’t my intention. I don’t eat chicken, I just noticed Ms. Delaney enjoying hers.”
He deftly changed the subject, defusing the tension, and conversation resumed.
In the end, the night wound down pleasantly, with everyone feeling at home.
After seeing Calvert off, Jimmy, on his way out, remarked with a grin, “Steward, if it weren’t for Rachel’s sake, I wouldn’t have brought you into this investment. Mr. Wallace also mentioned he’ll only accept up to a hundred million for a ten percent stake, no more. This project is promising, the returns could double. Give it some thought and let me know by tomorrow!”
It was now half–past eight in the evening. In the living room, Steward pondered the partnership. “What’s your take, Sanderson?”
Sanderson frowned, “It just doesn’t feel right.”
Rachel scoffed, “Sanderson, I think you’re too indecisive in business. Mr. Wallace has connections. Even Hackett treads carefully around him. How could he cheat us? The returns could double!”
Ignoring her, Sanderson turned to Steward, “Dad, I’m having reservations about this. A hundred million is our whole stake. Betting it all on Calvert feels like a massive gamble.”
But Kermit sided with Rachel, “Dad, this is like the Smith family offering us a seat at their feast. We heard what they said. If it wasn’t for Rachel’s good grace, that ten percent stake wouldn’t be ours to consider.
Steward, not as keen on business, looked to Sanderson, “The Delaney family’s future is in your hands. You decide on this one.”
Sanderson paused, a furrow of concern creasing his brow before he finally spoke. “Let’s drop this investment. After all, we need to give an answer by tomorrow, and we just can’t properly assess the project in time.”
His words set Rachel and Kermit off, their voices raising in a heated protest that lasted a good while. Finally, Sanderson slammed his hand down on the table, his patience wearing thin. “Who exactly is calling the shots in this company?”
Rachel was livid, jabbing a finger in Sanderson’s direction as she hissed, “If I hadn’t married into the Delaney family, do you think you’d even have this opportunity? Sanderson, just wait and see how you’ll regret this while the Smith family is laughing all the way to the bank!”
Cordelia, on the other hand, was more inclined to agree with Sanderson.
a clear picture was
In any venture, one should know the field and the players. Diving into an investment without a clear picture far too risky, and that Calvert guy… he always struck her as a bit of a snake in the grass.
06.18
Later that night, after Cordelia had finished her studying, she crawled into bed for some well– deserved rest. Then she dreamt.
It was one of those lucid dreams where she knew she’s dreaming. In the dream, she was in her bedroom when Everard wrapped an arm around her waist, and she could almost smell the hint of
vanilla from his body wash.
Then he teased her with a pale finger, wagging it playfully. “Girl, remember, nothing in dreams is real.”
His fingertip brushed her lips, gently at first, but with a touch roughened by calluses. Cordelia wanted to resist, but in the dream, her strength was sapped, and just as his finger withdrew, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips….