Love or Die: CEO’ s Daily Dose of Swoon (Cordelia)

Chapter 36

Laurinda hadn't finished her sentence when Lorna, bubbling with excitement, leaped to her feet. Sanderson had been peering over Lorna’s shoulder to check the score and collided with her accidentally.

"Ouch..." Sanderson rubbed his sore chin.

Lorna asked with concern, "Oh dear, are you okay?"

Laurinda snorted, "Look at you, no poise sitting or standing. What? Did she bomb the test?" Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

No sooner had she spoken than Lorna shouted, "288! My god, Lia is a genius!"

Sanderson was shocked. "What?"

Laurinda was stunned. "That high? No way. You must be seeing things!"

Sanderson grabbed the tablet, and his eyes went wide. "No joke, 288!"

Laurinda furrowed her brow, stepping forward in disbelief. But upon seeing the score, her jaw clenched tight. "How can this be? It's impossible..."

-

The narrative flipped in the school forums and online chatter.

[Lord, I bow down to her!]

[Genius persona locked down! I'm on my knees!]

[I've witnessed a live academic beatdown these past few days.]

[Hey genius, you rock! Do you want a follower?]

...

Amidst the praise, a discordant voice appeared.

Netizen “StarJuli” commented, [Who knows if these results are legit? It could be a fluke.]

But Cordelia's consistently high scores had already won people over, so this comment got immediately blasted. Five minutes later, the post quietly disappeared.

"That 'StarJuli' always posts these sour grapes comments, just a lapdog for Juliana and Hanley. I have no idea whose account it is. It's so gross!"

Little Parrot, Merry, seizing the moment during the break, leaned into her gossip prowess. "Lia, I’ve got some hot gossip for you. Did you hear two kids from Class Two and Three were caught in the act on the school's field yesterday? They were hiding in a corner, locking lips, and today, their folks were called in. Guess what happened?"

Cordelia, composed since the test results, was packing up to head to her physics competition prep but played along with an inquiry. "What happened?"

"Their parents met and realized they were business partners. So, they agreed to engage their kids! Can you believe it? Lia, what's your take?"

Cordelia took a beat. "Early romance isn't good."

Merry was speechless.

Cordelia stood up, navigated the crooked aisle, and was about to leave when she suddenly stopped before Merry. With a deadpan expression and misty eyes, she asked seriously, "What's kissing

like?"

Merry was flabbergasted. "Uh? Um, I don't know because I've never kissed anyone!"

“Oh,” Cordelia uttered and headed toward the lecture hall.

Once she settled into the physics competition class, people gathered around her. "Cordelia, you scored 288?"

Cordelia nodded.

One of them extended a hand. "Genius queen, can I shake your hand? I've got a physics quiz today, and your genius will rub off on me!"

Cordelia glanced at them, leisurely raised her hand, and they gingerly shook it before letting go.

Juliana, who had just entered, saw this, clenched her fists in anger, and sat down before Cordelia, smiling. "Cordelia, did you hear Greenmeadow University called Hanley, offering to drop twenty points for his admission? Did they offer you a discount?"

Cordelia gave her a brief look. "No."

Juliana's chin tilted up. "Probably because you didn't compete in math contests in sophomore year and didn't make an impression on the admissions office. Greenmeadow University doesn’t care about a one-time high scorer."

Cordelia ignored Juliana, her attention returning to math problems. Latham had reviewed her paper and found all 12 deducted points were for procedural errors. She had missed several scoring formulas while solving them. Latham said the only way to overcome this was to practice more.

Finding no response from Cordelia, Juliana lost interest in the conversation. At that moment, Mr. Sawyer walked in with several sets of papers. "Cordelia's performance in the Galaxy Math Whiz Competition has brought glory to our school. Let's not lag in physics, though. I'm counting on some of you to bring home awards!"

At Greenmeadow International School, apart from the two specialized classes, most students were prepping for studying abroad, so competitions weren't a big focus.

Greenmeadow High School had always dominated the math and science competitions, but this year, a dark horse had emerged, and Latham was on cloud nine.

Sawyer's gaze lingered on Cordelia with a touch of disappointment. Even the most talented students had their limits, and Cordelia had been all about math these past weeks.

With that thought, he distributed the tests.

After an hour and a half, Sawyer collected the papers. There were only seven to grade, so she marked them on the spot, allowing the remaining time for self-study or questions.

After ten quiet minutes, Sawyer finished grading.

"Mr. Sawyer, what did I score?" Juliana couldn't wait.

Sawyer responded, "158, quite impressive!"

For a physics competition, it was a good score. Consistently among the top five, Juliana was confident in her knowledge and secretly glanced at Cordelia, asking, "And Cordelia?"

She was sure she'd outdo Cordelia in physics since Cordelia was mainly focused on math competition problems, only turning to physics during class. Her attitude guaranteed her defeat.

Cordelia's math prowess would seem insignificant as long as Juliana could outscore her.

Everyone has strengths, and Juliana was determined to use hers to beat Cordelia.

As Sawyer's face morphed into an intricate tapestry of emotions, she slowly began to speak, her voice tinged with disbelief. "Perfect score."

Juliana's pupils dilated in shock. How was that even possible?!

-

When Cordelia and Juliana arrived home, night had fallen.

The tail end of summer was approaching, bringing a hint of coolness to the heat.

Upon entering, Juliana stormed upstairs and slammed her bedroom door.

Cordelia couldn't care less. She retreated to her room to continue reading.

Downstairs, after a long day's work, Steward's murky eyes lit up when he heard about the Galaxy Math Whiz Competition. He turned to Sanderson and asked, "Did you check on that boyfriend of Cordelia's, the one she's seeing around town?"

Sanderson shook his head.

Steward pondered for a moment. "I've heard from Hackett that guests could go to his big birthday bash with the kids, sparking rumors he's scouting for a wife for young Calvert. I had no hopes for our lot, but with Cordelia's brilliance, it seems a waste not to try. Tell her to dump that pretty boy she's been seeing and give it a shot."

Meanwhile, in Midnight Scent, Calvert suddenly sneezed, feeling an unexpected chill crawl up his spine.