Love or Die CEO’s Daily Dose of Swoon

Chapter 45

Seeing Cordelia’s bewildered expression, Merry didn’t hesitate. She whipped out her smartphone, opened her browser, and scrolled through nphotos until she found one of her heartthrob on the cover of a famous men’s magazine.

There he was, draped casually in a white toga that looked ready to slip off his shoulders at any moment, a hint of mischief in his eye. A beauty spot shaped like a teardrop just below his eye added to his enigmatic allure. His gaze was intense, staring off into the distance, and his lips curved in a half–smile that seemed to reach through the screen and beckon the viewer closer.

“Hot, right? Tell me you wouldn’t want a piece of that!” Merry gushed, practically swooning over the image.

Cordelia just stared at it.

The man was undeniably handsome but in a completely different way from Everard, who had this dangerous, edgy vibe…Why was she even thinking about Everard?

Shaking her head to clear the thought, Cordelia was about to return to her studies when she overheard conversation nearby.

“Merry, I heard you moved out from your folks‘ place. You’re not staying on campus, so where are you crashing now?”

Merry rolled her eyes. “I got an apartment.”

“Wow, you got cash? Didn’t your family cut you off?” the person asked, surprised.

Merry snorted. “Do you think I lived for eighteen years without saving a dime?”

The other person just uttered an “Oh” and fell silent.

But Cordelia remembered Paulina had offered Merry a bank card after the incident with the stolen class funds, which Merry had declined. Not wanting to pry into her friend’s personal life, Cordelia hadn’t asked any further questions. But Merry might be having money troubles.

Casually, Cordelia tapped Merry on the shoulder. “You short on cash? I can lend you some.”

Merry glanced around and leaned closer, whispering, “Lia, I’m making my own money now. Don’t worry about it.” Did she say she was making money?

Cordelia blinked in confusion. “What?”

Lowering her voice, Merry confessed, “I’ve started streaming online for cash,”

After a pause, she added with anxiety, “Lia, you won’t think less of me, will you?”

Once the darling heiress of the Jordan family, she was a streamer then.

shook her head slowly. “Not at all.”

sigh

rang, Cordelia, with Hanley and Juliana,

dates were fast approaching, and the trio had stopped attending regular classes to focus

today, driven by a need to

out a relieved sigh. “Is she going all–in on math now? Has she given

be around the 18th or 19th, with the physics competition hot on its heels. With such

the thought. “Smart move on

Math Whiz Competition had shattered Hanley’s pride, but he wasn’t one to hold grudges. He had

Cordelia’s desk, he saw that it was devoid of any math problems. but a single sheet of blank paper on which she was furiously scribbling something.

eyebrow in confusion and sat

the rest of the morning, he watched as Cordelia wrote and sketched, occasionally crumpling draft papers and tossing them aside, sometimes

break, she even dashed to the school library to borrow a book titled Batra’s Life, which Hanley recognized as a

afternoon, Cordelia continued with her mysterious project, which

and saw what she was up to, he was shocked. “Cordelia, are

She nodded.

you

“Scientists have been tackling that for over a hundred years without success. Many have failed at the final hurdle. It’s not something you should be wasting your time on. If you’re interested, you should wait until you’re

had self–studied the university math

determined to solve it. “Mr. Latham,

prodigy. “Just make sure

Cordelia assured him.

Hanley couldn’t hold back any longer. “Cordelia,”

She didn’t respond.

“You can’t let one first place make you dismiss the National Math League. Your attitude is coming off as flippant and careless! The Galaxy Math Whiz Competition was off–syllabus, and I know you studied beyond that, but that doesn’t make your win entirely legitimate. There are countless math prodigies out there. Take Jake from Greenmeadow High. Last year, he won first prize at the National

Cordelia was increasingly irritated by

snap back, her misty, cold gaze sweeping

mouth clamping shut instinctively.

He had offered a friendly warning, but she treated his goodwill as worthless.

the harsh reality teach her a

same problem until six in the

hypothesis would be nearly complete if she could prove this tiny