Love or Die CEO’s Daily Dose of Swoon

Chapter 119

The Pioneers Group chat had been silent for days, so when someone finally piped up, the others quickly bubbled to the surface of the conversation.

Mathster replied, [Never heard of ‘em.]

Bland replied, [Farly bird interrupts my sweet dreams, huh?]

Painter said, [Ever heard of mute?]

Bland replied, [Set this chat to priority alerts, man. What if the boss needs me and I miss it?]

The others mentally rolled their eyes at his brown–nosing, but no one dared to say it out loud. Instead-

Painter said, [Same here, bro.]

Chef echoed, [And me]

Clothing Retailer said, [Me too]

Pianoman asked, [Who’s this person, anyway? Never heard of them. Are they famous or something? @Painter]

Painter said, [This person had a real flair for painting 18 years ago. Young and talented. But then I heard she married into some high society and stopped painting altogether. Not many people know her because of that.]

Bland asked, [So why are you looking for her?]

Painter replied, [To paint, obviously.]

Bland said, [? But you’re a renowned artist yourself. Why do you need someone else to paint for you?]

Painter said, [Let me school you, newbie. Watercolor themes fall into three categories, landscapes, figures, and still lifes. I specialize in figures, not landscapes.]

Painter said, [I got roped into this game design gig, doing character art. I need a landscape artist for the scenery. Most of the famed landscape artists here have either aged out of the game or their work is too superficial for my taste.]

18 years ago caught my eye. Her landscapes had

and heading the Superiority Art Academy. You must have the widest network. If you can’t find her,

then Lorn was just a pseudonym she used to storm the national art scene. I was just a rookie myself, couldn’t dig up her real identity, and then she vanished. She might have changed her name, but talent like hers doesn’t just disappear. I’ve cast a wide net in my circles. You all have your connections. Hit me up if you hear anything. There’s a hefty reward

[No

[Got

thought for a moment. She couldn’t paint, but Lorna could. Maybe

replied, [Got it.]

put her phone down and, as usual, grabbed her book. It was physics–related, hard to understand, but she tackled them with zest,

But it wasn’t until she’d visited her grandparents‘ house that she realized

and when she visited them with Lorna on

Chapter 119

to

had offered them a place to stay, and her grandmother was supposed to arrive tonight, delayed by packing. Cordelia was eager for the new

hour later, a car pulled

the stairs and entered Midnight

took the breakfast and set the table effortlessly, prompting Everard to rise from behind the counter and approach.

two didn’t seem like former colleagues at all. But Everard had a presence

Cordelia couldn’t help but glance at Calvert, asking with a hint of curiosity, “You’ve been hanging around for two months now. Don’t

reply when Everard’s smooth voice intervened, “He’s leaving soon.”

was he leaving? With a forced smile, he added, “Yeah, I actually came to Greenmeadow for business. Time to head

kick him to the curb once he’s

when it didn’t come, he looked up, puzzled, to

mad at him today, but she wasn’t. And now, the idea of even touching his

her thoughts and his gaze, she hastily grabbed

attractive his hands really were–long, defined, with calluses that spoke of work but didn’t

warm, and that heat seemed to burn

But today, when he did, Cordelia jerked away

ten–minute handhold to subside was gone with

quickly, grabbing her backpack, I’m off to school now.”

Scent toward the