Chapter 45


    In the bedroom, only Cordelia Haselwood and Barney Evans remained.


    "Barney, you want something to eat? I can whip up some porridge for you." Cordelia hadn''t seen


    Barney in a while, her eyes misty with unshed tears.


    "Nah, I''m good. Actually..." Barney sat up on the bed, edging closer to Cordelia, "I faked that fainting


    earlier."


    Cordelia looked taken aback, "Why would you do that?"


    "To get you toe see me. I know I don''t have much time left, and not much time left with you."


    Hearing this, Cordelia''s tears started to flow, choking out, "Barney."


    "I heard what Deanna Stains said earlier. Six years ago, I already didn''t like her. I always felt like she


    had a lot of ulterior motives. I''ve got your back, but you gotta toughen up too. Stop letting Ronan kick


    you out and giving Deanna the upper hand." Barney said gently.


    "Barney, how did you know?" Cordelia asked, her face damp with tears. She felt embarrassed, not


    expecting Barney to have figured it out.


    "I''m not getting any younger, what can''t I see?"


    Cordelia''s heart skipped a beat. Did Barney know about her agreement to marry Ronan?


    What should she do if Barney found out?


    "Listen to me and stay strong. Ronan''s a stubborn kid, be gentle with him."


    Cordelia nodded, "Got it."


    "He''s older than you and should take care of you, but sometimes, you gotta give in too." Barney


    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    advised gently.


    "Alright. Barney, have an orange." Cordelia peeled an orange for Barney.


    ……


    When Deanna got in the car, she noticed an umbre on the passenger seat.


    It was a designer umbre from Europe, with an eagle on the handle.


    Deanna remembered, Ronan Evans never used umbres.


    He liked to walk in the rain alone, and there had never been an umbre in his car.


    There was no way he would suddenly change his habits after all these years.


    So this umbre definitely wasn''t his.


    It was clear who bought it.


    Deanna was both jealous and angry.


    "Ronan, how did you end up with a knock-off umbre?" Deanna held the umbre, asking Ronan.


    Ronan never used umbres and naturally wouldn''t know anything about the brand, much less tell if it


    was real or fake.


    "What?" Ronan had already started the car.


    "This is a knock-off. You got scammed, didn''t you?" Deanna pretended to inspect the umbre.


    "Really?" Ronan frowned, not knowing what "surprise" Cordelia had in store for him this time.


    "Yeah, the real deal should cost over 900 bucks. Judging by the workmanship, this is less than a


    twentieth of the real deal." Deanna seemed amused, "Ronan, using this umbre makes you look


    pathetic. If your clients see it, they might think Lumos Enterprises is all show. Should I just toss it?"


    "No need. Just leave it there." Ronan''s voice sent chills down the spine.


    Deanna just smiled and put the umbre down.


    She guessed that Ronan wouldn''t verify if it was real or not. He wouldn''t have the time, and he would


    just take it out on Cordelia.


    His attitude towards Cordelia today had pleased Deanna immensely.


    She believed given some time, she could tear them apart for good.


    When Deanna was leaving, she said to Ronan, "That girl, she''s from a simple background and doesn''t


    understand a lot of things. Don''t be too hard on her, being too harsh could backfire. You hear me,


    Ronan?"


    "I''m leaving." With that, Ronan drove off.


    On the road, he nced over at the umbre.


    Even if the umbre was worth 900, Cordelia could have bought a cheaper one if she didn''t want to


    spend that much. What did Cordelia take him for?


    Also, the money Cordelia had was given by him, yet not a dime was spent on him.


    When he got home and locked the car, Ronan received a message on Messenger from Edwin.


    Bro, about theputer thing, don’t get it twisted and think Cordelia had ulterior motives. She told me


    she paid for it with the money from selling her dad’s house.


    Ronan clenched his teeth, there was no shortage of peopleing to her defense.


    It seemed if he didn''t make her suffer a bit, he would be doing a disservice to these people defending


    her.


    He didn''t understand why Edwin suddenly brought up theputer thing today.


    To make him angrier?


    It just pissed him off.