Chapter 488


    Cordelia had initially intended for Petra to borrow the money herself. However, Petra had pushed the


    task back onto her.


    "Thank you, Cordelia," Petra replied cheerfully.


    Cordelia thought to herself: Petra probably reckons that if I''m the one asking, it''s guaranteed to work,


    right? It was the samest time when she wanted to adopt a child, insisting that Cordelia be the one to


    step forward.


    Cordelia wondered if Petra was socially anxious or just afraid of Ronan. And it was her own fault for


    meddling in this matter, as if she were best buddies with Ronan.


    Once she got to the office, Cordelia sent Ronan a message via Facebook Messenger: [The school is


    selling a property for a tenth of the market price. Petra wants to borrow money from you. She wanted


    me to check with you.]


    [Are you her guarantor?]


    Cordelia fell silent. Both he and Petra had each other on Messenger, yet they always had Cordelia


    shuttle messages between them, making her look like she had nothing better to do.


    [Bumped into her, and she asked me to check. So, will you lend it?]


    [We''ll see.]


    With this vague response from Ronan, Cordelia had no choice but to tell Petra via Messenger: [He said


    ''we''ll see.'' Maybe you should talk to him yourself. You might stand a better chance. I don''t have that


    much influence.]


    Petra stared at the message. She really wanted to buy the house, but she couldn''t bring herself to ask


    Ronan directly, even though she wanted to use this as an excuse to get in touch with him.


    If it were just her, she couldfortably live in her current apartment. But now, there was a child in the


    picture. The child was not hers, and inevitably, people would talk. She didn''t want to be the subject of


    their gossip. So, Petra wanted to move outside of the campus.


    The house she had bought with her ex-husband had been sold, and the money had been donated to


    her ex-husband''s school. At the time, she had decided she would never marry again and didn''t see the


    point of having so much money. Even though her ex-husband had treated her poorly, she still had her


    dignity.


    On Wednesday, Cordelia, dressed in a smart outfit, confidently stepped onto the podium, her face


    beaming with confidence. A touch of makeup made her look especially vibrant. After connecting her


    phone to theputer, she began her lecture.


    Harold couldn''t help but feel refreshed when he saw Cordelia today. He was smitten, but it was toote


    for him, wasn''t it?


    In the back row sat a line of teachers, among which Petra stood out as particrly friendly.


    Cordelia began her lecture, ying a case study from her phone on theputer, a video


    presentation. Because it was not a ready-made case from the inte but one that Cordelia had


    prepared herself, she had to y it from her phone.


    Suddenly, the video''s volume decreased, and a message popped up:


    Ronan: [Still hurting?]


    Everyone saw it.


    While "still hurting" could have many interpretations, like backache or leg pain, to these grad students,


    there was only one interpretation: sexual innuendo. After all, they were all adults and knew exactly


    what it meant.


    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    Moreover, Sally had already broadcasted the news that Ms. Haselwood had stayed in Millstone, and


    everyone knew she hadn''t gotten out of bed that day.


    The students wanted tough, but considering the teachers sitting in the back row, they held back.


    Petra also saw the message, but she didn''t think much of it. She was a conservative woman when it


    came to sex, and she didn''t have any fantasies about it, especially after not having pleasant sexual


    experiences with her ex-husband. When she noticed the teachers around her lowering their heads, she


    finally realized what they were thinking. So, they did it again.


    Cordelia, seeing the message, felt a moment of hesitation. She even wondered if Ronan was


    deliberately messing with her. It was a public lecture though, and she had to act as if nothing had


    happened and quickly moved on to the next topic.


    She was standing with her back to the projection screen. As she was about to unplug her phone,


    another message from him popped up on theputer: [I''m going to Birchwood tomorrow.]


    Cordelia ignored it.