All Novel XO
Chapter 42
Chapter 42
An all-too-familiar profile picture and name popped up in the chat group.
He scrolled through the conversation, and his fingers hesitated when he read Stanton had introduced Cordelia as Louie's good friend.
He snorted softly, then continued reading.
The last message from Cordelia in the group was a greeting from five minutes ago, left hanging without a response.
Her gaze darkened.
Sure, the group was all mavericks, leaders in their fields, with a bit of pride, which was understandable.
But his girl being ignored? That wasn't going to fly.
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After five minutes without a reply, Stanton tried to figure out how to suggest to Cordelia that she might leave the group without hurting her feelings when suddenly his direct messages exploded.
[What's going on? Who is this person?]
[Who is she?]
[Is she some hidden big shot?]
[Stop keeping her identity a secret from us!]
Stanton had no idea what to do.
Puzzled, he read through everyone’s messages and saw someone had finally posted in the group. With a sense of curiosity, he checked the group chat only to find a message from
NoInterruptions, saying, [Welcome to the group. Let's learn from each other.]
The message from this particular member left Stanton stunned, almost dropping his phone. This person had spoken only twice since the creation of the group, and each time he appeared, someone would disappear from the group the following day, never to be heard from again.
These were elite minds with influence in the real world. The two who disappeared without a trace were presumed to be gone.
And at this moment, the big shot had spoken for the third time, only to welcome Lia to the group.
Since when did new members get the welcome like this?
Still lost in his confusion, Stanton looked over at Cordelia.
But the girl seemed oblivious to any danger, typing away.
LearnLover replied, [Thanks.]
Then, the big shot, who had spoken only three times in the group's history, said his fourth line.
NoInterruptions texted, [You're welcome. If you need any help, feel free to reach out.]
Stanton was shocked.
The tone was beyond polite. It was almost as if the big shot was trying to court the girl.
He swallowed hard as the rest of the group hurriedly formed a new chat with 18 members.
Everyone was tagging him, bombarding him with questions about the girl's background!
Stanton was at a loss for words. How the heck would he know?
He replied, [All I know is she's Louie’s dear good friend. I'm clueless about everything else!]
Bland texted, [Seems like she's a big deal. Regardless, let’s make a good impression first.]
And just like that, the members of the Pioneers Group were falling over themselves to welcome Cordelia.
[Welcome aboard! For any math questions, ask me.]
[Welcome aboard! If you're interested in acting, I'm your guy.]
[Welcome aboard! If you want to design clothes, hit me up.]
[Welcome aboard! If you're keen on cooking, I can share my recipes for free.]
The group suddenly came to life.
Cordelia was speechless. She slowly looked up at Louie. "They're all so friendly. And the group admin isn’t scary at all, quite kind."
Louie was at a loss for words. So was Stanton.
Had she completely missed the five minutes of awkward silence earlier?
Talk about being oblivious!
With a sigh, Louie ruffled her hair again.
It was dinner time, and Louie invited her to stay. After thinking it over and checking in with Lorna, Cordelia decided to join them.
After the meal and some chatting, Cordelia said her goodbyes.
Puzzled, Stanton asked, "It's the weekend. Why rush home?"
Cordelia replied, "Well, I have to do some math exercise."
Stanton was astounded. "What?"
A piano prodigy was also a student?
Once Louie returned from seeing Cordelia out, Stanton pressed him on behalf of the other 17 group members. “What's the story with this girl?”
A gleam of amusement shone in Louie's eyes as he smiled. "Guess?"
“Guess my foot!” Stanton cursed in his heart.
He was about to say something when his phone rang. It was Rachel, a parent who had gone to great lengths to meet with him, reminding him of their appointment.
Stanton straightened up, his voice turning cold and detached. "Yes, I remember."
Rachel asked about the time and place, and Stanton responded, "You have a piano at home, right?"
With Rachel's excited confirmation, Stanton set the meeting for the following week at her house.
After hanging up, Stanton noticed that the group chat of these big shots, excluding Cordelia and Everard, had changed its name to, "Who exactly is this girl?"
The chat was buzzing.
Bland asked, [Is she related to Louie and that other person, or is she another big player?]
Frankie Thomas texted, [She asked to discuss math with me. We should meet her to see if she's the real deal.]
Bland added, [Okay, Mr. Thomas, you go and test her first.]
-
When Cordelia got home, the house staff were in the midst of a deep clean.
Rachel directed them with enthusiasm. "Make sure to clean the windows thoroughly!"
"Are the pastries ready in the kitchen? I’ll inspect them later and choose the best for the weekend."
"And, Mr. Stanton likes fruit tea. Let's prepare some for the weekend."
Cordelia walked past without a glance and headed upstairs to tackle her problems.
Just then, her phone buzzed with a message from the Pioneers Group.
Frankie posted, [Hey, you good with math? @LearnLover]
Not wanting to seem aloof to the group's enthusiasm, she replied, [Quite. Need a hand with something?]
Frankie shot Cordelia a quick message. [Hey, could you add me as a friend? I've got some info that might help with your project. Could you do me a solid and verify a theory for me?]
Cordelia paused for a brief second before replying, [Sure.]
In no time, Frankie sent a friend request her way.
After Cordelia accepted, she labeled the new contact as "Mathster."
She then received several files from Frankie.
But Cordelia didn't open them right away. She responded, [I'm neck-deep in homework. I'll check out the files after I power through these problems tonight.]
Mathster replied with a simple "Cool."
Once their exchange was over, Cordelia closed the chat. She noticed another friend request. Intrigued, she clicked to find that NoInterruptions had sent a friend request through the Pioneers Group.