Marian was up to her old tricks again, this time playing Cupid—or maybe saboteur—on the sly. Without making a fuss, she had sneakily tossed Ronan's profile into the sea of online dating. Since Cordelia flew back from her trip abroad only to hook up with Jamie again, Marian decided she needed to stir the pot. Clearly, Ronan was the juiciest worm on the hook, and she bet the divorced couple were now at each other's throats over custody of their kid.
After tucking in for the night, Cordelia went about her bedtime routine in Callum's room.
"Mom, this is the first time you've ever slept with me," Callum said, slipping into his pajamas and grinning from ear to ear.
"Then how about I stay with you more often from now on?" Cordelia replied. Despite her resentment towards Ronan, her warmth towards Callum never wavered.
"Okay!" Callum beamed.
Cordelia patted Callum's back until he drifted off to sleep. It was just past nine, and Cordelia found herself wide awake.
Her phone buzzed with a message from Victoria. [Cordelia, isn't one queen in the king's court enough for your hubby? Or is he looking to fill the ranks? He just tore your pussy, and how is he on the hunt for a new conquest? Damn, how pervert can one man be?]
Confused, Cordelia shot back a message. [What are you talking about?]
[Don’t tell me you haven't heard the news?]
Then, Victoria sent over the profile of Ronan, who was now live on the dating scene.
Cordelia read it carefully. [Oh, the CEO of Lumos Enterprises, handsome as a Hollywood heartthrob, taller than a basketball player, raking in more than a cool million a year, 36, no vices to speak of, and fresh off a divorce. Now hunting for a woman between 18 to 25, must be over 5'7", beautiful, gentle, and with a temperament as sweet as apple pie, to spend a lifetime with.]
Cordelia couldn't help but snort. She didn't meet a single criterion. She was 5'6", her youth was a petal fallen from the bloom, and while her Ph.D. was impressive, it was conspicuously absent from his wishlist. It was clear that for the affluent, a wife's beauty trumped her brains.
The "raking in more than a cool million a year" line alone would have women lining up around the block, not to mention his dashing looks. He was the epitome of the domineering CEO straight out of a romance novel.
Cordelia tossed her phone aside, uninterested. Looked like Brooklyn hit the nail on the head—Ronan was in the market for a new mommy for the little one. If Ronan was on the prowl for a bride, then Cordelia couldn't let Callum end up with a wicked stepmother.
She made up her mind. Tomorrow, she'd confront Ronan about sending Callum to Birchwood Preschool.
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