Chapter 115

Chapter 115

Yvaine didn't push further. Whatever she'd been about to say, she swallowed it back.

"It's good that you can see it that way. I was worried you'd stay hung up on him. But then again, if Flynn hadn't fought so hard against it, you two wouldn't have gotten divorced, right?"

Would they not have?

Looking back now, Flynn wasn't actually the straw that broke the camel's back. Whoever had orchestrated the car accident was still out there, unidentified. And those threatening texts... She'd assumed at the time they were Ondine's doing, but with a clearer head, she realized that might have been her own bias talking.

Someone had been determined to tear her and Ellington apart. And the person she was right now had no power to stop them—let alone bear the consequences of defying them.

At the very least, leaving Ellington had been the right call.

Distance meant safety. Distance meant no more pain.

Cordelia let out a quiet laugh. "The reasons stopped mattering a long time ago."

She'd caved under all that pressure and chosen divorce—but wasn't that just proof of how weak she was?

In everyone's eyes, she was too fragile. An easy target. Not worthy of Ellington.

One day, I'll be strong enough to shut every last one of them down.

Cordelia made that silent vow.

...

Even though she'd taken her medicine right away, getting caught in that downpour and the cold wind had still taken its toll. When she sat up, a wave of dizziness crashed over her. Mercifully, it passed after a moment, and she managed to get out of bed.

Before they left, Yvaine checked on her.

"You look pale. Why don't you call in sick today?"

Cordelia shook her head. "I don't even have a fever. It's nothing. I'm not wasting a sick day on this."

"I could always bring you to the studio under the guise of a collaboration. No one would bat an eye if you rested there." Yvaine paused. "But I know you'd never agree to that."

When Cordelia didn't budge, Yvaine dropped it and shifted gears. "Seriously though, when you have time, come by the studio more often. When I first started the place, we had a deal—you were supposed to provide design concepts. And how many years has it been? You've been too busy drowning in relationship drama. Love really does ruin everything."

Several seconds ticked by before Cordelia caught up. She smirked. "What I said was I'd help with designs when I had the bandwidth. I haven't exactly had any. If I'd been sure I could commit, I would've bought into the studio when you launched it."

Yvaine had wanted her to come on as a partner back then, contributing her talent as equity. But Cordelia had been a nobody at the time. Her designs hadn't made any real splash, so she'd turned down the offer.

"Bandwidth? Please." Yvaine muttered under her breath. "You gave all your time to Ellington."

Then she pointed a finger in mock threat. "From now on, you're showing up regularly. Otherwise... we go strictly by the book. Official work channels only."

Cordelia rolled her eyes, and the two headed out in opposite directions.

When Cordelia reached her desk, an array of cold medicines was already neatly arranged on the surface. Ellington's doing, obviously.

Sure enough, a WhatsApp notification from Liliana popped up.

[Cordelia, I bought everything on Ellington's list. If you're feeling off at all, make sure you take the meds.]

[And don't worry—I'm not letting whoever made you stand in that rain get away with it!]

But even after the clock-in window had come and gone, Liliana herself was nowhere to be seen.

Cordelia figured she couldn't be absent—the medicine had already been delivered to her desk, after all.

Yet Liliana truly didn't show up all morning. No messages either.

Cordelia assumed Avery had sent her out on assignment and didn't think much of it at first. But at lunch, Avery approached her with questions about Liliana.

"Did Ms. Stewart call in sick today? Or does she have other arrangements?"

The fact that Avery was asking her set off alarm bells.

"I have no idea. If she were taking the day off, wouldn't she notify you?"

Even if Liliana was a connected hire, she was still on Vogue Vortex's payroll. The company's rules should still apply to her.

Could she really just not show up without even giving Avery a heads-up?

Avery looked surprised, then her expression turned uncomfortable. "Mr. Mitchell told me not to worry about keeping tabs on her. She probably won't be at Vogue Vortex long, so... I was told to let it slide."

So Liliana had simply skipped work without a word.

But given the weight of the Carnegie and Stewart names, Vogue Vortex wasn't about to make a fuss over letting her coast for a while.

Still—why was Avery suddenly bringing this up with her?

"For someone of Ms. Stewart's status, skipping work is one thing. What concerns me is her safety. If something actually happened to her, that would be a real problem."

Cordelia's stomach dropped.

She hadn't considered that possibility.

"We should reach out and make sure she's okay."

Avery nodded. "That's exactly the issue. I've been trying to contact her, but she's completely unreachable. You two seem close, so I assumed she would've told you if she wasn't coming in."

What?

Worry knotted in Cordelia's chest. "No messages at all?"

Even if something urgent had come up, Liliana wouldn't just ghost Avery's messages entirely.

Unless something had actually happened to her.

Cordelia immediately dialed Liliana's number. No answer.

She didn't hesitate. She called Ellington next.

When it came to someone's safety, she wasn't about to let pride get in the way.

Liliana was staying at the Carnegie Villa. Ellington would know what was going on.

But when the call connected, the voice on the other end... was Sloane's.

"Who is this?"

Cordelia nearly hung up.

Her number was new. Most of her contact with Ellington had been through messaging apps. He probably didn't even have this number saved.

But since it was Sloane who'd answered, there was no point in hiding.

"It's me." Cordelia cleared her throat. "Where's Mr. Carnegie? I need to ask him something."

Why did Sloane have access to Ellington's phone? Could something have happened?

"Cordelia?"

Sloane sounded genuinely taken aback. She never would have guessed that this unsaved number belonged to Ellington's ex-wife.

No contact name saved. That's not like Ellington at all.

"Ellington is... at the hospital receiving treatment right now. He can't take calls. What do you need? Once his surgery is over, I'll pass along the message."

Treatment. Can't take calls. Surgery.

A cascade of possibilities flooded Cordelia's mind.

What kind of emergency required hospitalization and surgery—so suddenly that he couldn't even answer his phone?

"What happened? Why is he in the hospital?"

The original reason for her call had vanished entirely. All she cared about now was Ellington.

No matter how hard she tried to push him away... she couldn't stop caring.

Especially not when she heard he was hurt.

A burst of commotion crackled through the speaker, as if someone had snatched the phone away.

Then came the stern voice of an older man.

"Cordelia, you and Ellington are divorced. I expect you to act like a proper ex-wife and stop meddling in his new life. He's in the hospital today because of you. You're nothing but a curse on him. If you truly love him, stay out of his sight. And stop contacting him!"