Chapter 102
Chapter 102
After leaving the hospital, Cordelia threw herself into work with everything she had. But almost every night, a child appeared in her dreams—accusing her.
Why hadn't she protected him? Why was she so weak?
If only she'd been more decisive. She should have left the country the moment she found out she was pregnant, then dealt with the rest from a distance.
But none of that mattered now.
She looked at Ellington's rigid, bloodless face and took another step back.
"Ellington, I'm begging you. Stay away from me. Stop showing up in my life. Have mercy and just let me go."
No matter how many times she said it, he never seemed to grasp the severity of what she was telling him.
Pain that never touched his own body could never feel bone-deep to him. He could always offer platitudes about time healing all wounds, minimizing damage already done.
She couldn't let Ellington hurt her again.
Cordelia, can you please get it together? You've said these same words a hundred times. Can you actually follow through—just once?
Ellington didn't follow.
Perhaps because the grief pouring off Cordelia had been too raw, too devastating for him to utter another word.
One more word would only wound her further.
She had begged him to stay away.
In her eyes, he had become something monstrous.
"Ellington..."
Liliana had been trailing him the entire time—sometimes close, sometimes at a distance, but never losing sight of him.
She'd followed the whole way, watched the whole scene unfold, and the realization hit her belatedly: she might have royally screwed things up.
Ellington wouldn't actually kill her... would he? Would she walk away from this unscathed?
"It's my fault. I shouldn't have kept blocking you. I was being completely unreasonable."
If she hadn't kept stopping Ellington from leaving, he would have caught up to Cordelia much sooner.
If they could have sat down and talked calmly, things might not have been sabotaged by that suitor stirring up trouble.
"This has little to do with you."
Cordelia wanted to leave. Even if he'd seen her today, it wouldn't have changed anything.
But Ellington added one more thing: "What you did today—don't ever do it again. It was a waste of time."
Liliana pouted slightly.
Well, that was only because she hadn't known the full story. If she had, she never would have clung to him like that.
Today just wasn't the right moment.
"So what's your plan now?"
Thinking back on what she'd just witnessed, Liliana couldn't help feeling sorry for him.
She'd been too busy hiding from Kieran overseas to keep up with anything happening back home. Raina hadn't mentioned any of it when they'd spoken either.
She still didn't fully understand the history between these two.
But judging by the sheer finality in Cordelia's voice just now—what on earth had Ellington done to her?
"Go home first."
A flash of pain crossed the depths of Ellington's eyes.
A plan... he didn't have one. Right now, it seemed like all he could do was watch over her from the shadows. Protect her from a distance.
No...
His gaze remained fixed on the direction Cordelia had disappeared, though she was long gone from sight.
There was still so much he needed to do. But one day—he would bring her back to him.
---
Cordelia never made it back to Vogue Vortex that afternoon.
She'd told everyone she was meeting Brielle to coordinate on work, and her manager Avery Pace had approved her for fieldwork the entire afternoon.
Sable's voice kept replaying in her head on a loop.
There was one thing Sable hadn't been wrong about.
Whether she liked it or not, even after the divorce, she and Ellington remained entangled.
Ondine had done so many terrible things—she should have been the one with a ruined reputation. So why was everyone pointing fingers at Cordelia, accusing her of delusions?
Cordelia sat at the desk in her bedroom, watching raindrops gradually spatter against the window.
She had no right to chase love. Not now.
She even recalled the voice of the child from her dreams.
Accusing her of being too weak. Too powerless to protect him. Too powerless to hold on to her own love.
The rain kept falling. No telling when it would clear.
---
Two days later, the design department got a brand-new hire—a complete novice—and the entire team was stunned.
Though once word got around that she was a 'connections hire,' the shock faded quickly.
"What is Mr. Mitchell thinking? Even if she came through someone's recommendation, you can't just stick a total outsider with zero experience in here. She's going to double our workload!"
"She's got connections, man. Just let it go. At least they didn't put her above you."
"Don't even joke about that! A clueless outsider as my boss? Mr. Mitchell hasn't lost his mind yet. We still have our manager!"
Using connections to place someone in a company was nothing new to Cordelia. Elite families often arranged for their children to gain work experience—usually at their own corporations, though occasionally at others.
But placing someone in the design department—someone with absolutely zero relevant experience? That took serious pull.
Cordelia kept her eyes on her screen, refining her design draft pixel by pixel. She caught the new hire's name in passing.
Liliana. Just back from studying abroad. Claimed she loved design and wanted to give this career a try.
Cordelia tuned it out and dove back into her work.
The design draft for Brielle was nearly finalized.
She hadn't expected the new girl, Liliana, to seek her out for lunch.
By then, the office had emptied out—just the two of them remained.
"Cordelia Sinclair." Liliana read the nameplate on her desk letter by letter. "Cordelia, it's just us two left. Let's grab lunch together."
Cordelia didn't refuse. She tidied her desk quickly and they headed to the cafeteria.
The moment they walked in, Cordelia felt countless pairs of eyes land on them.
Probably curious about seeing her with the connections hire.
"Figures—nepotism sticks together. One day in and she's already found someone to cover for her. But if she wants to last at Vogue Vortex, she'll need actual talent."
Cordelia glanced toward the voice. The woman was clearly aiming at Liliana, not her.
But Liliana acted as if she hadn't heard a thing, pulling Cordelia along until they found a table.
"Cordelia, what do you want to eat? I'll grab it for you—just stay put."
This new girl was a little too friendly. Cordelia felt slightly off-balance.
"No need. Just get your own."
After being refused several times, Liliana finally dropped the offer and went to the counter alone.
Cordelia exhaled, but curiosity stirred. What was Liliana's background exactly?
She carried the surname Stewart. Was she part of the Stewart family?
"What do you think of her?" Griffin's voice came from behind. "Didn't expect her to buddy up to you on day one."
Something felt off to Cordelia. She couldn't quite place it.
"Who got her in? Getting into Vogue Vortex isn't easy for just anyone."
Griffin smiled knowingly. "My mentor asked me as a favor. A friend of his wanted it. How could I say no?"
Was that really all there was to it?
Liliana returned quickly, tray in hand and two cups of coffee balanced beside it. Griffin didn't linger.
"I'll need you to look after her."
Cordelia assumed he meant work—just be patient with the new hire.
The design department was swamped as it was. Who had time to babysit someone with zero experience?
"Sure. I understand."