Chapter 110

Chapter 110

Still, Liliana almost never brought up anything related to Ellington, and Cordelia never asked.

She'd heard that the Carnegie Group's joint project with the Neville Group was moving forward, and that Ellington and Sloane were constantly seen side by side at various high-profile events.

The press coverage never mentioned the engagement arrangement, of course. But the camera angles were curious — what were clearly shots of serious business discussions made it look as though Ellington was gazing "tenderly" at Sloane beside him.

From the photos alone, they made a striking pair.

"Cordelia, Mr. Mitchell wants to see you."

Avery tapped on the partition beside her workstation. Cordelia quickly closed the news page and looked up to respond — but the moment she spoke, she froze.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Avery's face creased with concern. "Are you feeling sick?"

"I'm fine." Cordelia cleared her throat, tasting an unexpected hint of salt. "I..."

She'd been so absorbed in what she was reading that she hadn't even noticed when the tears started.

It was just a news article. She hadn't felt any particular turmoil inside.

Apparently, her body registered the heartbreak before her mind did.

She swiped carelessly at her face. The tear tracks had nearly dried already.

"Sorry. I'll head up now."

By the time she reached the top floor, Cordelia had mostly steadied herself. Only her eyes still betrayed her — visibly red.

Griffin was definitely going to have a field day with this.

When she arrived at the office door, she found it slightly ajar. Two male voices drifted out from inside.

One was Griffin's. The other she didn't recognize.

"If it's a work matter, we can handle it here at the office. As for contact information, you'd have to ask Cordelia herself."

Someone wanted her contact information?

Cordelia didn't knock. She stood still, listening to the exchange inside.

If this was about work, why did it involve her personally?

"Hmm? Mr. Mitchell, you seem quite protective of Cordelia. Technically speaking, a supervisor sharing an employee's contact info with a business partner doesn't exactly count as a privacy violation, does it?"

The stranger's tone didn't sound like someone discussing business.

Cordelia found herself listening intently.

"You care about her that much? Aren't you worried about office gossip?"

Griffin remained unfazed.

"How I treat her in this company is plain for everyone to see. Besides, that's not really your concern."

"I've already sent someone to notify Cordelia. She should be here any moment. Please wait."

A gust of wind swept through the corridor and pushed the door wide open.

Cordelia tried to step back, but the sound of the door swinging was too obvious. Any attempt to hide now would only make it more conspicuous — it would look like she'd been caught eavesdropping.

Maurice raised an eyebrow. "How long have you been listening?"

"I just got here." Cordelia gave him a polite nod. "You wanted to see me?"

Griffin's expression grew serious. "Cordelia, Mr. White would like you to serve as lead designer on one of his projects. The one Xander mentioned to you before."

Xander had only mentioned one.

The collaborator who'd gotten Xander so excited was this young?

"Oh? Xander already told you about me?" Maurice clapped his hands together. "You should've said so. I could've just gotten your contact info from him — would've sped things up."

Griffin maintained his smile. "We can still get started now."

"Forget it. Since we all know each other, let me just be direct."

Maurice brushed past Griffin's deflection and turned to Cordelia. "Ms. Sinclair — Mrs. Carnegie — shall we talk?"

That old title caught Cordelia off guard. It made Maurice's relationship with Ellington immediately clear.

Was he using work as a pretext to discuss personal matters?

"What do you mean?" Cordelia's guard went up instinctively. "Mr. Mitchell is right. We can discuss work here at the office. There's a break room on this floor."

If this was about Ellington, she wanted no part of it.

"But I'm not the type who likes discussing business in an office. A coffee shop is so much more relaxed." Maurice's smile was loaded with implication. "Don't worry. Anything you don't want to talk about, I won't bring up."

But the moment she agreed, the conversation would inevitably circle back to Ellington.

After a brief pause, Cordelia made her decision.

"I can spare one hour."

He was, after all, a partner Vogue Vortex valued. No matter how reluctant she was, she couldn't afford to offend him — even with Griffin backing her up.

Still, unease lingered.

He'd deliberately invoked her former title. Was he trying to remind her of something?

Maurice said he didn't like discussing business at the office, yet they ended up at the restaurant on the ground floor of the Vogue Vortex building.

What baffled Cordelia even more was his choice of meal — a candlelit dinner set.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I just think the candlelight dinner menu pairs better with our conversation."

A young man jogged over to Maurice's side and handed him an elegantly wrapped gift box.

Maurice passed it directly to her. "Ms. Sinclair, this is a set of everyday jewelry designed by my company. It's been selling extremely well. Consider it a meeting gift."

Cordelia didn't take it.

The box itself was exquisite — lace trim threaded with gold, nothing about it cheap.

Yet something about it felt strangely familiar.

Cordelia hadn't bought any matching jewelry sets in years. The pieces her parents gave her when she married into the Carnegie family — she'd never had the heart to wear them. As for the dozens of sets Ellington sent after the divorce, she hadn't even opened them.

"This is too generous."

The packaging alone made it clear the set was worth a fortune.

Maurice made no move to withdraw his hand. "When I say it's a gift, it's a gift. It represents my admiration for Ms. Sinclair. Nothing more. Just a present between friends. Please, accept it."

She was the woman Ellington loved, after all. He could hardly show up empty-handed.

Of course, that particular reasoning was something he'd never let Ellington know about.

Cordelia couldn't refuse again gracefully.

"Go ahead, open it. I think you'll appreciate the design."

Cordelia didn't play coy. She opened it directly.

She was genuinely curious about this bestselling design Maurice had mentioned.

But when she lifted the lid, her brow furrowed tight.

She never could have imagined this. Four years ago, eager to prove herself and looking for practice, she'd taken on her very first jewelry design commission. And now, the finished pieces made from that design had been placed right in front of her — without any warning at all.