Love or Die: CEO’ s Daily Dose of Swoon (Cordelia)

Chapter 41

Stanton was practically buzzing with excitement as he addressed the room. "Look at that. Even this girl thinks I've got screws loose! What kind of shrink are you, not taking your buddy's headcase seriously?"

Louie just stood there, silent.

Knowing Cordelia's easygoing nature, he didn't immediately argue with Stanton. And sure enough, after a brief pause, Cordelia spoke up unhurriedly. "It's not your head. It's your playing that's off."

The room fell into a hush.

As a world-renowned piano virtuoso, Stanton was not used to such criticism. It was the first time anyone had dared suggest his playing was flawless.

After a moment, Stanton asked, "What's off?"

Cordelia shook her head. "I don't know exactly."

Stanton raised his eyebrows in disbelief. “Are you kidding me?” he thought inwardly.

Louie's voice, ever calm, broke the silence. "Why would you say that?"

Standing straight as an arrow, Cordelia answered like a diligent student responding to a teacher's question. "There was a part that just didn't sound right."

Raised in an orphanage, Cordelia had never had formal training. She had taught herself everything she knew about music.

Unable to articulate Stanton's mistake in technical terms, she offered. "Let me play it for you."

Stanton was about to snort dismissively at the thought of a young girl identifying an error in his performance, but Louie gently pushed him aside to clear the way to the piano. "Go ahead."

Cordelia sat down, her hands finding their place on the keys. She didn't play the entire piece from start to finish but zeroed in on the segment that Stanton had botched.

As she played, the smirk on Stanton's face faded, replaced by an expression of deep concentration and, eventually, amazement.

Stanton had played this signature piece for years, habitually glossing over a wrong note that had become ingrained in his muscle memory. The tempo was so fast, the mistake so well-embedded. It was nearly undetected.

When Cordelia finished playing, Stanton stood there, dazed, his mind racing. "So, that's how it is... That's how it is!"

He stepped forward, eager to shake her hand. "Who are you?"

This girl who could detect such a subtle error on a single listening couldn't be a nobody, could she?

Cordelia stepped back, avoiding his grasp.

Louie interrupted, "This is Cordelia. I was thinking of introducing her to you as a potential student, you see..."

Before Louie could finish his thought, Stanton stood up and declared emphatically, "No way!"

Louie was puzzled.

The next moment, Stanton practically shouted, "How can I teach her? I should ask her for lessons! From now on, she’s my teacher!"

Cordelia was baffled. She just thought she could play the piano. How was she supposed to teach anyone?

But then, Stanton was already pulling out his phone. "Cordelia, what's your number? Let's swap digits! We can give each other pointers. Do you want to learn some music scores and piano techniques? I can show you."

The promise of learning had attracted her.

Cordelia took out her phone and, after they exchanged numbers, she saved his contact as Piano Man.

Immediately, 'Piano Man' sent her a link to join a group chat.

The group's name was Pioneers Club.

Cordelia was momentarily stunned. Then Piano Man added, "Cordelia, this group's full of aces. Louie's in there, too. I'm adding you so we can all share knowledge, okay?"

Cordelia couldn't resist the allure of learning. So, she looked up inquiringly at Louie.

Sensing Cordelia's wish, Louie took down her baseball cap, ruffled her hair, and said with a smile. "Join it. You've been too isolated. It's good to make friends."

Cordelia's eyes lit up, and she requested to join the group.

Stanton called out, "Louie, you're an admin. Approve it, will you?"

Louie tapped 'accept,' and Cordelia was in the "Pioneers Club."

Stanton eagerly scrolled through the member list, introducing each one. "Lia, you know Louie, the doc. He's also an admin. That's the math whiz, the gamer, the actor, the fashionista, the dancer, the

chef, the artist, and this one..."

He ran through the list of twenty members.

Cordelia marveled at how one group chat could span so many professions. She asked, "Are they all as skilled as they seem?" Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

Stanton lifted his chin proudly. "They're known as I am, I guess. Just your average Joe."

Cordelia just nodded. "Oh."

A man who couldn't even nail every note certainly was 'average.'

Unaware of her thoughts, Stanton pointed to a profile with a solid black picture. "Lia, listen up. You can mess with anyone else in here. Louie's got your back. But don't ever cross this group admin!"

Cordelia was puzzled. The profile picture looked vaguely familiar.

She glanced at the name - NoInterruptions.

Even the name had a chill, like a frosty 'keep out' sign.

She didn't dwell on it, simply asking, "Why?"

Stanton seemed scared when mentioning the person. "He’s the real deal and got a short fuse. But don't worry. He never chats. Don't badmouth him in here, and you'll be fine."

"Okay..." Her curiosity was piqued.

But his words implied the rest were indeed pseudo-big shots? No, except for Louie. He was internationally known as a stellar psychologist.

As they chatted, a message popped up in the group.

Bland Sullivan asked, [Newbie?]

And another message came through.

Piano Man announced, [Guys, let me introduce you to Louie's good friend, my teacher! @LearnLover]

Cordelia politely greeted them. [Hi, everyone. I’m looking forward to getting to know you.]

She pondered and added, [I hope we can learn from each other.]

The other members in this group chat were confused.

The chat, populated by top dogs from every field, fell into an awkward silence. What could they possibly learn from a young girl?

Cordelia noticed the group chat had suddenly gone quiet while Stanton's phone buzzed continuously with private messages from the other members, all asking the same thing.

[What's the scoop? Who's this chick?]

Stanton replied with pride, [Lia's a piano prodigy. She's excellent!]

Then came the barrage of skeptical questions.

[Can she act? Measure up to an Oscar winner like me?]

[As a world-renowned mathematician here, should I swap math tips with her?]

[Top chef here. Are we supposed to trade recipes?]

...

...

After a flurry of inquiries, everyone simultaneously shot off the same message. [So, why'd you invite this girl to the group?]

Even Stanton was starting to doubt himself.

The big shots didn’t believe in Cordelia's chops. Maybe she should leave the group?

-

Meanwhile, over at Midnight Scent, Everard picked up his phone. Cordelia hadn't accepted his friend request yet.

He sighed quietly, noticing some chatter in the Pioneers Group. As the admin, he casually clicked in. Suddenly, his eyes locked onto the screen.