" No candlelit dinner plans ? " she teased . He pulled her into his arms . " No dinner , " he replied . " Just reimbursed her for three years of breakfasts . " Cordelia's jaw dropped . " Reimbursed her for breakfast ? You're really ... " She bit back the rest . In her view , he was just covering for the fact that he'd shared something sentimental with Belinda . The excuse was lame . A few seconds later , Belinda hurried out in tears . Cordelia burst out laughing when she saw it . Back at home , Declan handed her another dose of vitamins . " Take these . " Then let's make a baby , " he said . *** Cordelia stared at him . She couldn't believe he was still holding a grudge . At least , the reunion wasn't a total flop . She'd managed to rattle the ones she hated . If Belinda was miserable , Cordelia was satisfied . That night , Cordelia happily joined the family for dinner . She even had the chef prepare some of Darrell's favorite dishes and sent them upstairs . " This fish is really fresh . Make sure Darrell gets some , " she told a maid . Declan looked surprised . He figured she'd forgotten all about their son after a long day . 0.0 % 288 ¡ Vouchers 00.07 Chapter 19 A few minutes later , the maid came rushing downstairs . " Mrs. Beasley . " " What is it ? He's refusing to eat ? " Cordelia asked . The maid sighed . " No. Mr. Darrell asked to see you . " Cordelia arched her brows . " He wants to see me ? Now that's interesting . "You all eat first . I'll go up and see what trick this kid is trying to pull again . " Hearing that , Declan rose and followed behind Cordelia . At the sound of footsteps , Cordelia paused . " Declan , there are a few things we need to set straight first . " Declan stopped and looked at Cordelia , signaling for her to continue . " Whatever happened in the past is all behind us now . " But when it comes to how to raise the kids , we must stand united . " Even if you feel sorry for him later , you must never let it show . " Declan looked surprised , but in the end , he gave a slight nod . " I understand . Let's go up . ' As soon as they entered the room , Cordelia was choked by the reek of smoke filling the air , coughing hard . " It's only been a few days , and your room already looks like a bandit's den . " The ten bodyguards quickly brought over a chair for Cordelia, and she sat down naturally . Declan stood behind her like a personal guard . Darrell lay sprawled on the bed , staring at the ceiling blankly , lost in thought . The once defiant boy now looked worn down , stripped of all arrogance . " Didn't you say you wanted to see me ? Aren't you going to say something ? " Only then did Darrell slowly sit up , his expression bleak . " I smoked all the cigarettes you gave me . " Then , he pointed at the desk . " I broke the computer , and I smashed the phone too . " Cordelia glanced at his " battle trophies " and clapped . " Not bad . My son is impressive . " She knew Darrell's words were a show of surrender . But she also knew well how difficult it was to truly reform a delinquent teen . 24.5 % # 288 ¡ Vouchers 09:37 Chapter 19 There was no way she'd let Darrell out just because he said a few soft words . So , she played dumb . " Well ... " You all heard him . Go bring in cigarettes , a computer , and a new phone for Mr. Darrell right away . " Darrell panicked at her words and hurried to explain . " That's not what I meant . " Cordelia raised a hand to stop him . " Say no more . I understand . " Anyway , just have fun here in this room . No need to go to school or worry about your future . " As long as your dad's around , you can just live off us and be happy for the rest of your life . " Darrell stared at Cordelia in disbelief , then turned to look at Declan . A few seconds later , he asked in a wounded voice , " Mom ... do you want to ruin me ? " Cordelia neither confirmed nor denied . 288 iVouchers " Darrell , with the way you smoke , fight , and skip school every day , you're already ruined . This is the best arrange- ment . At least it prevents you from making huge mistakes . " We're doing this for your own good . " As she spoke , servants brought in new cigarettes , a computer , and a phone . Cordelia put the phone in Darrell's hand and lit a cigarette for him . She even logged into a game for him . " You're suspended for three more days . In that time , you'll play 20 rounds of games every day . If you win every sin- gle one , I'll let you out . " But if you lose even once , that's one more day added . " Cordelia smiled sweetly as she laid out the cold rules . She knew no matter how much one was addicted to games , once it became a mission , they became torture . If Darrell didn't do well , he might grow sick of games . But if by chance he discovered some hidden talent , maybe he could be a professional game player . 64.0 %