The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate



By the time Brandon headed back, he had managed to chill out completely. The storm of emotions inside him had died down, but there was still this heavy feeling in his chest, a kind of deep-seated discomfort that just wouldn't go away. In a flash, he felt like life had lost all its flavor.

He lost interest in everything, even his work, which he normally couldn't get enough of.

Back at home, staring at the empty room, Brandon felt an emptiness inside, suddenly bewildered, clueless about what the heck life was all about.

Just thinking about Sophia, imagining her with Ivan, that familiar sting started spreading in his chest, almost leaving him breathless.

Brandon tried a few times to shift his focus back to work, but Sophia was like a weed in his brain, impossible to shake off. No matter how hard he tried to distract himself, images of her holding hands with Ivan kept replaying in his head, driving him nuts.

Especially since they were traveling together, probably sharing a hotel room, maybe even the same bed.

With a snap, Brandon chucked his pen onto the desk. He grabbed his work phone and called Don.

"Brandon?"

Don, rarely receiving calls from Brandon's work phone, sounded tentative.

"It's me."

Despite the emotional turmoil, Brandon's voice was cool as a cucumber, "What project is Ivan handling right now?"

"Why are you asking all of a sudden?" Don was puzzled, "He just started on this massive project, some skyscraper that's supposed to be a city within a city. I got him and Sophia on it."

"What stage is it at?"

"Still drafting the initial proposal."

"Did they submit the plan yet?"

"Not yet, no rush."

"Tell him to come back to the office right now. Work overtime on the plan."

Don was baffled, "Huh?"

Brandon continued, "Also, the project is more focused on landscape and residential design, rather simple in terms of design style. Sophia specializes in building design, so don't dump these kinds of projects on her in the future."

"No problem, it was just a temporary thing anyway. But calling people back for overtime on the weekend, that's not cool, you know?"

Brandon uttered, "Yeah, it's indeed not cool."

"Right, people need their rest."

Before Don could finish, Brandon cut him off, "You go to his place and keep an eye on him. Overtime is unavoidable when the project is urgent. Compensate him with time off and overtime pay later."

After that, Brandon hung up, his expression not any better, even feeling a bit disgusted with himself. He and Sophia were divorced; she was free to marry whoever she wanted.

It was only natural for her to find a new boyfriend, but then he remembered Sophia saying calmly a few times that she wouldn't find someone else, and his face darkened once more.

Liar!

On Monday, the moment Kent stepped into the office, he was hit by a gloom he hadn't felt in ages, more intense than ever.

The pressure was so heavy that even Kent's breathing turned lighter. He couldn't help but sneak a question to a junior staff member, "What's up with Mr. Crawley?"

The other was just as clueless, "I have no idea; he's been like this since the morning."

Frowning, Kent stole a glance at Brandon in his office.

Brandon was busy at his computer but clearly agitated. He picked up documents and put them down repeatedly, never making it through any of them in one go.

Finally, Kent saw Brandon rest his hands on his forehead and close his eyes tightly, taking deep breaths, obviously trying to calm down.

While Kent hesitated whether to check in on him, Brandon suddenly tossed his pen aside, grabbed some papers, and stood up. "Meeting!"

As he passed the outer office, he dropped the word coolly and headed to the meeting room.

Mondays were for weekly departmental updates.

During the meeting, although Brandon's face was calm, his patience was obviously thin, and he wasn't as focused as usual. His eyes would drift off mid-presentation, and he couldn't snap back to reality even after the manager had finished speaking.

Kent, sitting right by his side, noticed Brandon's mind was elsewhere and couldn't help but give him some subtle lip-smacking reminders.

The last time Kent saw Brandon like this was two years ago, the day Sophia asked for a divorce.

But even then, Brandon only zoned out briefly when he received the text and during the meeting. His demeanor was always composed, and the only mishap was when he suddenly left the meeting in a rush.

This time, although similar, Brandon's mood was far from that composed. Responding to Kent's cues, Brandon just glanced at him and didn't say anything, but he did seem a bit more grounded.

The meeting went on until it was over. The word "adjourned" came out calmly as Brandon was the first to walk out.

Everyone else breathed a sigh of relief, like inmates granted pardon, and they couldn't help but discuss why Brandon was off his game today; everyone had noticed his unusual behavior.

"It's just the boss being down because the numbers aren't up to snuff." Kent joked, "Keep it up, everyone."

With that, he grabbed his notebook and followed Brandon out.

Back in his office, Brandon's expression had settled, but he was still clearly distracted. This absent-mindedness lasted till lunchtime. Having been by Brandon's side for years, Kent had never seen him waste a whole morning daydreaming.

"Mr. Crawley, it's lunchtime."

Noticing Brandon still gazing out the window, Kent couldn't help but remind him. Brandon glanced at him, stood up, and walked out. Once again, they took the staff elevator. When it stopped on the seventeenth floor, Don, Cindy, and a bunch of others crammed in, but Sophia and Ivan were nowhere to be seen.

Brandon kept his eyes down and his face calm, not looking at the people squeezing in. Kent didn't dare to pry further.

Don couldn't help but start griping as soon as he laid eyes on Brandon, "Man, you're such a capitalist shark, devouring people without spitting out the bones. You've dragged me into pulling two all-nighters."

Brandon glanced at him and kept silent. Don noticed Brandon wasn't in the best of moods and couldn't help but glance at Kent. Kent gave him the eye, signaling him to zip it, and Don instantly clammed up.

The elevator stopped at the basement level, and everyone filed out one by one.noveldrama

A slender figure was pacing back and forth at the entrance of the cafeteria, glancing around aimlessly. She looked up unintentionally and saw the crowd coming out of the elevator, then excitedly waved at Brandon, "Brandon!"

Then she bolted towards him.

Cindy was exiting the elevator with the others when she spotted a young, pretty girl rushing excitedly toward Brandon. She immediately smelled some juicy gossip, whipped out her phone, and casually shot a video, posting it to the team's chat group, "Folks, grab your popcorn; is this Mr. Crawley's girlfriend or what?"

Sophia was in the elevator going down when her phone pinged with a notification. She picked it up, her movement faltered for a second, and then she opened the video.

She recognized her, the girl who had been with Brandon at Starry Mall on Saturday.

The rest of the team was already bubbling with excitement in the chat, with many expressing an eagerness to head down and join the gossip feast. Caught up in the commotion, Sophia found herself being carried down to the basement level by the elevator, only to be greeted by a crowd of onlookers who were there for the show. Amidst the spectators, Sophia saw the girl standing in front of Brandon; with tears welling up in her eyes, accusingly she said, "You lied to me. I checked, and you're not married at all."