The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

Sophia's heart was racing behind the door. From her spot, she could see every move Brandon made, including him glancing up at

the surveillance camera. Thanks to the sudden stop she made earlier, Sophia knew she hadn't walked into the camera's view yet.

Brandon seemed puzzled by his own abrupt action.

After a moment's pause on the camera, his gaze shifted to Ivan, who was walking out with the crowd towards the gates, and then

slowly retreated back to Theresa, who was anxiously watching him. He flashed her a smile and reached out his hand, "Doesn't

Theresa want her HandsUnkie anymore?"

Theresa hesitated, shaking her head no, but still too wary to get close to Brandon, instead snuggling closer to Grace for comfort.

Grace, equally intimidated by Brandon's unintentional aura of authority, lowered her voice without realizing it, "I'm sorry, Mr.

Crawley, you're right, it was my oversight, | promise it won't happen again."

She didn't even know why she was making such a promise to a stranger, but the apology and assurances just slipped out under

the pressure of Brandon's invisible presence.

Seeing Grace get scolded made Theresa feel sad, and she couldn't help but whisper an explanation to Brandon, "It was me, | ran

out on my own, | didn't wake Grace up."

"I know," Brandon reassured her with another gentle smile. "Why did you clooking for me?"

"l wanted to give my mommy's drawing to you," Theresa whispered. "But the drawing, it's gone, | wanted to find it."

Ivan, who was passing by behind Theresa, caught every word she said without missing a beat.

He deliberately followed behind the people leaving the building, unnoticed in the crowd.

His steps didn't falter as he walked out the door with the others.

Brandon's attention was also fixed on Theresa.

"Where did it go missing?" he asked softly.

Theresa pointed to where she had been sitting: "There."

Sophia behind the door couldn't help but frown. From her angle, she could only see Brandon clearly but not the entirety of Theresa,

unaware of where Theresa was pointing.

She could only look towards Brandon, who glanced in the direction of the hall and then spoke to Theresa in a tender voice, "How

about | take you to ask the front desk lady, okay?"

Theresa nodded hesitantly and finally leaned in, allowing Brandon to pick her up.

Kent, always quick on the uptake, swiftly called the front desk over, but when questioned, they hadn't noticed any drawing, hadn't

seen it.

Theresa seemed downcast, "Maybe it was blown away by the wind."

"It's okay, your mommy has so many other drawings, you can give one toanother time," Brandon comforted her, patting her

head.

Theresa seemed consoled, nodding uncertainly, "Okay."

Brandon gently stroked her hair, his palm resting on her locks, lingering there, his fingertips idly playing with the strands.

The wisp of hair inadvertently caught between his fingers was gradually getting thinner.

Sophia glanced at Brandon. She saw him gazing at Theresa, his expression distant, a mix of resolve and remorse subtly woven into

his demeanor.

As those complex emotions flooded his eyes, Brandon gripped the strand of Theresa's hair a bit firmer, causing her to utter a

confused "Ow," looking at him.

He patted her head with a remorseful touch, softly telling her, "Theresa, go back with Grace for now, okay? | will cto see you

when I'm free."

Theresa nodded: "Okay."

"You can't run off on your own anymore, okay?" Brandon instructed her with a caring look.

Theresa nodded again: "Okay."

Brandon turned to Grace, "Grace, Theresa is too young, she can't be left alone, especially not go out by herself. Please take care."

Grace quickly responded, "Yes, it's my job. I'll be careful, it won't happen again."

Brandon gave a nod and then directed Kent, "Kent, you escort them back."

"Of course." Kent nodded eagerly.

Brandon's voice softened again as he introduced Theresa to Kent, "Theresa, this is Kent. He will take you and Grace hnow,

okay?"

Theresa nodded: "Okay."

After responding, she leaned in towards Grace. Grace took Theresa from Brandon, said their goodbyes, and then followed Kent out

with Theresa in her arms.

Brandon stood still, watching them leave until his hand, hanging by his side, finally lifted.

Between his thumb and forefinger was a long black strand of hair. Brandon looked at the hair in silence for a moment, then asked

the front desk, "Could | get a tissue, please?"

The receptionist gave him a puzzled look but didn't dare to ask any questions, quickly fetching two tissues and handing them to

Brandon. Brandon wrapped the hair sample in the tissue, turned, and walked towards the elevator, pressing the button.

Sophia, standing outside the fire door, listened to the sound of the elevator doors opening and closing behind her until the silence

settled. She leaned back against the door, too drained to move, her heart slowly calming from its frantic pace but her legs still

weak.

From the moment she learned Theresa was missing, to the shock of seeing her with Brandon, to witnessing Brandon's decisive

collection of Theresa's hair, she had been on an emotional roller coaster, from heaven to hell and back again, in just a short span

of time.

Sophia couldn't quite describe what she was feeling now.

A mix of panic and discomfort, but mostly, she was just lost.

She had resolved to take Theresa away from the moment she hung up the phone with Daniel.

If she was still on the fence about Brandon's vague advances and the fact that he was moving in, Daniel's call helped her make up

her mind for good.

Also, Susan ran into her brother again and got hurt by him. She knew Susan had no love left for this city. Neither did she.

Once the ground-breaking ceremony for the Zenitha-style resort is over tomorrow, that project will be in the bag. The rest is just a

matter of execution.

Her mission for coming back would be accomplished; she could hold her head high.

The so-called leave was just a never-ending vacation.

Sophia glanced down at the phone in her grip, hesitated tand again, and finally picked it up, dialed Brandon's number, then

slowly brought it to her ear.

On the other end was the long, slow ringing, "beep... beep..."

While waiting for the call to connect, Sophia's hand holding the phone trembled. She thought about hanging up several times but

forced herself to wait.

Finally, after a seemingly long wait, the call connected.

"Hello." A calm, deep voice cthrough, faintly mixed with the sound of car horns in the background.

Sophia steadied herself and said softly, "Are you at the office? I'd like to see you."

Brandon: "Is something up?"

"I need to talk to you about something," Sophia said quietly. "Are you free right now?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end.

"If it's not a good time, never mind," Sophia continued in her gentle, calm voice. "I'll hang up."

"Where are you?" Brandon finally spoke.

"I'm at the office," said Sophia. "Where are you?"

"Wait forin the lobby downstairs," Brandon said, making a U-turn. "I'll cto you, givea few minutes."

"Okay." Sophia said softly and hung up. She didn't move, just breathed heavily.

Her heart ached. The events of today had been too much of a rollercoaster, and her heart was struggling to keep up.

Sophia took a deep breath, suppressed the discomfort in her body, and with difficulty, she pulled open the fire door, dragging her

weary legs through the turnstile and towards the reception.

"Hi, could | have stissues, please?" She asked softly.

"Sure." The receptionist handed her a box of tissues from the desk.

"Thanks." Sophia took a few tissues and then turned to enter the restroom next door.

The restroom was almost empty, and Sophia picked a stall at random.

When she cout, she still felt a bit out of it. Her reflection in the mirror didn't look great; she was pale.

Sophia splashed swater on her face, patted it dry, and tried to make herself look a bit more normal before stepping out.

Brandon had already returned and was standing at the entrance of the lobby, scanning the crowd, his phone pressed to his ear.

Sophia's phone rang at that moment.

"I'm here," she said softly, walking towards him.

Brandon turned and his eyes lingered on her pallor, his brow furrowing slightly.

"You're looking pale. What's up?" he asked, reaching out his hand to her.

Sophia managed a weak smile: "Maybe I'm just overexcited about the Zenitha-style resort ground-breaking ceremony tomorrow.

Haven't been sleeping well."

Brandon forced a half-smile and didn't say much, just asked, "Have you had lunch?"

Sophia nodded: "Yeah, | grabbed something at noon."

Brandon: "I didn't see you in the cafeteria at lunchtime."

"I went out with Cindy," Sophia said quietly. "I got a bit tired of the cafeteria food, wanted to switch it up."

Brandon gave her a look but didn't say anything.

Sophia smiled at him: "Let's find a place to sit down and talk."

Brandon nodded slightly: "Alright."

MMMWWLIIOAIfO&L

MMMWWLIIOAIfO&L

mmMwWLHIOfiflO&1

MMMWWLIIOAIfO&L

mmMyWL11I01F1081

mMMwWLIIOfiflO&1