The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

“You’ve seen her messages too. If it’s nothing, then don’t bother her anymore, okay? You’ve both

chosen to let bygones be bygones, so just leave it at that.

Brandon didn’t respond.

Susan saw his deep-set side profile tighten slightly, a bit cold, but he said nothing, neither good nor

bad, just walked away, his figure distant and chilly.

Susan was clueless about what Brandon was thinking and worried that her words might have blown a

potential contract too, but since Sophia said she didn’t want to know about Brandon’s whereabouts,

she blocked any messages

that came through for Sophia.

She thought this deal was going to fall through too, but to her surprise, two days later, Kent suddenly

informed her that Starlight Hotel had agreed to come on board, telling her to start preparing the

contract.

The surprise was so unexpected, Susan thought she was dreaming and couldn’t help but confirm with

Kent over and over, “Mr Crawley really greenlit this project?”

“Or what?” Kent, losing patience with the repeated confirmations, said, “You think I’ve got nothing

better to do?”

“No, no, it’s not that I just want to double-check,” Susan quickly appeased, not wanting to annoy the big

shot, and couldn’t help but probe further, “Didn’t Mr. Crawley say before that it needed to go through

the investment department for evaluation? Did it pass the review?”

“Mr. Crawley made the call himself, no need for the investment department.

“Hold on.” Susan paused, “If Mr. Crawley can make the call himself, why did we have to go through that

process before?

“How should I know?” Kent was just as confused. If Brandon could make the decision himself, why

bother with the process?

“He works in mysterious ways, Kent added, “Maybe he just didn’t take a shine to you?”

He might have spoken too loudly because just as he finished, he saw Brandon glance his way from the

office.

Kent sat up straight and covered the phone’s mouthpiece, lowering his voice, “Alright, I’ve let you know.

You guys get the contract ready too, grinding out the details is gonna take some elbow grease.”

“Goth; thanks, Kent. The voice on the other end was chipper as she cooed a “Kent

Kent wasn’t used to Susan’s saccharine tone and shuddered involuntarily.

“Gotta go.” With that, Kent hung up without another word, and after the call, he couldn’t help but sneak

a peek at Brandon

Brandon was still looking at him, and with a nod of his chin toward the room, he motioned Kent to come

in

Kent didn’t know if his rambling with Susan had been overheard by Brandon or what, but he knocked

on the door with trepidation

“Mr. Crawley, you wanted to see me?

“Yeah Brandon nodded slightly, picked up a folder from the top left corner of his desk, flipped through it,

glanced at Kent. “Who’s currently in charge of managing the Starlight Hotel’s Ephemoran branchy?”

Kent was somewhat puzzled. Isn’t it Darcy?”

Darcy was the regional general manager in charge of the Ephemoran branch, personally appointed by

Brandon Kent didn’t understand why Brandon was asking this out of the blue

Brandon tossed the file in front of him. “If it’s Darcy in charge, then where is he during all the important

meetings and events?

Kent, taken aback, caught the file Brandon threw over. There were two reports-one was a financial

statement and work report from the Ephemoran branch of Starlight Hotel, which seemed fine. The other

was a more detailed report from a third-party perspective, complete with photos of work at important

meetings and events

Comparing the two, Darcy was prominently in the group photos from the Ephemoran branch, always

front and center. But in the unknown report. Darcy was nowhere to be found in any of the actual work

scenes, whether he just happened

to be absent or wasn’t there at all.

Kent didn’t know where the second report came from-whether Brandon had heard something

beforehand and arranged for an investigation, whether it was a whistleblower, or if someone was

plotting to replace Darcy

After running through various speculations in his mind, Kent looked cautiously at Brandon: “Mr.

Crawley, is there a

problem with Mr. Darcy?”

“I don’t know.” Brandon said, reaching for the file in Kent’s hand, flipping through it casually, then

closing it and tossing it aside as he stood up. “Book me a flight to Wye City.”

Kent hesitated, “Mr. Crawley, you’re going to investigate in person?”

The thought alone made Kent feel like something was off. Starlight Group was a behemoth, and

although Starlight Hotel was a brand Brandon had personally brought to life, it had been on the right

track for some time now. The operations were stable, growth was steady and on the rise, and Brandon

had already established a comprehensive management system. There was no need for him to

micromanage anymore. Even if problems cropped up, there were people on hand to supervise and

investigate. Brandon didn’t need to swoop in personally. On the flip side, Brandon had been focusing

on expanding the architectural design business lately, and the main action was still at the headquarters

in Zenitha. That’s where Brandon was really needed.

With this in mind, Kent couldn’t help but lay it on thick, trying to persuade him, “Mr. Crawley, you don’t

need to go there yourself. Just send someone to check it out, will ya? The company has a whole

department for investigation and oversight. Mr. Twist or Mr Keith are old hands at this and totally

trustworthy No need to worry. Or, if you’re not at ease. I can go on your behalf. The HQ here is

swamped with work, and Ephemora is a trek. I’m worried you’ll run yourself ragged flying back and

forth.”

“I have my reasons, Brandon said, paying no mind to Kent’s heartfelt advice and already refocusing on

his computer, fingers dancing swiftly across the keyboard, Just book the flight!”

Kent, frowning, tried to continue persuading him, but Brandon suddenly turned his head and shot him a

look that carried e silent warning of “Cut the crap/ Kent was startled into alertness and belatedly

remembered something–Sophia was in Wye City too!

Suppressing his bubbling suspicions, he looked at Brandon, and their gazes accidentally met. Kent

recoiled as if shocked and quickly averted his eyes, obediently responding. Alright, I get on it right

away”