The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

Grace said, "Nelly."

Brandon glanced up at her.

Grace met his gaze without flinching.

Whether it was Theresa's birthday or her mom's name, both were specifically mentioned by Sophia and Susan back when they

were still in Wye City.

Grace remembered encountering Brandon at a restaurant in Wye City.

That time, she and Susan were taking Theresa to eat at Sophia's company. The three of them went ahead, and Sophia would join

after work.

After getting out of the car, Susan went to park, and she and Theresa headed on first.

On the way, she bumped into a childhood friend from her hometown and stopped for a quick chat, exchanging contact info, not

expecting Theresa to let go of her hand and dart straight into the restaurant, tumbling right in front of Brandon.

Scared half to death when she realized Theresa was missing, she was relieved to find her after parting the curtains to the

restaurant.

That tshe had a brief encounter with Brandon. Aside from noting that he was a good-looking guy, she didn't think much of it.

But when they were about to sit down, Susan called her, asking if she could get her childhood friend to pose as Theresa's mom for

a bit since she and Sophia couldn't cin.

Grace's friend, who happened to be out alone and up for catching up, readily agreed.

So they borrowed her friend Nelly's nthat time.

After that day, Sophia had told her that if anyone inquired about Theresa, to say her birthday was November of the year before

last, and to use the nNelly for the mom, sticking with Theresa for the name.

Grace didn't know why, but she made sure to remember this.

Working for someone else, she was afraid of misspeaking and causing trouble for Sophia's family, so when Brandon asked, she

recited the details like reading from a textbook, extra nonchalant.

Brandon took another look at her.

At that moment, respectful greetings rang from outside the door. "Chairman Crawley."

Then Kent's voice was deliberately raised. "Chairman Crawley, what brings you here?"

And then he called into the office. "Mr. Crawley, Chairman Crawley's looking for you."

Brandon's eyes shifted towards the doorway.

Daniel was striding over, looking none too pleased.

The news of Brandon bringing a little girl to the office was spreading like wildfire throughout the company.

The company was mostly long-temployees, especially in Brandon's office, where there had been minimal staff turnover for

years.

Aside from the revelation that Brandon was married when Sophia visited him two years ago, no one had seen any woman near

Brandon for years, Tia's public confession at the company's door notwithstanding.

However, not long after that, Susan had unintentionally let slip in a collaboration with the company that Brandon was divorced.

So everyone knew Brandon was divorced.

But the sight of the bachelor Brandon suddenly showing up with a toddler in tow, looking utterly smitten, was a bombshell even

more explosive than an alien visit. In no time, the grapevine did its work, and the news reached Daniel quickly.

Daniel was in his office and knew this couldn't be just a rumor.

He remembered Yvonne recently mentioning her brother might have a love child. He and Patricia had even made a trip to

Brandon's house, only to be brushed off. Not long after, this rumor surfaced at the company, and he hurried over posthaste.

He hadn't expected that just as he reached Brandon's office door, he'd indeed see Brandon holding a little girl over a year old, and

standing beside him was the mother of the child Yvonne had described as "kind of plain, a bit tall, a bit sturdy, older than my

brother," which made his brows furrow deeply.

Theresa, frightened by Daniel's displeasure, slightly loosened her grip on Brandon's clothes.

Brandon instinctively held Theresa tighter, patting her shoulder to comfort her as he looked at Daniel. "Let's talk in the meeting

room."

He was mindful of Theresa, keeping his tone calm and gentle.

Daniel had cto get a look at the little girl in Brandon's arms. He ignored Brandon's suggestion, his assessing gaze already on

Theresa.

The little girl was pretty, exceptionally well-behaved and adorable, looking at him with big, round eyes, a mix of anxiety and

curiosity in her gaze.

Daniel's expression softened a bit, but not much.

"Whose kid is this?" he asked.

Brandon turned to Kent. "Kent, take Chairman Crawley to the meeting room."

Kent quickly stepped forward. "Chairman Crawley, right this way, please."

Daniel didn't pay him any mind, his eyes shifting from Brandon's calm face to Grace beside him, remaining silent.

But his condescending look made Grace tense up, bowing her head to avoid his gaze.

When Yvonne, who also worked at the company, heard her dad had cup to see Brandon, she hurried over.

Just arriving, she walked into a room that seemed to be at a standstill. She approached with a smile. "Dad, you're here too?"

Then, with a smile, she reached out to Theresa. "Little one, do you remember me?"

Theresa looked at her and nodded politely. "Mhm."

"So well-behaved," Yvonne said with a smile, opening her arms, "Can | give you a hug?"

Theresa looked up at Brandon for approval.

Brandon gave a slight nod.

Theresa immediately climbed into Yvonne's arms.

Brandon looked at Yvonne. "Take her outside for now."

Yvonne nodded, but couldn't help worrying, advising. "Let's talk this out nicely."

Without saying more, she cheerfully told Theresa, "Con, | will take you for a walk outside," and left with the child. Grace

quickly grabbed Theresa's bottle bag and followed.

Brandon watched as the group walked away, then turned to Kent, "Hit up security."

Daniel, realizing what Brandon was up to, his face turned sour, but he didn't dare pick a fight.

Having seen Brandon's tough side a few times, Daniel swallowed his pride, softened his tone and asked, "Who's that girl to you?"

The rest of the office pricked up their ears.

"That's none of your beeswax," Brandon said coolly. "Spit it out if you've got something to say, or scram if you don't."

"I do have something," Daniel said, handing over the review proposal for the Zenithan-style resort project. "We've hit a snag."

Just then, Brandon's phone buzzed.

He picked it up and saw a video call from Yvonne.

He answered the call.

"Brandon, the little one says she wants to go home."

As soon as the video connected, Yvonne's face popped up on the screen.

After she spoke, she turned the camera towards Theresa.

Theresa's sweet little face appeared on the screen, not looking too happy.

"Unkie, | wanna go home," she said in her babyish voice.

Brandon was immediately overwhelmed by a tidal wave of guilt.

He hadn't brought her to the office to expose her to the adult world's dirty laundry.

"How about | take you home, okay?" His voice softened involuntarily.

Theresa didn't show the excitement she had earlier, just hesitated and shook her head, "No need, I'll go back with Auntie Grace."

Brandon felt a complex surge of emotions, a bittersweet feeling he couldn't quite place.

He gave her a comforting smile, "You wait there for a bit, okay? | will cto find you, alright?"

Theresa hesitated, but then nodded, "Okay."

Then she handed the phone back to Yvonne.

"Where you guys at now?" Brandon asked.

"We're in the second-floor gym area."

"Don't wander off," he said, then hung up and headed out the door.

Daniel instinctively tried to stop him, "Wait up, I've got something important."

But no one paid him any mind.

Brandon made a beeline for the second-floor gym area.

Besides a variety of workout equipment, there was a small children's play area.

Since the company sometimes had to work weekends, they set up a play area for parents to bring their kids, also convenient for

employees living nearby to bring their little ones to play.

The gym and the play area were open to staff and their families, a nice perk for the employees.

The play area had slides and ball pits that kids love.

But Theresa seemed uninterested, already snuggled up in Grace's arms.

Seeing Brandon cdown, her eyes lit up a bit, but the spark from the morning was gone.

Brandon didn't know if she was just tired or something else.

He approached her and reached out his hand, "How about | take you home, okay?"

Theresa looked hesitant, torn between wanting to go and not daring to.

Worried Brandon might think she did something wrong to the child, Yvonne quickly clarified, "I just held her, | swear | didn't say or

do anything."

Grace chimed in with a laugh, "Ms. Crawley, you've been super welcoming, showed us around. The little one's just pooped, she's

usually napping around this time."

Brandon looked at Theresa, seeing the weariness in her eyes.

His voice gentled, "Lettake you home, okay?"

This time, Theresa didn't refuse and nodded.

Brandon patted her head, "Good girl."

He drove her and Grace home.

When the car pulled up to Sophia's complex, he hesitated, then turned to look at Theresa.

Her tired face lit up at the sight of familiar buildings outside.

"Thank you, Unkie," she said sweetly, thanking Brandon, then holding Grace's hand as they got out of the car. She didn't forget to

wave back at Brandon, "Bye."

His previous clingy little shadow now gave him a pang of longing.

He smiled back and waved, "Bye, Theresa."

"Mhm."

She seriously hummed in response before walking off with Grace into the complex.

Perhaps too tired to walk, she soon turned back and held up her arms to Grace.

Grace picked her up and walked deeper into the complex.

Brandon watched until they disappeared from sight, then started the engine, feeling an empty space inside him, hard to define.

Theresa and Grace returned home.

As soon as the door opened, Theresa saw Sophia busy at the desk in the living room. Her little mouth quivered, and tears suddenly

started to fall like rain.

Sophia, alerted by the sound of the door, was startled by her reaction and quickly got up, took her into her arms, comforting her

and asking, "What's wrong, Theresa?"

Theresa didn't say a word, just clung to her, crying even harder, utterly heartbroken.

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