The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

Don was caught off guard, but he couldn't help chuckling, "Isn't Marian a designer too? Why not let her take the lead?"

Marian was the granddaughter of the Frost family, and it would be more meaningful for her to personally take on a project that

embodies her grandparents’ love and dreams.

Martin just shook his head with a smile, "She's not the right fit."

Don laughed, "Don’t want to work her to the bone, huh?"

Martin just chuckled and shook his head again, not going into detail.

He was a lot like Brandon in that sense.

Every tDon looked at those two, he felt like grabbing an iron bar to pry open their tight-lipped mouths. He wondered what kind

of karma he had to end up with friends like these, each as tight-lipped as the next.

"What's really going on between you and Brandon? If she's not suitable, why can't you just spit it out? Every tYolanda comes

up, you all clam up like your lips are sealed."

Don was straightforward and can't hold his tongue. He just let it all out in a stream of consciousness.

Martin had no choice but to face him.

"Marian's design style is too out there, a bit too edgy for most people. My grandparents are more traditional and conservative.

They can't wrap their heads around it."

He put it gently, not wanting to bad-mouth Marian's skills in front of Don.

Art was subjective, after all.

At first, he really wanted Marian to handle it, considering she was a grad from a prestigious school.

But after sback and forth, Martin had to admit, Marian wasn't up for it.

Her designs were modern and avant-garde, which to those with high emotional intelligence meant unique and innovative with a

sophisticated aesthetic. But to the less charitable, it was a mishmash of bizarre, outlandish ideas.

Her grandpa, Louis, treated her like the real Yolanda, doting on her. Even though he didn’t like her work, he would reluctantly

support her, while secretly it pained him.

Louis and his wife had loved each other a lifetime, and this Romanesque garden project was his wife's longstanding dream. Martin

didn't want to mess it up.

So, after much deliberation, Martin decided to try the Zenithan-style resort designer Patricia had recommended.

He had seen her designs, which were more steady and culturally rich, more in line with what his grandparents wanted. That's why

he took special ttoday to meet her.

Don got it immediately. Martin was being considerate of Marian’s feelings and didn’t want to spell it out too bluntly.

Marian had been with the company for a while, and her designs were indeed unconventional and dark, which might be more

palatable to the younger crowd but not to the average Joe, especially the elderly.

And Marian was pretty stubborn about her work.

For most, the client was king, and all designs catered to their needs.

But in Marian's world, there was no such thing as a client.

Her work was king, and if the client didn't like it, it was their taste that was lacking.

Don was a bit exasperated with her and understood Martin's point immediately.

"How about | bring the designer over, and you guys can chat?" Don offered.

Martin nodded, "Sure thing."

"Have a seat for a sec."

Don got up, poured Martin a glass of water, then left the conference room for his office.

Sophia had just returned to her own office and barely settled in when Don walked in.

He gave a symbolic knock on the door, "Sophia, there's a new project. Cjoin the discussion, will you?"

Sophia nodded, "Alright."

She grabbed her pen and notebook from the desk and got ready to follow him out.

Marian, sitting in the outer office right by Sophia's door, had overheard the entire exchange. As Sophia emerged, Marian quickly

picked up her pen and paper, stood up, and said to Don, "Mr. Dempsey, | should ctoo, right?"

Don put his hand up to stop her, "No need, Director Yearwood's got it."

"But I'm not busy right now," Marian still wanted to join, "Customer needs are varied, and everyone interprets them differently. An

extra person could offer more insight and reduce the chance of going off track."

She was eager to follow but was stopped again.

"It's fine, Director Yearwood’s got plenty of experience. We won't stray off course," Don stopped her again, all smiles like the nice

guy he is, "If you're not busy, why not dig into sof the recent successful domestic work and get a feel for what our people

want?"

He hinted gently.

Marian had it easy at hand was sent to study abroad in Ephemora during her high school years.

Her education and thoughts were quite foreignized, and so was her aesthetic.

Maybe because she'd never worked before and had always been the apple of her family's eye, she had a bit of a lone-wolf attitude

at work.

Those who liked her thought she was genuine, while others found her unruly.

Don was also a bit troubled by her way of doing things. Between the filter of childhood and the requests to look after her, he

couldn't say too much.

Luckily, even though Marian was unruly, after being stopped twice, she pouted, "Alright."

But she didn't miss the chance to complain to him, "Mr. Dempsey, | did graduate from a top university, you know. Givesome

real work to do, or else coming here just feels like showing up for a paycheck. It's no fun."

Augus, who was a classic example of someone who couldn't stand her, overheard her complaint and couldn't help but smirk at her,

"Oh, coff it. Like you haven't had enough work? Every tyou just end up ticking off the clients."

Marian rolled her eyes at him, "Augus, do you have a problem with me? Is it my fault? I've made all the changes they asked for and

they're still not happy. Clearly, it's their taste that's off, not mine."

Augus retorted, "As quirky as they may be, they're your bread and butter."

As the two were about to start bickering, Don stepped in, "Alright, get back to work."

With that, he was already heading out, and Sophia calmly followed.

Around the corner, Marian's puzzled voice could be heard trailing from inside, "Why did Sophia becthe Director? She's got the

sexperience as me, just a fresh grad."

Whether anyone answered her or not, Sophia didn't hear. She was already on her way to the conference room with Don.

Don clearly heard it too and chuckled to Sophia, "Marian just blurts out whatever pops into her head, no filter. Don't sweat it."

Sophia cracked a small smile, nodded, and kept mum.

Don swung the conference room door open and greeted Martin with a grin, "Hey Martin, our designer has arrived."

Martin stood up and turned around just as Sophia looked up, and their gazes locked, both taken aback for a second.

Don made the introductions.

"This is the current prez of the Frost Group, Martin. And this is our head honcho of design, Sophia, the mastermind behind the

Zenithan-style resort project.”

"The Zenithan-style resort project is your baby?"

Martin looked at Sophia with a bit of surprise.

They had only crossed paths briefly once before, and Martin didn't have any vivid memories of Sophia, just recalled her as a pretty

but delicate and quiet girl. Yet, that brief encounter had somehow stuck with him.

He remembered Sophia looking a bit off that day, kind of sickly and fragile.

Now, she hadn't exactly filled out, but she was radiating a youthful, healthy vibe, full of pep and vitality. Her eyes were still tender

and serene, but now there was a sparkle in them, not like the lifeless dullness of before.

In the sporadic visits from Daniel and Patricia, Martin had gotten an earful about their former daughter-in-law.

The Sophia they described had the innocent looks of a damsel but was shrewd, grasping, and bossy, playing the victim, stirring up

, and encouraging her family's insatiable greed, you nit. Every negative word they used slowly painted a picture in his

mind of a sly beauty with a hidden agenda.

So, he'd always had a bad taste in his mouth about Sophia, just couldn't figure out what spell she'd cast on Brandon to make him

go rogue with his family for her.

What baffled him even more was how Patricia, who had nothing good to say about the woman, could sing her praises and even

recommend her to him?

Sophia saw the flicker of emotions in his eyes but didn't know what was going through his head. However, from the scrutinizing

look, she guessed he probably had his doubts about her capabilities.

She didn't bother explaining herself and just nodded lightly, "Yep."

"Did you pull it off solo?" Martin asked.

MMMWWLIIOAIfO&L

MMMWWLIIOAIfO&L

mmMwWLHIOfiflO&1

MMMWWLIIOAIfO&L

mmMyWL11I01F1081

MMMWWLIIOAIfO&L

MMMWWLIIOAIfO&L

MMMWWLIIOAIfO&L

mmMwWLHIOfiflO&1

MMMWWLIIOAIfO&L

mmMyWL11I01F1081

mMMwWLIIOfiflO&1