The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

Don fearlessly popped the question, "Mr. Crawley, Mrs. Crawley?"

"No need."

Daniel squeezed out these words through gritted teeth, clearly fuming.

Don got the hint and didn't fan the flames any further. He just looked at the couple amidst the crowd and said to Daniel and

Patricia, "Look, I'm an outsider and really shouldn't butt into family business, but | gotta say, every dog has his day, right?

Brandon's no naive kid. He knows the score, what he wants and what he doesn't, better than anyone."

Daniel and Patricia just gave him the cold shoulder, not uttering a word.

"We all have our pros and cons," Don continued, eyeing Daniel and Patricia. "But it's easy to get trapped in our own little bubbles,

cramming people into boxes based on our preconceived notions, which eventually leads to bias and losing the ability to judge

objectively. Maybe we could try stepping out of our comfort zones and give people a fair shake, huh?"

Daniel gave him a sidelong glance, his face a mask of ice. "I've been around the block more times than you've walked to school,

kid. | don't need a lecture from you. | know exactly what she is, and what kind of circus her family is. So what if she's got some

credentials? That doesn't speak to character."

He was livid, his anger making him forget to keep his voice down. The volwas up, and Brandon, who was mingling with guests,

suddenly looked over, his expression cooling, giving Daniel a fleeting glance.

Realizing his voice had been too loud, Daniel was too late to backtrack and too proud to cover it up, so he just kept his steely face

and pretended not to notice Brandon's look.

Patricia, though feeling hard done by, still had sconcern for her stepson, Brandon. Uncertain about how much he heard of

Daniel's rant, she forced a chuckle and made excuses to Don, "Daniel hasn't been sleeping well lately, a bit on edge. The doc says

he's got a bit of an anxiety thing going on, makes him fly off the handle easily, spouting all sorts of nonsense. Don't take it to

heart."

She raised her voice a tad, deliberately or not.

Don kept up the polite smile, responding, "No worries, we've all been there. Totally get it."

But while his lips said 'understanding', whether Brandon would feel the swas out of his hands.

He couldn't help but glance over at Brandon.

Brandon's expression was calm, his gaze indifferent, a chilliness that was almost palpable.

He didn't cover to clash with Daniel, not wanting to ruin Sophia's big debut, only sparing an awkward and uneasy Patricia and

Daniel a covert look before turning his attention to Sophia.

Sophia was engaging politely with the guests, her soft, serene face adorned with a gentle smile, speaking at a measured pace,

exuding warmth and composure. It was hard to tell if she'd heard Daniel's heated words.

Brandon didn't ask, simply stayed quietly by her side, dealing with the stream of well-wishers and reporters looking for a scoop.

Though several reporters were invited, there was no designated interview session.

Sophia wasn't keen on interviews.

Brandon shielded her from reporters trying to seize the moment.

By 2 p.m., the guests and reporters gradually dispersed into the arranged buffet luncheon.

Don approached with a drink, smiling at Sophia, "Congrats, Sophia."

"Thank you, Mr. Dempsey."

Sophia returned his thanks, clinking her glass gently with his before taking a sip.

"Don't mention it, I'm the one who should be thanking you," Don said with a smile, toasting her before downing his drink.

Sophia sipped again, then turned to Brandon, her lips pursing slightly, eyes lowered in silence for a moment before looking up at

Brandon, "Brandon, lettoast to you."

Brandon looked at her, then into her eyes, "Why the sudden urge to toast?"

"Thank you." Sophia's voice paused briefly, then she continued, "for making today possible."

Brandon saw genuine gratitude in her eyes, deep and true.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Two years ago, | wanted to drop out," Sophia said softly, her eyelids fluttering slightly, "Thank you for not pushingback then."

"And when | wanted to give up on this project," she added, pausing again before looking at him, "thank you for givingthat

nudge."

Brandon remained silent, just looking at her.

Don laughed, "Why all the formality all of a sudden? Feels kinda weird."

Sophia smiled a little and then turned to Brandon, "Also, | owe you an apology. | said sreally harsh things to you before, and

I'm sorry."

With that, she raised her glass to him and tilted her head back to finish it in one go, but Brandon quickly took the glass from her

hand.

"Don't drink anymore."

He said, then placed her glass on a passing waiter's tray.

Sophia chuckled, "Maybe I'll toast with juice instead."

As she reached for a juice, Brandon took it away again.

"You're tired, go rest in the lounge for a bit." With that, Brandon turned and called out, "Kent."

Kent, busy attending to guests, excused himself and cover, "Mr. Crawley, what's up?"

Brandon's gaze was still on Sophia, "Ms. Yearwood's tired. Take her to the lounge to rest, will you?"

Kent gave him a curious look but nodded, "Sure thing."

Then turned to Sophia, "Ms. Yearwood, would you like to go rest a bit?"

Sophia nodded, "Yes, thank you, Kent."

Then looking at Brandon, she added, "I'll go rest then."

She bid Don farewell and left with Kent.

Brandon held his drink, watching Sophia walk away, his handsface impassive, his eyes eerily calm.

Don hadn't noticed, but he couldn't help but watch Sophia's retreating figure and sighed, "Work's been crazy at the company

lately, and Sophia's really been burning the candle at both ends. She looks pretty worn out. Just yesterday she hitup for some

toff, wanted to take a long break to recharge her batteries."

Brandon looked at him, "She wants to take a long break?"

"Yep," Don nodded.

Brandon asked, "Starting when?"

"Tomorrow," Don replied. "But you know how swamped we are at the office right now? If | green-light her leave, we'll have a pile-up

of work, and we might miss sdeadlines with the clients. On the flip side, denying her request would makelook like a

heartless jerk. | was really racking my brain about it this morning, and then Sophia cup to me, especially to say she's decided

not to take the leave after all. She's really considerate, you know."

"Is that so?"

Brandon responded nonchalantly, the corner of his mouth seemed to twitch, but Don didn't catch it clearly. When he looked again,

Brandon had already turned his gaze towards the direction Sophia had left, idly swirling his drink, his expression and eyes

unreadable, so subdued that Don couldn't make heads or tails of it.

Don and Brandon had been close friends for over twenty years, but he had to admit, this version of Brandon was beyond his

understanding.

"What's up?" he asked.

Brandon gave him a brief glance.

"Nothing."

Even his voice was indifferent.

As his words trailed off, he casually set his glass with a "thud" on the tray of a passing waiter.

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