The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

Brandon was in the office when he got the message. He'd just finished lunch and was gearing up to swing by the hospital to pick

up Daniel, who was getting discharged.

As a notification popped up, he glanced at his phone, his gaze lingering on the words "Thank you" before grabbing the device to

text Sophia back, "Awake?"

"Mm-hmm," Sophia's response cback quick.

"Have you eaten?" He asked.

Sophia replied, "Not yet, about to."

Brandon texted, "Food's on the table, zap it in the microwave if it's gone cold."

Sophia sent, "Okay."

Brandon's lips curved into a silent smile, and then he put away the phone and didn't text back.

Setting his phone aside, he looked up at Kent, who was stealthily watching him, and cleared his throat. Kent snapped back to

reality.

"Mr. Crawley."

He addressed him with utter respect, "Did you need something?"

Brandon had just called him into the office when the text cin, and Kent was still in the dark about why he was summoned so

suddenly in the middle of the day.

"I need a few bottles of the strong stuff," Brandon said, "the kind with a kick."

"Now?" Kent asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty, nearly yelping in surprise.

Brandon nodded, "Yeah, now. ASAP."

Kent, brows furrowed in confusion, "What do you need booze for right now?"

Brandon uttered, "To drink."

Kent hesitated, looking at Brandon, "You wanna drink now?"

Brandon shot him a glance, "Just get it ready. And make it snappy!"

"Uh, okay."

Kent, still puzzled, had someone bring over a few bottles of high-proof spirits. No sooner had the bottles touched the desk than

Brandon picked one up, eyeing it thoughtfully before unscrewing the cap, tilting it back, and downing half the bottle in one go. Kent

rushed forward to stop him.

"Mr. Crawley, what are you doing?"

"Stay out of it," Brandon said, his voice calm, not quite matching the demeanor of someone trying to drown his sorrows in booze,

but his drinking style was decisively no-nonsense.

Kent was baffled by Brandon. He knew there had been stension between him and Sophia recently, which could justify a bit of

sorrow-drowning.

But Brandon was always about keeping work and personal life separate. He wouldn't bring personal woes into the office, especially

not during work hours, and he rarely did so even in his own time.

But Brandon didn't give him any tto speculate.

"You can go now," he said in a flat tone, reaching for another bottle.

Kent hesitated but didn't dare disobey.

"Take care of yourself." Kent finally said with concern, "Callif you need anything."

"Okay." Brandon replied indifferently, "Close the door behind you."

"Sure thing."

Kent did as told and returned to his seat, still feeling uneasy, wondering what to do next when Yvonne approached.

"Kent, is my brother in there?"

She asked directly, already glancing at the firmly shut office door, "Dad's getting discharged today, and I'm going to join my

brother to pick him up."

If this had been any other time, Kent would've just said Brandon was in. But now.

With the image of Brandon drowning his sorrows in his office in mind, an image that could damage his reputation for integrity, Kent

hesitated for a moment.

Yvonne picked up on his hesitation, "What's up?"

Kent glanced towards Brandon's office, and then, thinking that perhaps his sister could talk ssense into him, he whispered to

her, "You should go talk to Mr. Crawley. He's been having strouble with Ms. Yearwood lately, and he's been pretty down."

Yvonne's relaxed expression immediately turned serious.

Sophia had texted her the night before saying everything was fine, so she hadn't cover to check. Now, seeing Kent's

reluctance, Yvonne felt her heart sink.

She pushed the office door open. The strong scent of alcohol hit her as soon as she entered.

Instinctively, Yvonne covered her nose and looked incredulously at Brandon, who was propping his chin with one hand at his desk,

his brows furrowed, eyes half-closed, looking rather defeated and pained, surrounded by bottles strewn across the desk.

This was a side of Brandon that Yvonne had never seen before.

Brandon was always clear-headed, extremely rational. Now, he looked utterly trapped by emotion, self-destructive.

Yvonne felt a sudden pang of sadness. She couldn't fathom how Brandon had gotten to this state.

Her sorrowful gaze shifted to Kent, who was equally baffled, having left Brandon in control and composed just before closing the

door. How had he changed so tically in such a short time?

"Brandon." Yvonne hesitated before calling out to him.

Brandon grunted in acknowledgment without looking up and belched, an act he had always despised.

Yvonne couldn't understand how he had becthe very thing he loathed. The only explanation she could think of was what Kent

had just mentioned: that Brandon and Sophia were having issues, which confirmed her suspicions from the day before.

Feeling even more heartbroken, and not wanting to believe that her usually admired big brother could be reduced to such a state

by love, she lifted her phone, snapped a photo, and sent it to Daniel.

Daniel texted back swiftly, "What's going on?"

Yvonne replied, "Brandon's gotten smashed in the office."

Then she went on, "It's because of Sophia that he's like this."

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