The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 18

Sophia was in the know about the whole Susan versus Hannah saga and could hear Susan sounding like she hit rock bottom over the phone. She quickly tried to cheer her up. "She's probably in the Market Development Department, but I might be wrong, and even if she is there, it doesn't mean she'll be the one dealing with you. Don't sweat it. Just wanted to give you a heads-up."

Still bummed, Susan said, "I bet my bottom dollar it's her. When I called, they told me to ask for Ms. Abbott. With so many Abbotts in the world, I never imagined it would be Hannah."

"It won't matter even if it is her, trust me," Sophia reassured her. "I've scoped out your business district and kept tabs on the local policies and investment opportunities. That place is set to become the new urban CBD, no doubt about it. If you can get the project to Brandon, you’ve got it in the bag. The guy’s got an eye for this stuff."

Susan's eyes lit up. "For real?"

"For real," Sophia nodded. "The tricky part is getting the project in front of Brandon. He's not one for backdoor deals, so he might not even look at it if you just hand it over. But his company’s pretty clear-cut about who does what, and it's tough to jump the chain of command. So if your contact turns out to be Hannah and she shoots you down, my advice is to hit up Kent. He's technically Brandon's assistant, but he's basically the second in command. The guy's got major clout and he's cut from the same cloth as Brandon—fair and square. If your pitch rocks, you’re golden."

"Kent?" Susan didn't recognize the name, no bells ringing.

Sophia said, "I'll shoot you a pic later. Brandon's a junkie for the fresh brews at the coffee shop downstairs. The man never skips his midday caffeine fix, doesn't even pause for a break. Kent usually heads down to grab his coffee around noon. You could try bumping into him 'accidentally on purpose,' maybe drop some paperwork or something."

Susan looked thoughtful. "You sure know a lot about Brandon’s routines, even his office habits."

Sophia fell silent.

Susan said, "Alright, I'll stop teasing. Go get some rest, you can't be burning the midnight oil when you're pregnant. I'll head to the office and see what's what."

"Okay," Sophia nodded. "Take care of yourself. Don't overdo it, and don't worry about keeping me company. I've got this handled."

Susan threw an "OK" sign and hung up, her demeanor shifting from the casual vibe with Sophia to serious business mode. She put on her makeup with care and left for Starlight Group.

Just as Sophia had guessed, the business development manager Susan had to deal with was indeed Hannah.

When Hannah saw Susan, she was visibly taken aback, not expecting her to be the one showing up.

"Hey, long time no see," Susan said, mustering a smile, but it felt awkward no matter how she tried.

Hannah gave her a cool once-over and cut straight to the chase. "We both know what's what, no need to make things hard on yourself."

Talk about no sugarcoating.

Susan dropped the smile. "You haven't changed a bit over the years."

Hannah said, "Takes one to know one."

As they sat down across from each other, Hannah reached out. "Let's see the proposal. If it's good, we'll talk. If not, let's not waste each other's time."

Susan handed it over without any fuss.

Hannah gave the documents a cursory glance and handed them back. "Sorry, but your company's area is uncertain right now. We need to think about ROI, and we're not entertaining this sort of thing at the moment."

Just like Sophia predicted.

Susan didn't bother lingering. "Thanks."

She stood to leave, but Hannah stopped her. "Wait."

Susan turned. "Something else?"

"Just thought you'd beg a little, given how much effort went into your proposal," Hannah commented, eyeing the documents in her hand.

Susan forced a grin. "So, is this personal for you?"

"Not really," Hannah replied bluntly. "I'm just not sold on your business district. I don't see it pulling in crowds. The country's littered with these so-called 'new areas,' but how many actually take off?"

Susan sized her up. "With that vision of yours, I'm surprised you're not some corporate spy sent to tank Brandon's company."

"I'm not that capable," Hannah shrugged.

Susan found some humor in the situation. "Guess not. But seriously, how'd you land a job at the Starlight Group? I heard it's tough to get in."

Hannah gave her a look. "Guess I'm just that good."

Susan cracked a wry smile. "I thought with your business acumen, you must've gotten in through the back door."

Hannah's gaze sharpened. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Susan laid it out. "You're not here thanks to Brandon?"

"What's it to you?"

"Plenty," Susan said, her smile fading as she locked eyes with Hannah. "It affects the happiness of a good friend of mine. So, does it matter?"

Hannah frowned. "Sophia?"

"Yeah," Susan nodded. "Didn't you know? They've been married for two years."

She saw Hannah's momentary shock.

Susan couldn't tell if Hannah's surprise was simply because Brandon and Sophia were married, or that they'd been married for two years, or maybe, just maybe, that Brandon had been playing her?

She couldn't guess, and Hannah wasn't giving anything away.

Only then did Brandon turn to Susan.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

Susan wasn't one for making a scene, and at the sound of Brandon's deep, polite apology, she felt a bit embarrassed.

"No harm done, it was my fault."

Muttering that, she bent down to pick up her papers.

Brandon beat her to it, picked them up without a glance, and handed them back to her. "Sorry."

Taking them back, Susan looked at him. "Come on, we're all old classmates, no need to be so formal, right?"

Brandon gave a half-smile as a response, not taking her bait, still wearing that distant, cold demeanor he was known for.

Susan chuckled, "You really treat everyone the same, huh? Don't tell me you're like this with Sophia too."

As soon as she said it, she could sense Brandon's aura turn a shade colder.

Kent behind him was blinking furiously at Susan, signaling her to drop the subject of Sophia.

Confused, Susan glanced at him and then remembered the proposal in her hand. She'd already bumped into them, might as well seize the opportunity. "Oh, right, I'm the Market Development Manager at Celestial Synergy. We're sincerely inviting your hotel brand to join our shopping district. Mr. Crawley, take a look, will you? Our place is really well-suited for a hotel."

"This project isn't my responsibility," Brandon cut her off, pushing the proposal back at her, "You should try our Market Development Department. They'll weigh it."

After a brief apologetic nod, he stepped past her and walked away.

Susan pursed her lips, exhaled deeply, and mumbled to herself, "Sophia really called it."

Brandon paused mid-step, a moment of silence hanging. He turned back to look at her. "What did she say?"

Susan looked at Brandon in surprise.

Brandon stood still, waiting for her answer.

Susan snapped back to reality. "Oh, she said you hate backdoor dealings and nepotism, so going directly to you would be pointless."

Brandon gave her a look, his eyes slowly dropping to the proposal in her hands, then extended his hand towards her. "Give it to me."

Susan was stunned.