The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 20

Susan froze for a second when she got the message, then it hit her like a ton of bricks that sending that pic to Sophia was a no-go. She had already chosen to study abroad to dodge any news about Brandon, giving herself some breathing room to gradually get over everything to do with him. Yet, here she was, unknowingly stirring the pot.

[Alright.] she shot back a quick reply to Sophia, keeping it short and sweet. Being as tight as thieves, she knew Sophia wasn't ticked off and didn't need an apology- a simple chat would do the trick.

Sophia replied with an emoji smile just as fast, no long-winded message, but it was an unspoken agreement to let sleeping dogs lie.

Susan couldn't help but smile back at Sophia's emoji, zoning out while staring at her phone screen until a shadow seemed to fall over it.

On autopilot, she looked up and was caught off guard by Brandon standing right in front of her.

Brandon stood there, his tall frame and his chilly vibe instantly making her feel like she was in the hot seat.

She flashed an awkward grin. "What are you doing here?"

Brandon didn't say a word, just reached out his hand. "Give it to me."

"Huh?" Susan was puzzled. "Give you what?"

"The photo. The one you just snapped." Brandon clarified.

Susan was in silence.

Brandon didn't rush her, just watched her calmly and patiently, his hand still outstretched. Despite not being pushy, the bottomless calm in his eyes put Susan under a ton of pressure. As if on autopilot, her hand holding the phone hesitated before handing it over.

When the cool touch of the phone hit his palm, Brandon glanced at her.

"Thanks," he said, already focusing on the phone in his hand.

Brandon clicked on the photo, glanced at it, and put it away, his face still calm as he stared at Sophia's two sentences.

Susan also noticed where Brandon's gaze landed in his eyes and wanted to kick herself for handing over the phone under his intimidating look, completely forgetting to exit the chat.

She couldn't tell if Brandon was more bothered by her rant or Sophia's reply, she just couldn't read him.

"Uh, you okay?" Susan cautiously watched his expression, asking hesitantly, "I was just shooting the breeze, don't take it to heart."

As she spoke, her hand, shaky as a leaf, reached for the phone in his palm again. Before her fingertips could touch it, Brandon had already turned the phone off and tossed it back to her.

"Where is she?" he suddenly asked, his voice very cool.

Susan didn't know what to say.