The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 21

She eyed Brandon cautiously, trying to gauge his mood. "Who’s that?"

"Sophia," he said, his handsome face composed, not bothering with any fake pleasantries.

Susan frowned. "You looking for her for something?"

Brandon didn't answer, just looked at her, repeating his question: "Where is she?"

Susan shook her head quickly. "I don't know."

Afraid that Brandon might not believe her, she quickly added, "I really don't know. She just went that way, we haven't been in touch, I really don't know her address." Susan continued, "you've got phones and WhatsApp, right? If you wanna find her, just shoot her a message."

But as soon as the words left her mouth, she saw Brandon's expression go blank again.

He didn't say anything more, didn't even ask her to delete the photo, just gave her a look and turned to leave.

Susan didn't know what did she do wrong, but watching his cold silhouette, she couldn't help but call out, "Brandon."

Brandon stopped in his tracks but didn't turn around.

Susan, still looking at his back, asked, "You looking for Sophia for something?"

"Nothing."

"You've seen her messages too. If it's nothing, then don't bother her anymore, okay? You've both chosen to let bygones be bygones, so just leave it at that."

Brandon didn't respond.

Susan saw his deep-set side profile tighten slightly, a bit cold, but he said nothing, neither good nor bad, just walked away, his figure distant and chilly.

Susan was clueless about what Brandon was thinking and worried that her words might have blown a potential contract too, but since Sophia said she didn't want to know about Brandon's whereabouts, she blocked any messages that came through for Sophia.

She thought this deal was going to fall through too, but to her surprise, two days later, Kent suddenly informed her that Starlight Hotel had agreed to come on board, telling her to start preparing the contract.

The surprise was so unexpected, Susan thought she was dreaming and couldn't help but confirm with Kent over and over, "Mr. Crawley really greenlit this project?"

"Or what?" Kent, losing patience with the repeated confirmations, said, "You think I've got nothing better to do?"

"No, no, it's not that. I just want to double-check," Susan quickly appeased, not wanting to annoy the big shot, and couldn't help but probe further, "Didn't Mr. Crawley say before that it needed to go through the investment department for evaluation? Did it pass the review?"

"Mr. Crawley made the call himself, no need for the investment department."

"Hold on." Susan paused, "If Mr. Crawley can make the call himself, why did we have to go through that process before?"

"How should I know?" Kent was just as confused. If Brandon could make the decision himself, why bother with the process?

Kent, taken aback, caught the file Brandon threw over. There were two reports—one was a financial statement and work report from the Ephemoran branch of Starlight Hotel, which seemed fine. The other was a more detailed report from a third-party perspective, complete with photos of work at important meetings and events.

Comparing the two, Darcy was prominently in the group photos from the Ephemoran branch, always front and center. But in the unknown report, Darcy was nowhere to be found in any of the actual work scenes, whether he just happened to be absent or wasn't there at all.

Kent didn't know where the second report came from—whether Brandon had heard something beforehand and arranged for an investigation, whether it was a whistleblower, or if someone was plotting to replace Darcy.

After running through various speculations in his mind, Kent looked cautiously at Brandon: "Mr. Crawley, is there a problem with Mr. Darcy?"

"I don't know." Brandon said, reaching for the file in Kent's hand, flipping through it casually, then closing it and tossing it aside as he stood up. "Book me a flight to Wye City."

Kent hesitated, "Mr. Crawley, you're going to investigate in person?"

The thought alone made Kent feel like something was off. Starlight Group was a behemoth, and although Starlight Hotel was a brand Brandon had personally brought to life, it had been on the right track for some time now. The operations were stable, growth was steady and on the rise, and Brandon had already established a comprehensive management system. There was no need for him to micromanage anymore. Even if problems cropped up, there were people on hand to supervise and investigate. Brandon didn't need to swoop in personally. On the flip side, Brandon had been focusing on expanding the architectural design business lately, and the main action was still at the headquarters in Zenitha. That's where Brandon was really needed.

With this in mind, Kent couldn't help but lay it on thick, trying to persuade him, "Mr. Crawley, you don't need to go there yourself. Just send someone to check it out, will ya? The company has a whole department for investigation and oversight. Mr. Twist or Mr. Keith are old hands at this and totally trustworthy. No need to worry. Or, if you're not at ease, I can go on your behalf. The HQ here is swamped with work, and Ephemora is a trek. I'm worried you'll run yourself ragged flying back and forth."

"I have my reasons," Brandon said, paying no mind to Kent's heartfelt advice and already refocusing on his computer, fingers dancing swiftly across the keyboard, "Just book the flight!"

Kent, frowning, tried to continue persuading him, but Brandon suddenly turned his head and shot him a look that carried a silent warning of "Cut the crap." Kent was startled into alertness and belatedly remembered something—Sophia was in Wye City too!

Suppressing his bubbling suspicions, he looked at Brandon, and their gazes accidentally met. Kent recoiled as if shocked and quickly averted his eyes, obediently responding, "Alright, I'll get on it right away."