The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 213

Ben spotted the issue too and, pointing at the computer, he demanded, "What's the deal here?"

The man mumbled quietly, "The surveillance broke on Wednesday, haven't gotten around to replacing it yet."

Ben fired back, "If it broke on Wednesday, why didn't you report it to the company? What if something serious happened?"

The man stammered, "I figured it wasn't such a big deal. Thought I could fix it myself and save the company some cash."

Ben retorted, "So you just let it slide until now? Just slacking off and snoozing on the job?"

The man made excuses, "I've been a bit swamped these last couple of days, a one or two-day delay wouldn't really make a difference."

Ben was so livid he was about to throw hands.

Brandon, with a poker face, had already turned and walked out the door.

Ben hurried after him, apologizing profusely, "Mr. Crawley, I'm really sorry about this mess. The company's poor management must've caused you some trouble."

Brandon didn't say a word, his handsome face was tight, like he was fighting to keep his cool.

Seeing Brandon like this, even Kent was a bit perplexed, but as a diligent assistant, he still managed a reassuring smile for Ben, keeping up the niceties.

Brandon whipped out his phone to try Sophia again, still no answer.

He stubbornly dialed a second and third time, but it was the same story - no response.

Kent cautiously offered his own phone, "Maybe try with mine?"

He was a bit on edge, wondering if Sophia had blocked Brandon, unsure if that's why the calls wouldn't go through.

Brandon glanced at the phone Kent handed over, grabbed it and was about to dial when Don's call came in.

Brandon picked up immediately, "Talk to me."

Don said, "Someone's checked on her, she's at home, all fine. Just a bit worn out and asleep, that's all."

Kent could clearly see a dimming in Brandon's eyes, a mix of disappointment and worry.

"Got it."

He hung up, handed back Kent's phone, then turned to Ben to thank him.

"Thanks, Mr. Evert, for your help today."

Ben shrugged it off, "No trouble at all."

Brandon managed a half smile, "I've got a plane to catch, so I won't keep you any longer. Let's catch up some other time."

Ben agreed, "Sure thing. Let's do that."

Brandon then turned and walked away, his smile fading as he did.

Kent quickly said his goodbyes to Ben and hurried after Brandon.

In a pastry shop near the mall

Sophia perched Theresa on her knee, her gaze lingering on the missed calls displayed on her phone.

She was somewhat distracted by the list of missed calls.

Ivan glanced at her phone, then at Theresa, who was focused on her bottle, and asked, "When was she born?"

"We were classmates for two years, and I didn't notice you were pregnant."

He added.

The little girl in Sophia's arms appeared to be just over a year old, so she must have been born during their student days.

Theresa's features were quite similar to Sophia's, mother and daughter sitting together were a dead giveaway.

"Back in February the year before last," Sophia said softly. "It was cold then, heavy coats and all, so my bump wasn't too obvious. By the time it was noticeable, I had her early at 35 weeks."

Ivan chuckled, "That explains it."

He couldn't help but take another look at Theresa and asked Sophia, "Doesn't Brandon know her?"

Sophia nodded slightly, remaining silent.

She'd braced herself to spill the beans when Brandon was about to check the surveillance footage.

"Brandon didn't see the surveillance," Ivan informed her.

Sophia forced a thin smile, "Thanks."

Her feelings were tangled, complex.

It was like being on death row, ready to face the sentence, and suddenly there's a reprieve, but it's just a stay of execution, not a pardon.

Sometimes she felt it would be simpler to face a swift end rather than this drawn-out torment.

At the mention of Brandon, Theresa's curiosity was piqued.

She didn't know what the name "Brandon" meant, but she couldn't help but look up with her round eyes at Ivan, then confusedly at Sophia, though she didn't ask.

Sophia soothingly stroked her hair.

Ivan looked at Theresa and then at Sophia, "Is she the reason you've been reluctant to remarry?"

Sophia replied, "Half and half, I guess."

She didn't want to dwell on the subject and changed the topic, "What brings you here?"

"Just some business."

The tension didn't let up even when the plane touched down in the West district.

After grabbing their luggage and leaving the airport, Brandon's face was still as tight as a drum, and he had a gloomy aura all around.

Kent didn't dare to peep a word and just silently accompanied Brandon as they took the elevator straight to the underground parking lot.

Brandon's car was parked in the airport's lot.

He popped the trunk, turned around to put his luggage inside, rested his hand on the lid of the trunk, paused as if deep in thought, and then hesitated.

Kent, worried, called out to him, "Mr. Crawley?"

Brandon slammed the trunk shut with a "thud."

"You head back first; I've got something to do."

With that, he walked around the front of the car, got in, started the engine, and the car sped away.

Kent was left speechless.

He couldn't fathom what Brandon could possibly have to do at this time.

Brandon drove straight to the apartment complex where Sophia lived.

He parked the car and made a beeline for her place on the fifteenth floor, the same two-bedroom apartment he had visited before.

The door was shut tight.

The newly installed peephole camera was blinking with a faint blue light.

Brandon looked emotionless at the camera for a moment and then knocked on the door.

"Knock, knock, knock."

He knocked firmly and forcefully.

As he expected, there was no one home.

Brandon didn't leave, nor did he call Sophia. He just rhythmically knocked on the door while coldly staring at the camera.

On the plane, passengers were boarding in an orderly manner.

Sophia, along with Theresa and Susan, were already seated and buckled up.

Her phone was still on, and the notification that someone was at the door still hung at the top of her screen. Through the minimized window, Sophia could tell it was Brandon.

She stared at her phone in silence for a long time before finally opening the live camera feed.

Brandon was looking straight through the camera, cold and deep in his eyes, his handsome face taut, not saying a word.