The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 462

When Sophia got back to the hotel, she called over Cindy and Augus to catch up on what was going on.

"Mainly, we're just used to working together, and there aren't really any major issues with the construction crew—everyone's pretty dedicated. Tomas is a sentimental guy; he feels like if things can be smoothed over, we should do just that. No need to kick up a fuss and swap out the crew, which would not only hurt feelings but also mess with the project timeline."

Augus chimed in, "Plus, the workers on the ground all have families to feed, with a lot of mouths to feed at home. They're all carrying a heavy load, counting on this job. If we just give them the boot for no good reason, it won't look great for the company or the project either."

"So are we just gonna leave it hanging without resolving anything?" Sophia asked.

"The chief engineer has asked another survey team to come in and take another look. We'll see what the situation is once they report back," Augus suggested. "These things can't be rushed. If they really can't continue, we won't need the Starlight Group to find replacements—they'll walk out on their own, saving us from giving anyone ammunition against us."

Sophia glanced at him, nodded slightly, and kept quiet, not wanting to butt in at this point.

This wasn't within her purview; she was just a designer. Whether she needed to adjust her designs to meet the construction crew's demands, or whether the crew could sort out their own construction issues and keep the project moving, wasn't her call.

All project decisions were up to the chief engineer.

Cindy couldn't help but murmur on the side, "But it's not like the company's trying to replace anyone right now. Aren't they the ones threatening to strike? Why coddle them? If it were up to me, I'd just cut them loose and save ourselves the headache. If they can't cut it, bring in someone who can."

Augus turned to Cindy and said, "What if the new crew can't solve the problem either?"

Cindy was at a loss for words.

"So let's wait for the survey results before we jump the gun," Augus continued. "We can't just swap out the crew right off the bat. We all have it tough, and since we're all in the same boat, we've gotta give each other some slack—gotta keep things friendly for future run-ins, you know?"

Cindy glanced at him, feeling like she should argue, but not quite sure what to say.

"Let's wait and see what the chief engineer and Tomas work out. We don't have the authority to make those calls," Sophia interjected, stopping the back-and-forth. "I'll have a chat with the chief engineer once he's back in a couple of days."

"Alright."

"Okay."

She hadn't had a moment to rest since packing up at home that afternoon.

It had been go, go, go all afternoon, and now she finally had a moment to check her phone.

Theresa hadn't reached out, maybe continuing the habit from when Sophia was back home dealing with the time difference, which made it hard for Theresa to get in touch, so she usually waited for Sophia to contact her.

Or perhaps Theresa was just having such a blast with Brandon that she temporarily forgot the discomfort of her mom not being around.

Sophia stared at her phone screen, debating whether to send a video message to Grace.

Brandon would certainly be home at this hour.

Maybe it was the relatively silent coexistence with Brandon these past few days that made her feel awkward about facing him now, as if she had a case of stage fright on approaching home turf.