The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 535

"You gotta find a way to stop Brandon from digging deeper," Dennis said.

Marian looked at him in disbelief, "How on earth am I supposed to stop Brandon? I'm nothing to him; why would he ever listen to me?"

"Why not? You're the daughter of the Frost family. The Frosts and the Crawleys are both blue-blooded families with tight bonds. You and Brandon were childhood sweethearts, heck, didn't he look for you for like nearly two decades? His folks are fond of you too. These are all cards in your hand, you gotta play them."

Dennis couldn't help but grab Marian's arm; leaning in to lock eyes with her, he slowly said, "Marian, your dad's raised you for twenty years, never expected anything in return, never wanted to mess with your happiness. So even after you recognized the Frost family these past years, I never thought about using you to get back at Brandon. But this time, I'm truly out of options; only you can help me now."

"I can't, Dad. I just can't."

Marian stepped back in panic, trying to shake off Dennis' grip, but she couldn't budge him. Dennis kept pressing, insisting she help him.

This was supposed to be a foolproof part of his plan.

Jerry would shove the man into the foundation pillar, and right on his heels, the news was leaked by someone Jerry asked. The project was officially under Brandon's name, and he was bound to take the fall for this mess, dragging the Starlight Group's rep through the mud. The company's image would plummet.

Without Brandon to steady the Starlight ship, coupled with the media onslaught, it was sure to flounder, and then he could swoop in for the kill.

He'd waited two years for a golden opportunity like this. It was rare for any project under Brandon's direct oversight to hit a snag, and he hadn't seen this curveball coming.

Last night, because of signal jammers at the construction site, everyone inside was cut off from the world. He had someone watching every move through binoculars from a distance, waiting for someone to fall into the river before stirring up the media frenzy with a hefty sum. Little did he know it wasn't the homeless guy who fell.

It was too dark, too rainy, and too far to see clearly who took the plunge. All he knew was someone did, right on cue according to their plan, so he didn't think twice. He jumped on the chance to stir the pot before the Starlight PR team could wake up to manage the crisis, never guessing it would be the lead architect who'd end up in the drink.

By the time he realized things had gone south, it was too late to squash the story.

Now he was in a real pickle, not only failing to get Brandon behind bars but also risking blowing his own cover.

Dennis knew what Brandon was capable of; he had crossed swords with him before. As long as Brandon stayed out, he could be on Dennis' trail at any moment. He was seriously on edge.

Watching Dennis squirm like an ant on a hot pan, Marian finally let out a sigh, her demeanor softened.

"Dad, did you personally get in touch with Jerry?" Marian asked.

Dennis nodded relentlessly, swayed by her words, "You're right. I was just panicking and didn't think it through."

Marian bobbed her head, not saying much, just seriously reminding him, "You've got to solve this with cash; don't be stingy. As long as it doesn't get legal, Brandon can't touch Gordon. So when it's time to be generous, don't pinch pennies."

Dennis nodded vigorously, "Got it."

Marian glanced at her watch, "I gotta go. Wasn't at the office today; can't give people anything to talk about."

With that, she turned to leave. At the door, she paused, and looked back at Dennis, "Dad, remember, I know nothing about this."

Dennis figured she was just scared of getting dragged down with everything, and he didn't want Marian to get caught up in the mess either, so he quickly nodded and said, "I got it, my lips are sealed. Won't spill the beans to anyone."

Marian breathed a sigh of relief and took off. She hit the road solo to Zion City.

She had said she'd go to Zion City with Don and they both headed out together, but since she didn't return to the office, she really had to show face in Zion City. If she didn't, and they traced it back to her, she'd have a tough time explaining her whereabouts.