The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 593

"Yeah, I'm in the living room," Grace said as she ushered her guest inside.

Brandon was busy building blocks with Theresa when he noticed Kent walking in. He looked up and asked, "Did you finish checking the surveillance footage with Mr. Ferber?"

Kent nodded.

"What's he looking for?" Brandon inquired.

"A girl," Kent replied.

Brandon's brow furrowed slightly as he waited for Kent to continue.

"The person was wearing a uniform from one of our company's branches, so Mr. Ferber is hoping the company can help track down her details."

Kent handed his phone to Brandon as he spoke, showing a photo of the girl Harvey Ferber was looking for.

But the mall was so crowded, they couldn't get a clear shot of the girl's face—just a vague impression of a young lady with a fresh and elegant vibe.

"What's her name?" Brandon asked.

"They didn't say," Kent answered. "Mr. Ferber mentioned she wasn't using her real identity info, so mentioning it would be pointless."

"So he expects you to go on a wild goose chase across the entire company with just this surveillance snap?" Brandon questioned.

Kent nodded. "That's the gist of it."

"That's a real pain in the neck," Brandon said as he stood up and looked at Kent. "You agreed to that?"

Kent shook his head. "I didn't commit to anything specific, just said I'd do my best."

And 'doing my best' could mean a whole lot or very little—plenty of wiggle room there.

Harvey Ferber would surely get the hint.

Basically, it boils down to this: since Harvey's asking for a favor, the ball's in their court to decide how much they want to help out.

To be more precise, it's like dragging a stalled negotiation back to the table.

"What did Mr. Ferber say?" Brandon asked with a casual air, not particularly concerned with Harvey's response.

The docks were under his control, which meant they held all the cards, the upper hand.

"He said if Mr. Crawley could help find the girl in the photo, he'd owe him big time—a real whopper of a surprise," Kent relayed Ferber's exact words to Brandon.

Brandon shot him a look. "What kind of surprise could he possibly have up his sleeve?"

Kent shook his head. "Mr. Ferber didn't specify."

Brandon frowned slightly.

Kent then passed another document to Brandon, moving on to the next topic. "Oh, by the way, President Poe from West District High contacted me today. You know the school's planning to build a new science hall, but funds are tight. President Poe is hoping you could chip in as a distinguished alumnus."

As Kent explained, he handed over the papers. "President Poe isn't asking for Starlight Group to foot the entire bill, but to lend the company's construction team. That way, they can guarantee the quality and hopefully shave some costs to keep the budget on track. In return, they'd name the science hall after you and make a special mention of your contribution in all the publicity."

"Why didn't he contact me directly? Instead, he went to you?" Brandon asked as he took the proposal and skimmed it briefly, noticing the absence of design blueprints. "No design plans either?"

"Not yet," Kent said. "President Poe originally wanted to meet with you directly, but since you weren't a student during his tenure, he thought it might be too forward."

Kent could understand President Poe's hesitation.

"Keep the naming rights," Brandon decided. "Donate and build the science hall in Sophia's name, fully funded by Starlight Group."

Kent gave him a surprised glance but nodded in agreement. "Alright, I'll set that up."

Brandon nodded without another word, already turning towards Theresa.

Theresa, having caught the name "Sophia," was staring at Brandon with wide, puzzled eyes.

Seeing Brandon looking back at her, she couldn't help but ask, "Dad, were you guys talking about Mom?"

Her young mind couldn't quite grasp the full gist of the conversation between Brandon and Kent, but she definitely recognized her mom's name.

Brandon nodded, "Yeah."

"What about Mom?" Theresa asked, a mix of confusion and anticipation in her voice.

It had been a long time since she and Brandon had brought up her mom.

"Just talking about Mom's school," Brandon said.

"Where's Mom's school?" Theresa asked, her eyes still sparkling with hope. This was the first she'd heard of her mom's school.

"It's right next to the mall where we bought the New Year paintings today," Brandon explained, trying to paint her a picture, "You know, that really pretty place that doesn't quite look like the other buildings and has a big campus."

"Can I go see it?" Theresa asked eagerly, "I've never been to Mom's school."

"Of course," Brandon said, gently stroking her hair, "Daddy will take you there another day."

"Okay!" The little girl's face lit up with joy at the promise.