The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

Brandon glanced over at him, "Seems like you've got her all figured out. You've only been her boss for a few years, yet you've got a

real handle on her temperament,” Brandon observed, eyeing him sideways. "How cyou never spill the beans about what

makestick?"

Don fell silent for a while.

"It's not like that." he finally found his voice, "I'm just giving you a heads-up, buddy. Which part of what | said got under your skin?"

"Nope," Brandon replied coolly, still sizing him up. "I'm trying to figure out whether you're worrying aboutor that you're scared

your hard-won talent is gonna slip through your fingers again?"

Don didn't say anything.

Brandon said, "The way | see it, you seem scared of her bailing, rushing over to use my hand to keep her on board, huh?"

Don let out a sigh, draping his arm over Brandon's shoulder again, "Now | get why Sophia's so set on not having you. Living with

you must mean learning to stay under the radar and picking up scounter-surveillance skills along the way."

At that, Brandon's lips curled slightly, but his eyes weren't smiling.

"She doesn’t need to learn. Her counter-surveillance gis way stronger than mine."

Don watched his expression change, "Trouble in paradise?”

"No."

Brandon shrugged him off, stood up, and headed for the master bedroom.

"Remember to close the door on your way out."

His reminder echoed in the living room as he walked away.

Don was still hung up on his issue and dropped the pretense, stepping forward to remind him, "Just keep an eye on Sophia's

situation, will you?"

"That's not really your job as the boss to worry about." Brandon replied slowly.

"She's part of my crew, and her stability affects the company's bottom line."

"Then keep a close watch, don't let her slip away right under your nose."

As Brandon spoke, he entered the bedroom, glanced back at Don still gawking at him, and couldn't help but return the look,

"Alright, | know my own business, don’t go all Kent on me, fussing over things you shouldn't."

"Kent is just worry about you might kick the bucket. Where can he find another cushy job with a such a loaded boss like you?" Don

retorted, "You think we love sticking our noses into your mess? With great effort, | got Sophia on board, dragged her all the way

back home, and now she’s caught up in your family’s mess. | have no idea what kind of bad karma we racked up in our past lives."

"Who knows," Brandon said dryly.

"If you two are that self-aware, then just chill and start paying off that debt," Brandon said, turning to face him, "And make sure

you close the front door."

With that, he softly closed the master bedroom door with a "bang."

Don couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle. Turning around, he saw the freshly poured drink on the table, walked over,

picked it up intending to drink, but hesitated as he brought it to his lips, still mindful of the drive hlater.

His place was just a short three to five-minute drive from the Crawley family's residence, and that was why, hearing about

Brandon's fit of rage over a damsel in distress tonight, he couldn't contain his curiosity and specifically cover to find out what

was really going on.

This behavior wasn't typical of the Brandon he knew.

Of course, he had his own ulterior motives, worried that Sophia would be chased away by Brandon's parents.

He feared they would take out their frustration on Sophia.

Daniel and Patricia had always had it too easy, never facing hardships. They were stubborn, the type to never back down unless

they hit a wall, and even then, they'd try to break through it. Don was concerned they might secretly give Sophia trouble, driving

her away.

Sophia was a talent he'd discovered with much difficulty, capable and with the potential to win awards. He'd always had high

hopes for her; she was just one publicly unveiled project away from making a nfor herself, and all of that was already on track.

Don wanted to leverage Sophia's personal brand to elevate the company's image. She was the company's most promising asset,

so before she made her big breakthrough, Don hoped she would stay with the firm, known and recognized as a Star-Dempsey

Architects designer, rather than letting a competitor benefit from her fame.

Between him and Sophia, it was meant to be a mutually beneficial relationship.

Brandon had no clue when Don left.

When he cout of the shower, Don was gone, the door was indeed closed, and the drink untouched.

His absence made the already quiet house feel even emptier.

Two years post-divorce, Brandon had slowly grown accustomed to the silence and emptiness.

But tonight, it just didn't sit right.

He called Kent, asking him to find two bodyguards for Daniel and Patricia.

"Huh?" Kent was puzzled on the other end, "They don't need bodyguards, do they?"

Who would bother kidnapping two old folks without real power, money, or a good relationship with their influential son?

"I didn't ask you to protect them."

Kent frowned, "Then why get bodyguards?"

"Can't | get them to protect someone else?"

Kent was speechless.

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