The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate (Brandon and Sophia) novel Chapter 732

Sophia felt a sudden wave of awkwardness.

The realization that she and Brandon weren’t actually married triggered an instinctive urge to keep her distance.

“I’m sorry, I just…”

She started to explain, but the words got tangled on her tongue. All she could manage was an uneasy smile. “There are so many people watching.”

Brandon glanced at her and offered a faint smile, but didn’t say anything.

Before long, a guest spotted Brandon and made a beeline over to greet him. Brandon returned the greeting with polite warmth.

Seeing someone successfully strike up a conversation, others quickly gathered around, forming a little social circle.

Sophia could tell from the way everyone addressed each other that these were all influential figures in the local community. She kept quiet, only offering a polite smile when someone’s attention landed on her.

The greetings soon faded, and everyone’s focus shifted to the little girl in Brandon’s arms.

“And who is this?” someone asked, curiosity piqued.

“My daughter, Theresa,” Brandon replied calmly.

He hadn’t even finished the sentence when the group’s jaws dropped in surprise.

“Mr. Crawley has a daughter? How come we’ve never heard about this?” The man who spoke echoed the astonishment on everyone’s faces.

Brandon just smiled, then—without warning—slipped an arm around Sophia. “And this is my wife, Sophia.”

Sophia quickly hid her surprise, glancing over at Brandon.

He looked perfectly at ease, as if he wasn’t hiding a thing.

After a second round of shock, the group recovered, now smiling as they addressed her, “Mrs. Crawley.”

All Sophia could do was return their smiles and greetings. The fact that it was everyone’s first time meeting her helped her muster her composure. Wearing the title of “Mrs. Crawley,” she carried herself gracefully, greeting the group with poise and giving no sign of nerves or embarrassment.

Her easy confidence and obvious intelligence caught some of the guests off guard. Someone even teased Brandon, half-joking, “You really kept Sophia a secret, didn’t you? Didn’t want to share her with the rest of us?”

Brandon just smiled, letting the comment pass.

Soon, the conversation drifted naturally back to business.

This wasn’t a topic Sophia could contribute to, so she stood quietly to the side, observing.

Brandon still held her hand, not letting go. Though he smiled at the people he spoke with, there was a distracted edge to his expression.

Sophia, too, found her mind wandering. She smiled and listened, but her eyes drifted across the room—and that’s when she spotted Susan, just coming in through the entrance.

Kent was greeting guests by the door as usual and noticed Susan as well, but after a brief glance in her direction, he smoothly shifted his focus back to his guests, his smile never faltering.

Susan, for her part, acted as if she hadn’t seen him. She walked past Kent, her expression pleasant, scanning the room as if searching for someone.

Sophia turned to the group chatting with Brandon and said apologetically, “Excuse me, I need to go say hello to a friend. Please, carry on.”

As she spoke, she reached for Theresa, gently taking her from Brandon. She leaned in, murmuring quietly, “Susan just arrived. I’ll go greet her—you stay and chat.”

Brandon glanced at Susan, who was still looking around, then nodded and reminded her softly, “Don’t wander off too far.”

“I won’t,” Sophia assured him.

The calmness in Sophia’s eyes made it clear—Brandon hadn’t told her this.

“Why are you asking me this all of a sudden?” Susan asked anxiously. “Who told you that?”

“I just want to know if it’s true,” Sophia said softly.

Susan fumbled for words. She’d watched Sophia and Brandon’s relationship thaw; the last thing she wanted was for this conversation to set them back to square one.

“Who said that to you?” Susan tried to turn the question around, eager to know who’d been gossiping to Sophia.

“I can make up my own mind, Susan. Don’t worry about what other people tell me,” Sophia said. “I just need to know if it’s true.”

Susan turned to Theresa. “Sweetheart, who was Mommy talking to just now?”

Theresa perked up, her big eyes scanning the crowd before she quickly pointed at someone’s retreating figure. “That lady over there.”

Following her finger, Susan’s face darkened. “Hannah?”

“She’s got a screw loose!” Susan nearly put Theresa down in her irritation. “Don’t pay any attention to her. She’s just a troublemaker.”

Sophia nodded gently, saying nothing more.

Meanwhile, Brandon’s gaze had followed Sophia ever since she walked off with Theresa. Only after seeing her and Susan settle in the lounge did he finally look away.

“Excuse me, I have something to take care of. Please, continue without me,” he said apologetically to the guests, then slipped away.

He headed straight to the control room backstage, where a bank of monitors displayed live feeds from every corner and angle of the venue.