The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 26

Sophia turned around later than she should have and was momentarily stunned to see Brandon stepping out the door. Then she whispered to Susan, "Got something to take care of now, I'll hit you up later."

"Huh?" Susan, who was itching to get the scoop on Brandon, was also taken aback but quickly got her act together, "Oh, sure, take your time. Remember to take it easy."

"Will do. You too, take it easy." Sophia hung up, handed the phone back to Ivan, and then turned to face Brandon.

Brandon stood at the doorway, his tall figure outlined against the light, exuding a calm yet intense presence.

He glanced at Ivan briefly, then turned his gaze to Sophia, "Who's this guy?"

Sophia was caught off guard at first but quickly composed herself, slightly turning her body and gesturing towards Ivan as she introduced, "Oh, this is Ivan, my senior from university. He was also our instructor for half a year and now we're classmates again."

After hearing the introduction, Brandon gave her a look and then turned to Ivan, his lips barely moving as he greeted him with a cool and polite, "Hello."

Ivan returned the greeting with a "Hello" of his own and then looked at Sophia with a questioning gaze.

Only then did Sophia remember she hadn't introduced Brandon. She pointed towards him and said, "He's my..." Sophia hesitated, feeling odd about saying "ex-husband," but she managed to get it out with a stumble, "ex-husband."

Brandon frowned slightly at the title, seemingly not fond of it.

Ivan showed no surprise in his eyes and even nodded politely at Brandon as a form of greeting.

Brandon returned the gesture and refocused on Sophia, "If there's something to discuss, let's go inside. It's cold out here."

"No need," Sophia instinctively refused, noticing that Brandon didn't seem to be leaving. She couldn't help but glance at him, "By the way, there's a lecture at school later, and my senior and I need to head back. I won’t be able to entertain you. Make yourself at home."

Brandon gave her a look.

Sophia felt a strange apprehension under his gaze and her eyes drifted away, avoiding direct contact.

Just when she thought Brandon was about to say something, he simply said, "Be safe."

After that, Brandon stepped out, headed straight for the elevator, pressed the button, and got in.

As the elevator doors closed, Sophia looked up to see Brandon also looking at her, his face and eyes returning to their usual cold indifference.

Sophia watched as the elevator doors slowly shut, standing still. In the elevator, Brandon didn't move either, just calmly watching her until the doors were fully closed.

Ivan glanced at the descending elevator and then at her, "Everything okay?"

Sophia shook her head and apologized, "Sorry about that."

Ivan's mouth twitched slightly, "No worries."

He checked his watch and said, "You haven't eaten yet, right? I've just made dinner upstairs, so come up and have some, if you like."