The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 481

Yvonne shot him a text back real quick, "Told ya last night, Brandon's mess has gotta be tied to my sis-in-law, but you wouldn't believe me."

"Bullshit." Daniel snapped back vulgarly, "Get your brother to pick me up. What kinda look is it for a grown man to be sloshed like that?"

Yvonne didn’t dare say more, just meekly replied with an "Okay" and pocketed her phone, glancing at Brandon who was still half-closed eyes, resting; she wanted to call out to him but didn’t have the guts to disturb or the heart to do it.

She looked over at Kent, all begging eyes, "Kent." hoping he'd step in to help.

Kent hesitated, glanced at Brandon, and felt a bit stuck too, "Mr. Crawley’s in no shape to pick anyone up right now."

He couldn’t help but push Yvonne a little, "How 'bout I go with you to get Chairman Crawley? Mr. Crawley's in a bad mood; just let him chill here alone for a bit."

He was about to start getting ready, but Yvonne wasn't having any of it.

"No way. Being alone's just asking for trouble, especially with booze involved," Yvonne said, haunted by all those news stories about drunk folks choking on their own vomit. She didn’t like the idea of leaving Brandon alone one bit, especially since her dad had specifically asked for Brandon to come get him.

"What the heck’s actually going on with Brandon and Sophia?" Yvonne couldn't help but whisper.

"I really don't know the details." Kent whispered back, "But things don't look peachy. I mean, when have you ever seen Mr. Crawley like this?"

Yvonne nodded and asked softly, "They aren't together anymore, are they?"

“About that.” Kent gave an awkward chuckle, "You might wanna ask Mr. Crawley yourself."

While he suggested Yvonne should ask Brandon directly, he couldn’t help but add, "I mean, it's been ages since I've seen them together. Mr. Crawley's been solo parenting, haven't seen him on the phone either. Nowadays, it's all work or home with the kid. Speaking of which, poor kiddo, either without a dad or a mom."

He trailed off, implying more than he said, and glanced at Yvonne.

Yvonne herself being a mom, felt the sting in her heart just listening, her gaze drawn back to Brandon indoors, not noticing the look Kent gave her.

Brandon seemed to come to, rubbing at his furrowed brow, a pained expression on his face.

"Brandon."

Yvonne couldn't help but call out to him, walking over, "What's wrong?"

"I'm fine."

Brandon’s voice was still tinged with the rough edge of alcohol, "What are you doing here?"

"You forgot dad's getting discharged today?" Yvonne said, her eyes drifting to the mess of bottles unwittingly, "Why are you hitting the bottle during work hours?"

Brandon didn't answer, already pushing himself up from the table.

"Let's go."

He said, voice still gravelly, grabbing his car keys from the table. Maybe the drink had hit him harder than usual; his normally steady steps wobbled, and he swayed a bit.

Yvonne instinctively reached out to steady him.

"You sure you're okay?" She asked worriedly, "Why would you drink so much in broad daylight?"

"I'm fine."

His voice still rough and low, he shrugged her off, his steps unsteady. Kent rushed over to help but got shoved away before he could even touch Brandon's arm.

"Get someone to clean this up."

Brandon said, already striding towards the elevator, pushing past him. Yvonne hurried after him, catching him as he staggered.

This time Brandon didn’t push her away, standing at the elevator, pressing the button.

He reeked of alcohol, looking painfully sober yet distressed. Yvonne wasn't sure if he was drunk or not; she'd never seen him drunk or out of sorts like this.

She felt a pang, not sure if it was for Brandon or at the sight of his crumbling facade.

"Brandon, you sure you're okay?"

As the elevator doors closed, Yvonne couldn't help but ask, looking at Brandon's deeply furrowed brow.

His expression seemed to be holding back discomfort. But the answer remained, "I'm fine."

The elevator descended to the underground parking lot.

"You drive."