The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 516

Sophia had just checked into her hotel and made a beeline for the Zenitha-style resort construction site to scope out the scene.

Tomas was also on the site, took Sophia under his wing, and showed her around the site. Everything was prepped and ready to roll for the project's kickoff bright and early the next morning.

By the time Sophia wrapped up her site visit, it was already past eight in the evening. The site was all set, ready to hit the ground running, which eased Sophia's mind a bit. She didn't grab a bite to eat until past eight and didn't get back to her hotel until after nine.

That was when she finally had a moment to ring up Theresa. She made the call through Brandon's phone.

Brandon was swamped, burning the midnight oil to wrap up his work, so he could take Theresa to meet up with Sophia the next day.

Theresa wasn't asleep yet, probably because having Brandon there kept her steady, a far cry from her daytime waterworks. Still, she wasn't her usual perky self, just moping around solo, silently stacking up her blocks until Brandon came over with his phone to tell her mommy was on the line. That got a flicker of life back into her gloomy little face.

"Mommy," she whimpered when she called out to Sophia, looking like she was on the verge of tears again.

"I'm right here." Sophia cooed, trying to soothe her, "Mommy's just on a business trip; I didn't leave Theresa behind. How about I wrap up my work tomorrow and then spend some quality time with Theresa, deal?"

Theresa, with a pouty nod, then threw Sophia a pinky promise, "You gotta pinky swear, no fibbing."

Sophia mirrored the gesture, "Pinky swear."

Theresa pressed her finger against the phone screen; trying to hook Sophia's finger and realizing it was a no-go, she almost burst into tears right then and there.

"What do I do? I can't touch your finger."

Brandon quickly scooped her up, linked his pinky with hers, and gently assured her, "How about daddy pinky swears with Theresa for mommy, sound good?"

Theresa shook her head, still bummed, "I want mommy to do it."

Sophia was momentarily stumped, exchanging a helpless look with Brandon.

Brandon pressed Theresa's palm against the phone screen, coaxing her softly, "High-fiving mommy counts just the same as a pinky swear. High fives mean the deal is set in stone, no take-backs. Let's give mommy a high-five, okay?"

"Okay," Theresa, convinced by Brandon, cautiously pressed her palm against the screen, and Sophia did the same.