The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 99

This Brandon really freaked Kent out.

Brandon might have been frosty, but at least he was even-tempered.

Now, there was a mean streak hiding beneath his cool facade, a ruthless and fierce edge to him.

After he finished trashing the living room, Brandon finally reacted.

"Clean up the living room and just wing it with the decorations," he said, already grabbing his suitcase and heading out without a hint of planning to stay.

The whole "just wing it" comment left the decorators scratching their heads, not sure how to play it. They all looked at Kent, seeking guidance.

Kent was just as clueless and didn't dare double-check with Brandon.

"Just slap something together," he eventually said, extending Brandon's vague instructions before chasing after him.

He drove Brandon back to his pad of the last two years, sneaking peeks at him through the rearview mirror from time to time.

Brandon's face remained cool and composed throughout the drive.

When they reached his doorstep, Brandon simply told Kent in a flat tone to head home and get some rest before pushing his suitcase ahead and walking off.

Kent never mustered the courage to ask what went down between Brandon and Sophia, or why Brandon seemed so changed upon his return.

In the following days, Brandon seemed to revert to his old self - working like a maniac, polite and courteous to others, but keeping everyone at arm's length with an indifferent chill.

But Kent could still tell something was off. Brandon used to throw himself into his work with passion. Now, he seemed more like a walking dead, just going through the motions.

This change in Brandon had Kent worried, but he felt helpless and didn't even dare to ask why.

He and Brandon were close, but Brandon wasn't the type to open up, so asking him would be pointless.

Luckily, a few days later, Don returned from abroad.

Kent was tight with Don and knew he and Brandon were close.

He remembered Don was also in Wye City, and figured Brandon must have crossed paths with him. Unsure whether Don knew what was up with Brandon, Kent cautiously asked Don on the way back from the airport, "Did Mr. Crawley run into something over in Wye City?"

"Nothing at all," Don said, baffled by the question. "What could've happened to Mr. Crawley?"

"It's just that Mr. Crawley seems off since he came back," Kent said carefully. "Like something shook him up?"

"Really?" Don perked up, turning to face him. "Like what?"

Kent replied, "He's redoing his matrimonial home that he smashed up. I've never seen him like this, not even during his divorce. Who suddenly decides to erase all traces of their ex-wife two years after the fact?"

"Hold on," Don caught on to something crucial. "Brandon got divorced?"

Kent looked at him in surprise, "You didn't know?"

Don shook his head. He was clueless.

He'd asked about Brandon's wife a few times, but Brandon never mentioned a divorce.

Kent figured Brandon wanted to keep it under wraps and regretted spilling the beans, "Mr. Crawley probably didn't want it getting out. Pretend you never heard about it, keep it to yourself."

Don chuckled at Kent's remorseful face, "Relax, I won't rat you out. And even if I did, Brandon wouldn't hold it against you."

Kent grimaced, knowing it wasn't about Brandon holding a grudge. It was about him gossiping behind people's backs, which was indeed the case.

"But," Don pondered, "there was nothing unusual about Brandon in Wye City. Although, he did space out looking at a little girl over a year old during lunch. He left in a hurry without eating, no idea what he rushed off to."

"A little girl over a year old?" Kent paused, his eyes widening as he looked at Don, "Could it be Mr. Crawley's daughter?"

Before he could dwell on it, Don slapped him on the shoulder.

"What are you thinking? The little girl was with her mom, and Brandon didn't seem to know her."

Kent's look of shock quickly fizzled out, realizing how unlikely it would be to randomly bump into his own kid halfway around the world.

Seeing Kent's worried face, Don couldn't help but tease him, "You're just an employee, yet you're taking on his parental worries as well. Even his own parents aren't this concerned."