The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 668

"Sorry, let's rain check, not a great time for me right now.”

Brandon apologetically turned her down.

Sophia figured he must be trying to clear his schedule to hang out with her and Theresa. She wasn't used to this kind of attention and was worried about holding up Brandon's work. After flashing an apologetic smile at Mrs. Bishop, she had already pivoted towards Brandon and whispered, “You get on with your work. Theresa and I will just wander around for a bit.”

“No worries.”

Brandon gave her a reassuring smile, just about to apologize to Mrs. Bishop when Sophia quietly tugged at his sleeve and murmured, “You're gonna give me a guilt trip doing this. Can you please focus on your work? I’d actually like to explore around with Theresa.”

Brandon looked at her.

Sophia had that pleading look in her eyes. She genuinely wasn't used to him putting work aside for her. In her mind, they weren't at the stage where she warranted him ditching work, and honestly, she felt pressured being glued to Brandon all the time.

Reading the trouble in her eyes, Brandon stayed silent for a moment, then nodded and looked up to the girl called "Lynn" and instructed, “Lynn, could you keep Sophia and Theresa company for a bit?”

The name “Sophia” made Lynn’s heart skip a beat – a whole billion-dollar shockwave.

Sophia, mistaking Lynn's reaction for distress and mindful of her work commitments, quickly interjected, “No need, Theresa and I…”

“Sophia, I can't let you out of my sight.”

Brandon cut her off with a tenderness that was tinged with firmness.

Sophia remembered the instant he had caught sight of her on the boat, his suddenly clenched hand, and the tempest that had swirled in his eyes. Her heart softened, and she nodded gently, “Alright, Theresa and I will stick with Lynn for now. You do your thing.”

After a pause, she added, “We'll wait for you. No need to rush.”

Warmth flickered in Brandon's eyes.

“Okay.”

His voice was low and slightly hoarse.

Mrs. Bishop, standing by, commented with a smile, “Mr. Crawley and Mrs. Crawley seem to be quite the loving couple.”

Brandon just smiled and didn't respond, his attention already back on Sophia. He said softly, “Just hang around the office with Theresa and Lynn until I'm done, and I'll come find you.”

Sophia nodded, “Sure thing.”

“Just stay in the office, don't wander off too far.”

Brandon gave another concerned reminder.

Sophia nodded gently again, “Mhm.”

Brandon also smiled and tenderly stroked her hair, “Off you go.”

Lynn, watching all this, was secretly astonished. She had never expected the usually aloof and distant Brandon to have such a gentle side.

Brandon then turned to her, “Please look after Theresa and Sophia.”

Lynn hardly got to interact with Brandon at work; usually, she only dealt with Kent.

Brandon’s polite request left her flustered, and she quickly assured, “No trouble at all, it's what I should do.”

Then she hurriedly turned to Sophia and Theresa to call them over.

After exchanging polite goodbyes with Mrs. Bishop, Sophia and Theresa followed Lynn out.

Lynn wasn’t sure where to take Sophia and Theresa and didn’t dare assume, so as soon as they stepped out of the lounge, she turned to Sophia and politely asked, “First Lady CEO, got any places in mind you'd like to check out?”

Sophia found the title “First Lady CEO” super awkward.

“Just call me Sophia, that’s fine.”

She couldn’t help but gently correct Lynn.

Where would Lynn get the guts to call her Sophia directly? “How about I call you Mrs. Crawley?”

“Maybe just go with Ms. Yearwood.”

Sophia compromised, not quite used to the “Mrs. Crawley” moniker either.

“This…”

Lynn hesitated, not out of reluctance but fearing Brandon’s reaction and possibly jeopardizing her job.

This was the Brandon they knew, a dude who was hard to imagine with a woman.

Facing her pal's confusion, Lynn cut to the chase with three characters: "One billion."

Her buddy: "......"

Lynn: "The girl Mr. Crawley spent a billion to find, she's back."

Her buddy: "...."

She tried to recall it but couldn't, only grasping that feeling of envy and subtle regret from a distance, watching from the outside.

She couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Caught in that sudden memory, she paused, but Theresa had already spotted the cafeteria and excitedly tugged on Sophia's hand, introducing her, "Mommy, mommy, let's eat, Daddy's cafeteria has the yummiest food."

Sophia snapped out of it and nodded with a smile but didn't forget to beckon Lynn, who had been trailing them. Turning around, she saw Lynn glued to her phone, eyes sparkling with gossip, fingers tapping away like a storm, completely lost in the chat and oblivious to her surroundings.

Sophia had no clue what was so engrossing but figured it was lunchtime and decided not to interrupt, opting to send Lynn a message on WhatsApp instead: "Lynn, Theresa and I are in the cafeteria. You do your thing."

Message sent, she followed Theresa into the restaurant.

It was close to lunchtime, but not quite there yet, and the cafeteria staff were still bustling about serving food, so there were just a few scattered people around.

Theresa, knowing her way around, dragged Sophia to the tray section, panting as she ran, "Mommy, let's get Daddy's meal too. I know what he likes to eat. Once he's done with work, he can come straight over and eat with us."

The cafeteria floor was a bit slippery, and Sophia, worried Theresa might fall, agreed, "Okay," and bent down to hold the collar of her shirt, focusing entirely on the little one in front of her with no time to notice anything else.

Theresa, being small and short, was oblivious to others, fixated on getting to the tray section. Once there, she stood on tiptoes, reaching for a tray.

The trays, freshly sanitized, were stacked high, and Theresa, not realizing her own strength, wobbled the unstable stack. Sophia swiftly stepped forward, pressing a hand against the nearly toppling trays.

At almost the same moment, another gnarled, thin hand also pressed down on the shaking stack of trays.