The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

When Brandon returned to the office, Kent could tell something was off with him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

His handsface was still the usual calm, but beneath that calm, there was a silence as if a thousand rivers had quietly

converged into the sea.

Kent couldn't quite describe it. This silence had been deepening ever since Brandon saw Sophia in the cafeteria, but clearly, he

wasn't planning on shaking things up.

“When Brandon says he's let go, he might really mean it,” Kent thought to himself.

He didn't dare to ask out loud, but Brandon's demeanor made him feel a bit more hesitant to raise a ruckus.

Back in the office, Brandon dove into his work again. To Kent, it seemed like work was the wellspring of all his energy, the thing

that could make him forget any discomfort.

While most people might let a bad mood affect their work, Brandon used work to heal his mood issues. But today, Brandon didn't

stay late.

As soon as it was tto clock out, he shut down his computer and left.

This unusual behavior took Kent by surprise, prompting him to call out, "Mr. Crawley, you're heading out already?"

"Yep."

With a brief response, Brandon walked past Kent without a glance.

This time, he didn't go for the staff elevator; he took the executive lift straight down. The elevator glided smoothly from the top

floor to the underground parking garage without a single stop or encountering anyone.

Brandon drove out of the underground garage, the cool summer breeze flowing through the car windows, carrying the residual

warmth of the sun.

He drove aimlessly, feeling very calm but also very empty inside. Except for the two years he married Sophia, his life was mostly

like it was now, calm and dull.

For him, twas just calendar pages flipping over, with no particular anticipation, but also no overly troubling issues. His life had

always been as still as a pond, with no ripples of excitement.

As he drove past the architectural cafe in the suburbs, he thought of Zachary Gardner, Sophia's mentor.

He had swork interactions with Zachary a few years back, but since they were both busy, and Zachary was still teaching at

Sophia's university, not living in the West district, their meetings were scarce, though their friendship remained.

Zachary had retired in the past couple of years, busy with Building Society stuff, and had recently moved back to settle in the West

district.

The last tBrandon had reached out to him was when Sophia was about to drop the Zenitha-style resort project. He had called

Zachary to persuade Sophia to reconsider.

This architectural cafe was Zachary's private villa, where he hosted work and social gatherings, and with Brandon's busy schedule,

he rarely visited, never expecting to end up here by sheer chance today.

Brandon drove slowly, looking at the purple bougainvillea climbing over the iron fence, falling silent for a while. As he passed the

gate, he turned the wheel and drove into the yard.

Zachary was at home, alone in the room, sipping coffee next to a newly constructed architectural model.

He was examining the model over his coffee when Brandon walked in, and he looked pleasantly surprised as he stood up

immediately, "Brandon? What brings you by today?"

He said as he got up to greet him.

"Just happened to be passing by; remembered you were back in the West district, so | thought I'd try my luck."

Brandon smiled back at him, stepping forward to shake hands.

"Well, you've sure got good timing." Laughed Zachary, "I was supposed to go fishing with sold buddies from the Society today,

but it was too hot, so we canceled. Just hanging around at home."

Brandon chuckled, "Seems like | cat just the right time."

"Exactly."

Zachary beckoned him to sit down, pouring him a cup of coffee and handing it over, asking, "How's everything going for you

lately?"

"Just the usual, busy with work."

"| figured as much." Zachary replied with a smile, "Work is important for young folks, but don't neglect your personal life either."

He then asked, "Got a girlfriend yet?"

Brandon glanced at him, shook his head with a smile.

Zachary prodded, "Well, you better hurry up. While you're young, find someone, tie the knot, and have a chubby little kid."

Brandon just smiled, not picking up the thread.

"Your family not pressuring you?" Zachary asked.

He had known Brandon for years, but their contact had been sparse; he wasn't aware of Brandon's marriage.

Brandon hadn't brought it up explicitly, and his social media was squeaky clean, devoid of any personal details.

The last the asked Zachary for a favor, to convince Sophia to take on the Zenitha-style resort project, it was purely from a

professional standpoint, so Zachary was clueless about their relationship.

Brandon shook his head with a chuckle, "No."

Zachary asked, "Got anyone you fancy?"

Brandon looked at him again, not responding.

Zachary took it as a no.

"What's your type? I'll keep an eye out for you," Zachary said; at his age, he couldn't help but meddle when he saw eligible

bachelors and bachelorettes.

"No need, thanks."

Brandon smiled, declining his offer and refilled his coffee, "How about you? How've you been?"

"Pretty good, just bored out of my wits." Zachary said; then circled back to Brandon's love life, "You're not getting any younger; you

should put sthought into it."

Zachary added, "I happen to know a great girl, one of my former students. How about | introduce you, see if you hit it off?"

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