NovelOnline"Yeah, I'm in the living room," Grace said as she ushered her guest inside.
Brandon was busy building blocks with Theresa when he noticed Kent walking in. He looked up and asked, "Did you finish checking
the surveillance footage with Mr. Ferber?"
Kent nodded.
"What's he looking for?" Brandon inquired.
"A girl," Kent replied.
Brandon's brow furrowed slightly as he waited for Kent to continue.
"The person was wearing a uniform from one of ourpany's branches, so Mr. Ferber is hoping thepany can help track down
her details."
Kent handed his phone to Brandon as he spoke, showing a photo of the girl Harvey Ferber was looking for.
But the mall was so crowded, they couldn't get a clear shot of the girl's face—just a vague impression of a young lady with a fresh
and elegant vibe.
"What's her name?" Brandon asked.
"They didn't say," Kent answered. "Mr. Ferber mentioned she wasn't using her real identity info, so mentioning it would be
pointless."
"So he expects you to go on a wild goose chase across the entirepany with just this surveillance snap?" Brandon questioned.
Kent nodded. "That's the gist of it."
"That's a real pain in the neck," Brandon said as he stood up and looked at Kent. "You agreed to that?"
Kent shook his head. "I didn'tmit to anything specific, just said I'd do my best."
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And 'doing my best’ could mean a whole lot or very little—plenty of wiggle room there.
Harvey Ferber would surely get the hint.
Basically, it boils down to this: since Harvey's asking for a favor, the ball's in their court to decide how much they want to help out.
To be more precise, it's like dragging a stalled negotiation back to the table.
"What did Mr. Ferber say?" Brandon asked with a casual air, not particularly concerned with Harvey's response.
The docks were under his control, which meant they held all the cards, the upper hand.
"He said if Mr. Crawley could help find the girl in the photo, he'd owe him big time—a real whopper of a surprise," Kent relayed
Ferber's exact words to Brandon.
Brandon shot him a look. "What kind of surprise could he possibly have up his sleeve?"
Kent shook his head. "Mr. Ferber didn't specify."
Brandon frowned slightly.
Kent then passed another document to Brandon, moving on to the next topic. "Oh, by the way, President Poe from West District
High contactedtoday. You know the school's planning to build a new science hall, but funds are tight. President Poe is hoping
you could chip in as a distinguished alumnus."
As Kent explained, he handed over the papers. "President Poe isn't asking for Starlight Group to foot the entire bill, but to lend the
track. In return, they'd nthe science hall after you and make a special mention of your contribution in all the publicity."
"Why didn't he contactdirectly? Instead, he went to you?" Brandon asked as he took the proposal and skimmed it briefly,
noticing the absence of design blueprints. "No design plans either?"
"Not yet," Kent said. "President Poe originally wanted to meet with you directly, but since you weren't a student during his tenure,
he thought it might be too forward."
Kent could understand President Poe's hesitation.
The man had only been at West District High for the past few years, a principal with big dreams and a heart for his students.
He had tightened up the school's discipline and brought even more prestige to the century-old institution, boosting its fame.
He focused not just on academic abilities but also on practical skills for the students.
Due to the lack of facilities, their hands-on teaching was restricted, hence his idea to build the science hall and his proposal to seek
help from prominent alumni by offering naming rights.
But the candidate had to be more than just wealthy; they had to be an outstanding alumnus with a solid reputation and the ability
to inspire students.
Brandon was undoubtedly the perfect choice.
However, Poe didn't have a personal connection with Brandon, nor did he share the bond of a teacher-student relationship. Plus,
with Brandon being so busy and Poe not wanting to impose, he'd approached Kent, Brandon's assistant, to test the waters first.
"Helping out with the construction is no issue, but let's skip the naming rights—not necessary," Brandon said as he closed the
proposal and handed it back to Kent. "If they don't have a suitable design yet, have Don whip up one pro bono."
Brandon had been so wrapped up in work these past years, he'd neglected the social niceties, though he'd still make occasional
donations to the school. But with little interaction with the teachers, he hadn't kept up with the school's needs, not realizing they
lacked facilities like this.
It was no big deal for him to support the construction of a science hall at his alma mater, and he was more than willing to
contribute.
Naming rights, though? That was another story. He wasn't interested in that kind of recognition.
"Got it," Kent agreed, ready to make arrangements. "I'll get in touch with Mr. Dempsey right now."
He was about to call Don when...
"Hold on."
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It seemed like Brandon had a sudden change of heart and stopped him.
"Yes?" Kent turned back, puzzled.
"Keep the naming rights," Brandon decided. "Donate and build the science hall in Sophia's name, fully funded by Starlight Group."
Kent gave him a surprised glance but nodded in agreement. "Alright, I'll set that up."
Brandon nodded without another word, already turning towards Theresa.
Theresa, having caught the n"Sophia," was staring at Brandon with wide, puzzled eyes.
Seeing Brandon looking back at her, she couldn't help but ask, "Dad, were you guys talking about Mom?"
Her young mind couldn't quite grasp the full gist of the conversation between Brandon and Kent, but she definitely recognized her
mom's name.
Brandon nodded, "Yeah."
"What about Mom?" Theresa asked, a mix of confusion and anticipation in her voice.
It had been a long tsince she and Brandon had brought up her mom.
"Just talking about Mom's school," Brandon said.
"Where's Mom's school?" Theresa asked, her eyes still sparkling with hope. This was the first she'd heard of her mom's school.
"It's right next to the mall where we bought the New Year paintings today," Brandon explained, trying to paint her a picture, "You
know, that really pretty place that doesn't quite look like the other buildings and has a big campus."
"Can | go see it?" Theresa asked eagerly, "I've never been to Mom's school."
"Of course," Brandon said, gently stroking her hair, "Daddy will take you there another day."
"Okay!" The little girl's face lit up with joy at the promise.
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