The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 706

As soon as they stepped out of the private dining room, Sophia finally let go of Brandon's hand.

"I'm sorry," she said, sighing. "My godmother, Amanda, can be a bit overbearing sometimes. She doesn't always think about how her words might affect others. Please don't take it to heart."

They had walked far enough that Amanda couldn’t see or hear them when Sophia apologized. But before she could say more, Brandon stopped abruptly.

Sophia looked at him, puzzled.

Brandon pressed his lips together, his profile looking tense.

"Sophia."

He called her name softly, turning to face her with a serious expression. "We are a team."

Sophia was taken aback.

"I don’t like it when you take her side and try to explain things for her," Brandon continued slowly. "It feels like you’re more on their side, like they're your family instead of me."

"I'm sorry, I—" Sophia instinctively started to apologize.

Brandon interrupted, "You don't have to apologize to me. I know you didn't mean it."

It was just an instinctive reaction.

But such instincts suggested she was still drawing a line between them, and that made him uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry," Sophia repeated softly, looking up at him. "I'll be more mindful next time."

Brandon gave her a small, forced smile and nodded, but didn't say anything.

In his hand, he still clutched the bracelet he had pulled from Marian's wrist. The smooth beads pressed into his palm uncomfortably.

When Sophia had held Marian's arm, tears in her eyes, insisting the bracelet was hers, he had seen a glimpse of Yolanda.

But now, Sophia's polite demeanor showed no sign of Yolanda.

"Sophia..."

He began, but just then, President Poe's voice echoed from behind them:

"Oh, there you are! I was wondering if something was holding you up. You've been gone a while, I was just about to come looking for you."

Sophia and Brandon turned to see President Poe approaching with a broad smile.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Brandon said, returning the smile with an apologetic tone. "We ran into a little issue outside, but we were just heading back in."

Sophia also smiled apologetically, "Sorry for the wait, President Poe."

"No worries, no worries," President Poe replied cheerfully. "As long as you're okay. I finished reviewing the design drafts and wanted to discuss them with you."

"Let's talk back in the room," Brandon suggested, gesturing for President Poe to head back to the private dining room.

Sophia followed them inside.

President Poe had reviewed the design for the science museum and found little to comment on. He particularly liked the idea of the new cultural gallery.

Being a headmaster who truly cared for his students, he appreciated designs that benefited them.

However, with his extensive experience at the school, he did offer some minor suggestions for improvement on the cultural gallery — nothing major, just small refinements.

Sophia was delighted and eagerly engaged in discussion with President Poe.

Meanwhile, Amanda, who clearly lacked patience, was repeatedly calling Sophia's phone.

Though Sophia's phone was on silent, she could see the calls coming in.

Not wanting to interrupt President Poe's thoughts, and considering it impolite, she resisted answering. Yet Amanda was insistent, calling again and again until Sophia had no choice but to answer.

Noticing the persistence, President Poe smiled and said, "Go ahead and take the call."

Sophia smiled apologetically, "Sorry about this."

She picked up the phone, lowering her voice as she spoke into it, "Godmother, I'm in the middle of something. I'll come find you as soon as I'm done. Please, go ahead with what you're doing."

With that, she hung up and smiled apologetically at President Poe again, "Sorry about that."

"Is it urgent?" President Poe asked understandingly. "We can continue another time if you need to go..."

"No, it's fine."

"No, it's fine."

Sophia and Brandon spoke simultaneously, exchanging a glance. Brandon then turned to President Poe, "We're not in a rush; let's finish discussing the design draft."

Sophia nodded in agreement, "Yes, it's fine. Let's continue."

She picked up a pen and began making notes on the design draft.

She was focused, but Amanda's relentless calls had left her somewhat distracted.

Brandon remained silent, not wanting to disturb her. He simply gestured to his phone and whispered, "I'll step outside to take a call," before leaving the room.

Outside, Brandon glanced towards Amanda's room.

Amanda was visibly agitated, checking her phone impatiently, ready to call Sophia again but dropping it with frustration.

Brandon exhaled deeply. Instead of approaching, he took out his phone and dialed Harvey Ferber.

The call was answered quickly.

"Mr. Crawley?" Harvey Ferber's voice came through, sounding slightly surprised.

"Harvey, get your mother out of here," Brandon said bluntly, his tone cold and calm.

Harvey seemed taken aback, then chuckled softly, "My mother?"

"What did she do?" he asked.

"She's disturbing my wife," Brandon replied. "I don't care how you do it, just get her out of here immediately."

"She's your wife's savior, Mr. Crawley," Harvey reminded him.

“I get it, and that's why I politely asked you to handle it, rather than having someone forcibly remove her,” Brandon said calmly. “Harvey Ferber, I’m grateful to you and your family for saving Sophia. I once promised a ten million dollar reward for any information about her. Though you didn’t provide information, you saved her. I’ll double the reward and transfer it to your account.”

There was a pause on the other end.

“Brandon, you know I was never after that ten million,” Harvey Ferber replied, his voice just as composed. “I don’t need that money.”

Brandon was well aware that Harvey Ferber didn't need that money. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have kept Sophia hidden for so long.

But because they saved Sophia and gave her a third chance at life, Brandon didn't want to hold them accountable for hiding her.

He also knew that Harvey Ferber's real interest was in the docks.

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify