The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

The sudden stop of footsteps made Don pause mid-sentence on the phone, and he instinctively looked back to find Sophia staring

at him, which left him a bit red-faced, too.

He muttered into the phone, "You dug your own grave, now lie in it. I've got something up, gotta bounce."

After hanging up, Don turned to face Sophia.

"When did you sneak up?" he asked with a grin, trying to act all cool and casual.

Sophia was slightly embarrassed herself. "Just got here, actually. Had a bit to sort out with you, saw you heading this way, so |

tagged along."

"I was actually about to holler at you." Sophia hurried to clarify, hoping to avoid any misunderstanding.

"Don shrugged, "Guess | was too caught up in the call to notice you. You heard all that just now?"

Sophia hesitated a moment before nodding gently.

"Right," Don said, nodding in return.

"Grandpa Louis wasn't in the best shape, and Martin didn't want his grandpa to die with regrets, so he faked Marian's paternity test

to say she was Yolanda," Don added.

"Does Brandon know about this?" Sophia asked softly.

Don hesitated but eventually nodded. "Yeah."

"And he," Sophia paused briefly, "when did he find out?"

"From the get-go."

Don couldn't help but pause when he said those words and looked at Sophia with concern.

Sophia just gave a slight smile before asking, "Is he still on the hunt for Yolanda?"

"lI don't know," Don admitted honestly. "Haven't seen him bring it up."

Sophia nodded, "Got it, thanks."

Don couldn't read her expression and tried to lighten the mood. "So, what's up? You neededfor something?"

"Just wanted to chat about taking the day off tomorrow," Sophia said with an apologetic chuckle, "If it's a hassle for the company, |

can skip the break."

"Sure thing," Don responded, a tad surprised at Sophia's willingness to back down.

Sophia gestured behind her. "Guess I'll get back to it."

Don nodded. "Yeah, sure."

Sophia headed to the front hall to help welcguests.

Though she'd been feeling down these past few days, she didn't let it affect her work. After greeting a bunch of guests, Sophia

popped into the break room for a touch-up.

She needed to reapply her makeup.

The upcoming groundbreaking ceremony had her slated to speak as the lead designer.

There was a staff break room and an executive one.

Don had set Sophia up in the executive lounge.

Sophia initially thought to just use the staff room, but as it was busy with no mirrors available, she found herself in the executive

lounge next door.

It was empty and more comfortable for her.

She went straight to the vanity, pulled out her lipstick to freshen up her lips, and before she was done, the door swung open.

Patricia's slightly annoyed voice followed. "Don is as stubborn as a mule, he didn't allow Marian's nto be added to the project

design list, and he even had the nerve to bring it up with Brandon."

Her words cut off abruptly upon seeing Sophia in front of the mirror.

"What are you doing here?"

Patricia asked, her haughty demeanor creeping back, "This is set aside for the lead designer. Who let you in?"

Daniel, who accompanied her, also noticed Sophia and frowned.

"Brandon put you on the project design list?" he said, frowning deeper in annoyance, "That's absurd! He refused Marian but

allowed you in? What's he playing at, always going head-to-head with me?"

Daniel then faced Sophia, adopting a patronizing tone. "Look, Sophia, whether Brandon wants to make it up to you or tickoff,

throwing money at you for a fancy degree or even a company to mess around with is his business, not ours. But the Zenithan-style

resort project is our baby, it's tied to the company's rep. Word gets out, and it could tarnish our brand."

With that, he turned to his bodyguard. "Please escort Ms. Yearwood out."

But the bodyguard stepped forward, blocking him and Patricia. "Mr. Crawley, Mrs. Crawley, this isn't your lounge. Please move

along."

"That's not her lounge, is it?"

Patricia didn't lose her temper, but she couldn't help frowning at Sophia, worried that Sophia's designer title might steal the

spotlight.

It's a common enough story in the workplace.

She had taken a shine to the design of the Zenithan-style resort project, and by extension, to its behind-the-scenes designer

Vivian. But due to Don's subtle machinations, they hadn't had a chance to meet Vivian in person.

They had intended to pop by before the ceremony to say hi and see if they could get Marian's nadded on.

Adding the nseemed trivial for Don, but he turned out to be a tough nut to crack. Instead of persuading them to give up, he

went straight to Brandon with it.

Of course, the outcwas a no-brainer. Don relayed a firm refusal through Brandon.

No matter what they suggested, he'd reply apologetically, "Mr. Crawley, Mrs. Crawley, | can't make that call, Brandon's watching.

How about | ring him up for you?"

That left them in limbo, unable to press further.

Out of options, Patricia had thought to chat with the lead project designer and make introductions, never expecting to run into

Sophia the moment the door opened.

The bodyguard didn't know if this was Sophia's lounge or not, that wasn't his concern.

His only job was to shield Sophia from Daniel and Patricia's meddling, so he politely told Patricia, "Sorry, that's not in my

wheelhouse."

While saying this, he physically blocked them, rather firmly shooing them towards the door.

Patricia, being ushered out, felt totally snubbed and, in a fit of rage, forgetting all decorum, snapped, "Who the hell do you think

you are?"

"This is my company, my project, and you think you can stopfrom going to any lounge | want? Mind your own beeswax!"

Patricia shouted at Sophia inside, "This ain't your scene, please leave."

After that, she spun around to her trailing secretary, "Get Mr. Dempsey on the horn, will ya? The ceremony's about to kick off,

where the heck is the head designer? Is she planning to let someone else take the credit?"

The secretary nodded hastily, "Right on it, I'll make the call now."

Sophia couldn't help but smirk a little, unfazed by Patricia's words, calmly capped her lipstick, and stood up to head for the door.

Patricia and Daniel were blocking the exit.

"Excuse me, you're in my way," Sophia said softly, not bothering to engage in more conversation.

Daniel got his back up and scolded, "Is that how you speak to your elders?"

Sophia shot back, "When elders don't act their age, you can't expect the younger ones to play along."

After saying that, she tried to bypass him, but Daniel chimed in, "We need to talk about that kid."

Sophia paused for a moment.

Patricia, puzzled, looked at Daniel, "What kid? What do you mean?"

Daniel, aware of Brandon's bodyguard still watching, didn't spell it out, just waited for Sophia to show weakness.

Sophia, suppressing her disgust, politely and calmly responded, "Sorry, | have no idea what you're talking about."

After a courteous nod, she turned to leave, and the bodyguard quickly stepped in to block Daniel.

"Mr. Crawley, Mrs. Crawley, please step this way."

The guard said, while firmly guiding them towards another lounge, no ifs or buts about it.

Feeling insulted, Patricia couldn't help but lash out with a tirade.

Just then, Don arrived in the lounge next door, walking straight into the commotion at Sophia's door.

"What's all this ruckus about?" he asked, moving closer.

"Perfect timing, Don," Patricia, seeing him, acted as if she saw a lifeline, bombarding him with questions, "Where's the head

designer Vivian? What tis it, and she's still not here?"

Don looked perplexed.

"We thought, with the groundbreaking ceremony about to start, and not having had the chance to meet the head designer since

the project started, we'd cover with Mr. Crawley to say hi and get acquainted," Patricia explained.

Don cleared his throat and replied, "You want to meet head designer in person?"

"Shouldn't we?" Patricia, breaking free from the bodyguard's grip, dusted off her clothes with disgust, and said to Don, "The

project's been going on for ages, and it's unheard of for the client to not even see the head designer. We're tight with you, we trust

you. If it's inconvenient for you, we wouldn't complain. But it's the day of the ceremony, surely the designer's here, right?"

Don chuckled, "Oh, she's here, alright."

Patricia instinctively looked around with a hint of anticipation, "Where is she? Have her cover to say hi. Not too long ago,

Daniel and | were thinking of asking her out for a meal, but you said she was on leave and it wasn't convenient. It's a shbut

what can you do. It's rare for us all to be here today, so do introduce us. Daniel and | quite admire her work. And we've been

thinking, maybe there's a chance to establish a long-term collaboration with her, with a new chain of resorts planned in another

city."

Don laughed, slightly embarrassed, and glanced at Sophia.

Sophia remained composed, not offering any opinion on the matter, just gave Don an apologetic nod, "Sorry, Mr. Dempsey, I've got

to run."

"Sure thing, go ahead," Don said, not stopping her and smiling as she left.

Sophia nodded and without giving Daniel and Patricia another thought, walked away.

Don watched Sophia leave.

Patricia, observing Don's respect for Sophia, assumed he was considering Sophia's face, since she was brought in by Brandon and

now was the company's nominal head designer. Being disregarded to her face and bypassed to talk to her subordinate would upset

anyone.

She understood but couldn't help but remind Don, "You know, Don, when it comes to hiring, it's all about real talent, not playing

favorites."

Her voice was her usual measured and disdainfully polite tone, with a touch of deliberate provocation, loud enough for Sophia,

already walking away, to hear.

Sophia acted as if she hadn't heard a thing, her steps steady as she left.

Don just shook his head with a smile, "You've got a point."

"What about the designer, then?" Patricia put on a kind smile, glancing at her watch in a rush, fearing they were running out of

time.

"She's probably tied up right now," Don said apologetically, "No worries, she's got a speech to make later on. After the ceremony,

there's a buffet reception, plenty of tto mingle. Don’t sweat it, really."

Patricia frowned. She was anxious, wanting to persuade the designer to agree to add Marian's nbefore things kicked off. In her

eyes, adding an additional nto a project was a minor thing for the head designer but a huge deal for her family and Marian.

Remembering how Don had earlier smiled understandingly at them and then cheerily made a call to Brandon, she felt he was like a

smiling tiger, so she didn’t press further.

Don could totally see through their intentions, but he didn't call them out. Instead, he just chuckled and said, "No worries, we've

got all the tin the world. Plenty of chances for you guys to catch up later."

After that, he turned to the bodyguard and said, "Would you mind taking Mr. Crawley and Mrs. Crawley to the lounge for a bit of a

break?"

Then, with a grin, he faced Daniel and Patricia and said, "Sorry, Mr. Crawley, Mrs. Crawley, it's a madhouse up front. Gotta play the

host for a bit. You guys chill here, and if you need anything, just buzz me, alright?" He mimed a phone call with his hand and then

was off, leaving them behind.

He headed straight for the event.

At the venue, he spotted Sophia, who had already arrived and taken her seat. She was scheduled to speak on stage shortly.

That was why he had specifically arranged for Sophia's seat to be right up front, next to Brandon. The nameplate behind her seat

displayed her position as the lead designer, and he had deliberately decided not to add her name. It was a bit of a tease, keeping

the media guessing about her identity a little longer before the big reveal.

The industry was never short of talented designers.

But a young, beautiful, smart, gentle designer with credentials from a world-renowned school? Now that was a rare find.

Don wanted to give the crowd that element of surprise and delight.

Sophia was already seated, her hands resting naturally on her thighs, holding a mobile phone, calmly observing the staff getting

things ready on stage.

Her profile was serene and natural, with no signs of excitement, nervousness, or timidity.

MMMWWLIIOAIfO&L

MMMWWLIIOAIfO&L

mmMwWLHIOfiflO&1

MMMWWLIIOAIfO&L

mmMyWL11I01F1081

mMMwWLIIOfiflO&1