The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

"He's not home, what happened?" Mr. Evert was somewhat baffled by Brandon's behavior, unsure what was going down between the two.

"Where did he go?" Brandon looked at him, "I need to see him." "He doesn't live here," Mr. Evert said. "He bought another place, and typically just swings by on weekends." "Did he cback this weekend?" Brandon asked.

Mr. Evert shook his head: "He doesn't cback every weekend. His mother is pressuring him to get married, so sometimes he just doesn't bother returning home..." "Where does he live?" Brandon cut him off.

Mr. Evert, seeing Brandon's tight face, started to worry if Ivan had stirred up strouble, and couldn't help but nervously ask, "What do you need him for?" "I'm looking for someone," Brandon replied directly and plainly. "Don't worry, I'm not here to cause him trouble." Mr. Evert had worked with Brandon for many years and they had a good relationship. Trusting Brandon's character and temperament, Mr. Evert promptly gave Brandon Ivan's address, assured by Brandon's clarification that he wasn't looking for trouble.

"Could you givethe key to his place?" Brandon said, not believing he'd get any response by knocking on Ivan's door.

Mr. Evert was taken aback at first, looking somewhat troubled, "That wouldn't be quite appropriate." Then, as if he didn't want Brandon to misunderstand him, he quickly added, "Ivan is very privacy-conscious. We usually knock before entering. He wouldn't be pleased with us just entering." "It's just a precaution, I'm not planning on barging in," Brandon didn't push him, "If Mr. Evert is worried, you can cwith me." Mr. Evert hesitated, then nodded: "Alright then." Ivan's place wasn't far from Mr. Evert's villa, nor from Starlight Group, lying in between.

When Brandon and Mr. Evert arrived at Ivan's, the door was shut tight.

Just as Brandon expected, they rang the bell for ages with no answer, and calls went unanswered.

Hard to say if he's just dodging or got his hands full.

Brandon had no tto waste. After futilely ringing the doorbell repeatedly, he turned to Mr. Evert: "Mr. Evert, doa favor, open the door." Mr. Evert, still wary, didn't just barge in; he took out his phone and tried calling Ivan a few times first, but to no avail; the calls were unanswered as well.

"Ivan hasn't shown up at the office for nearly a week," Brandon stated to Mr. Evert, his expression serious yet calm, "None of his colleagues can reach him. Aren't you worried, Mr. Evert?" Brandon's words hit a nerve, and Mr. Evert didn't delay any longer. He quickly took out the key and unlocked the door. As soon as the lock clicked open, Brandon pushed the door forcefully and barged straight in.

"Hey, Mr. Crawley..." vir. Evert instinctively tried to stop Brandon, but Brandon had already rushed past him, bursting into the house as if in search of something. Focused, his eyes quickly scanned he place. After a quick "Excuse me, Mr. Evert," he flung open the nearest edroom door, then the next and he next... until he reached the main edroom. His actions were Ininterrupted. With each door ›pened, his eyes rapidly scanned the oom before he continued to the ext door, without a moment's >ause. :wFrom the guest room to the main bedroom, from the bathroom to the balcony, Brandon opened every door within the apartment. His eyes darting around like a hawk hunting for prey.

"Mr. Crawley?" Mr. Evert confusedly followed Brandon, anxiously asking, "What exactly are you looking for?" But Brandon was too preoccupied to respond. From the first door to the very last, his breath was held tight, his heart pounding fiercely.

He thought, maybe Ivan had hidden Sophia away.

Being so fond of Sophia, Ivan had the reason to keep her hidden.

A billion-dollar bounty wasn't much of a temptation for someone born with a silver spoon like him.

His disappearance and sudden resignation could all point to him stashing Sophia away.

So he was desperate to check out Ivan's residence, thinking perhaps there might be strace of Sophia.

But there was nothing.

His eyes swiftly and meticulously swept over each room, every nook and cranny. While there were signs of habitation, there were no traces of Sophia having lived there, let alone Sophia herself.

Until the last balcony door was opened, Brandon's hope of finding any sign of Sophia deflated, his held breath slowly turned into a sigh of defeat.

"Mr. Crawley?" Watching Brandon's shifting expressions, Mr. Evert called out to him puzzledly. Before he could speak up, Brandon suddenly spun around to him: "Mr. Evert, does Ivan have any other residences?" Mr. Evert saw a glint of desperation in his eyes, a side of Brandon he'd never seen before, and was momentarily stunned.

Before he could answer, Ivan's voice, tinged with weariness and sarcasm, sounded from the entrance, "What's that got to do with Mr. Crawley?" Brandon's eyes snapped sharply towards the entrance.

et Ivan had returned without their notice, wearing in a black jacket, with a motorcycle helmet tucked under his left arm. He leisurely set down the helmet and peeled of his leather gloves, his face marked by world-weary exhaustion. This Ivan sent a chill through Brandon's heart. The flicker of hope that Sophia might still be alive, which had sparked upon hearing of Ivan's resignation and disappearance after Sophia's incident, was doused like a bucket of cold water. Ivan also looked up, his gaze pausing on Brandon's hand resting on the balcony rail, then slowly shifting to Brandon's face. A faint sneer curled his lips, but it quickly faded.

"You don't need to look further; she's not here with me." He finally spoke.

"Where is she?" Brandon croaked out.

"Shouldn't Mr. Crawley know better than me?" Ivan said, already turning his head to gaze out at the vast river landscape from the other side of the large balcony. The river's end, that's where the ocean lies.

His gaze was fixed on the endless stretch of the river.

Brandon's jaw was clenched tight, his eyes bore into Ivan: "Where the hell is she?" mmMwWLlilOfiflo&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1 mmMwWLliI0fiflO&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1 mmMwWLliI0fifl0&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1