The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

"You don't have to worry about this," Marian said, "Just tellstraight up - are we swapping or not?"

Augus looked at her in disbelief, "Con, we're talking about a live person here. How can you be so chill about it?"

"You guys are bold enough to pull this off with a living soul, aren't you?" Marian stared him down, "Let's not play the blgame

here."

"That's different," Augus flat-out denied her, "Has the guy you've picked got no family, no friends, no colleagues to miss him if he's

gone? If not, you're stirring up a hornet's nest for everyone."

Marian glanced at him but didn't bite.

Her pick was Sophia.

Obviously, Sophia wasn't like shomeless Joe who wouldn't be missed if she kicked the bucket.

But there are plenty of ways to slip out of trouble, like a so-called 'accident."

If it's an accident, it wouldn't count as premeditated. And that wouldn't jive with Dennis and Augus' plan to stir the pot and take

down Brandon and the Starlight Group.

Marian couldn't care less about tanking the Starlight Group or Brandon. Heck, she even thought she could use this opportunity to

help Brandon and his company dodge the bullet.

Between wrecking Brandon and the Starlight Group and earning Brandon's gratitude, she'd rather go for the latter.

All she wanted was for Sophia to vanish from this world.

She was sick of living on tenterhooks.

Without Sophia, there would never be another Yolanda, and she could be Yolanda forever, no need to worry about getting busted

anymore.

The schcooked up by Dennis and Augus was her golden ticket, the best shot she could have.

But neither her choice of person nor her true intentions could be laid out for Augus.

He'd never agree.

Marian knew Augus had a soft spot for Sophia.

But she needed the nitty-gritty of their plan, so she could make her own moves.

Augus could smell her evasion and wasn't about to waste more there.

"I've been out long enough; gotta get back to the grind," he said, turning to leave.

"Wait up."

Marian called him back, "You really think you're gonna fly under the radar by using a drifter with no strings attached?"

Augus paused, and turned back with a wary look.

Marian met his gaze fearlessly, "Brandon's crew is sniffing around for Nell. If | were you, I'd hustle Nell back to the construction site

ASAP."

"He can't go back," Augus rejected her suggestion without a second thought. If Nell went back, it meant he would get an ID and go

on the record.

"Well, you could give it a shot," Marian suggested, "If word gets to Brandon and he digs in it, your plan might be dead in the water

before it even starts."

"Nell’s going back would kill the plan just the same," Augus replied.

"That's why I'm saying you've got no choice but to switch it up," Marian argued, "Now that Nell's been blown, he's off the table."

Augus furrowed his brow, with a look of suspicion mixed with reluctant trust in his eyes.

"How did you find out about Nell?" Marian pressed.

"That's none of your business," Augus tossed her own line right back at her.

"If I don't get the details, | can't help you guys," Marian insisted.

"You don't need to know about it, and you don't need to get involved," Augus shot back.

"Try me," Marian challenged him, "Hey Augus, what if | spill the beans to Mr. Crawley about your little trade with my dad? Will that

land you in the slammer? Corporate espionage can be a big deal, you know."

Augus pursed his lips silently.

Marian held his gaze but softened her tone, "I'm just looking out for my dad," she said, "I joined Starlight for the sreasons as

you."

"Our family hit rock bottom because of Brandon, and it wrecked my dad's health. So | want to help him out," Marian explained to

Augus, "l won't deny | have my own reasons for a switch, but most importantly, | want to remind you that Nell's cover is blown. If

Brandon steps in, your plan won't see the light of day. So spill the beans, and I'll find a way out for us."

Augus still looked skeptical but was clearly wavering.

Marian pulled out her phone, "If you don't trust me, | can call my dad right now."

She dialed Dennis’ number and soon he was on the line.

"Marian? What's up?"

"Hey Dad, nothing really, just missed you all of a sudden," Marian cooed into the phone after glancing at Augus.

Dennis chuckled, "You little rascal."

"Alright, gonna hang up now, we'll have dinner tonight," Marian said, "Bye, love ya!"

With that, she hung up, with the coquettishness fading from her face, and locked her eyes with Augus, "See, | wasn't lying."

Augus gave her a look and finally spoke up:

"Nell was spotted by Sophia on her business trip to Zion City, just a casual encounter at the site. She chatted with Tomas, who let

slip that the guy was homeless. Sophia suggested getting him an ID and registering him ASAP. Jerry agreed but didn't follow

through, thinking she was just making small talk. But when Sophia mentioned Nell again on her way out of Zion City, and proposed

to meet him, Jerry had no choice but to lie that Nell was handed over to the cops, who were finding him a shelter."

Marian couldn't help but chuckle, "Looks like Sophia didn't buy your story and instead did sdigging of her own. If | were you,

I'd hustle Nell back to the site now."

Augus took another look at her, still feeling unsure about what she said, as he hadn't heard anything about this.

Marian wasn't pushing him, "Anyway, just mull it over, dude. If you think there's still time, then go for it."

While saying that, she glanced down at her phone to check the delivery app, which showed that the coffee she ordered was about

to reach the office building downstairs.

"I'm gonna head back first, got scoffee to treat everyone."

With that, Marian turned and walked away.

Almost the moment she spun around, the look of firm confidence on her face was put away, slowly replaced by a mix of

nervousness and a fierce determination, the result of her keeping psyching herself up.

Her hands were shaking, and her whole body was quivering. The hand clutching her phone was unconsciously tightening its grip,

and her heart was racing like crazy.

Regarding this bait-and-switch plan she'd been pondering over for a day and a night, she was resolute yet frightened.

This was no small fry stuff.

But she had no choice; she just had to do it.

MMMWWLIIOAIfO&L

MMMWWLIIOAIfO&L

mmMwWLHIOfiflO&1

MMMWWLIIOAIfO&L

mmMyWL11I01F1081

mMMwWLIIOfiflO&1