The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

Brandon didn't look at her; he just opened his arms and gently embraced her.

"You are a bit off tonight," Sophia murmured, not pushing him away. "What happened?"

"Nothing." Brandon croaked softly. "I just suddenly remembered things from the past, and | feel like | owe you an apology."

"There's nothing to apologize for," Sophia whispered back. "The path | chose was mine to take. Our marriage was a mutual

decision, without any coercion. | have my own faults to bear."

Lifting her head to look at him, Sophia added, "So you shouldn’t blyourself."

Brandon glanced at her, caressed her hair with his hand, but remained silent.

Deep down, he wished she would argue with him, give him an earful for not being attentive enough.

To care and to hope means she paid attention.

The flip side of that is to have enough detachment to be objective.

Now, Sophia and he were bound together only because of their kid.

He cracked a smile at her, "Let's sleep for now."

Sophia nodded, "OK."

Aaron was anxious because he couldn't see Daniel at the hospital.

The bid meeting for the Frost Group was about to kick off, and without connections to pave the way, he knew his company didn't

stand much of a chance.

Countless established corporations vied for this project, and his held no advantage.

His intention wasn't to gobble up the entire project. Initially, a partnership was what he had in mind—Let the big players take the

lion's share while he got a slice of the pie.

That's why he had approached Mr. Gellar for a partnership, envisioning him winning the whole deal, while he just contributed a

minor investment for a small stake, pocketing a few million, perhaps up to ten.

Mr. Gellar was the big fish he had clung to while Sophia and Brandon were still married, thanks to Brandon's uncle status. Though

not in Brandon's league, Mr. Gellar had a decent reputation in the West district real estate scene.

At first, it was Mr. Gellar who had cozied up to him, offering brotherly flattery.

But once Mr. Gellar got wind of Brandon and Sophia's divorce, his responses cooled.

Fortunately, Aaron was decent in his dealings. He had not abused his brief advantage; he always treated Mr. Gellar with respect. So

even though Mr. Gellar beccolder, he didn't kick Aaron out of his social circle.

Aaron knew that for a network to last, being useful to others was crucial.

Over the past two years, he'd been conscientiously keeping the relationship with Mr. Gellar. Beyond the routine exchange of gifts

during festivals, he also attended to minor issues for him, like arranging hospital stays for relatives, or sorting out schooling issues

for their children—all facilitated by the network he had established when he was Brandon's brother-in-law. He was thorough in his

approach, and would often visit Mr. Gellar to sit awhile, serve tea, drive guests around—anything practicable to assist, he would

do. Over these years, their relationship had stayed pretty solid.

Aaron had thought, given his rapport with Mr. Gellar, that he would be included in the Frost Group project, even if just to reap some

benefits. But to his surprise, Mr. Gellar had never brought up the matter.

When Aaron broached the topic, Mr. Gellar seemed uneasy, saying he wasn't even sure he could land the Frost family project and

didn't want to lead Aaron astray, suggesting Aaron might as well bid on his own.

The sincerity of this advice was unclear to Aaron, but with an invitation to bid, he wouldn't pass up the chance. He even

approached the Frost family with a gift to test the waters.

From the attitude of the Frost family's members, Aaron gathered that they looked down on him.

But the trip wasn't in vain; he accidentally uncovered the relationship between the Frost family and the Crawley family, which was

a significant discovery.

Now that Sophia had reconciled with Brandon, Aaron planned to leverage the Crawley family connection to persuade the Frosts.

But with Daniel out of reach, he felt anxious.

He had considered approaching Brandon directly, but the guy was always swamped. In the past, when Aaron needed something,

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Brandon would just delegate it to his subordinates, a bunch of paycheck collectors who were all smiles while being utterly

unhelpful.

Every ta task landed in their hands, Aaron had no choice but only to chase after them.

But those subordinates were always too busy, and when prodded, they were full of apologetic smiles and polite assurances,

promising swift action.

If they said they'd handle it, Aaron couldn't very well nag them constantly. But when he checked back, they'd act all surprised to

hear the task was incomplete and would claim they needed to check with others. After sinvestigation, they'd realize they had

simply forgotten, followed by profuse apologies and renewed promises. And so the circle went, and by the tanything got done,

the opportunity had already cooled like yesterday's dinner.

That's why Aaron disliked asking Brandon for help, especially with significant matters.

Turning to Daniel and Patricia was a lot more reliable.

Both were proud and likely didn’t want to lose face in front of their less affluent relatives. They often went out of their way once he

asked, perhaps to show off their clout.

So Aaron preferred to deal with them exclusively, but he never expected Daniel to be laid up with cerebral hemorrhage at such a

critical time, and it wasn't his place to bust in.

But he couldn't afford to wait either.

After several days of frustration and two fruitless visits to Daniel, which were stopped at the elevator by Daniel's bodyguard with

the spolite refusal, Aaron was at his wit’s end.

Just when he thought he couldn't get any more stressed, the Frost Group published a list of qualified bidders, from which his

company’s nwas absent.

That news got Aaron up from his restless seat. He couldn’t worry if Brandon was reliable or not, and grabbed his phone to call him

right away.

However, the call was diverted to Brandon's subordinate, Kent.

"Mr. Crawley's in a meeting. What can | do for you, Mr. Yearwood?"

Kent's voice on the other end was as annoyingly polite and smiley as ever.

Aaron wasn't keen on dealing with Kent, but he couldn't fault him for anything. Thus, he maintained his decorum and politely said,

"I need to speak with my brother-in-law. Any idea when his meeting will wrap up?"

"It’s hard to say," Kent was still playing Mr. Nice Guy. "The meeting is crucial. Mr. Crawley might be tied up for a while. If you have

any urgent matter, | can pass on the message for you."

Aaron conveyed his request, "Please tell him that I'd like to have dinner with him tonight, at 7 p.m. at the Seven Stars restaurant."

"Mr. Crawley's out of town on business, I'm afraid that would be inconvenient," Kent replied regretfully. "However, | could relay your

message, and when Mr. Crawley's back and free, he can arrange another twith you."

Aaron frowned hard, "He's out of town? Since when? How long is he gone for?"

"He left today." Kent was telling the truth; Brandon had indeed left for a business trip that day with him.

"We are unsure when he'll be back," Kent added.

The response left Aaron's worry lines deepened.

He feared that by the tBrandon returned, the bidding would be over.

"All right, I'll see what | can do. Thanks, Kent."

Aaron hung up. He let out a heavy sigh, threw his phone on the couch, propped his hands behind his head, and stretched out,

staring at the ceiling, stewing in his woes.

Haley cout of another room, dressed as if about to leave.

"I'm stepping out for a while. Tell your Mom not to worry about my dinner when she gets back."

As he briefed Aaron, he sat down to slip on his shoes.

Aaron glanced over, noticing he was putting on sformal leather shoes.

"Where are you going?" he asked with curiosity.

Since Haley's accident, he had been recuperating at home, unable to return to his previous work in renovations. His outings had

been limited to short walks in the nearby park.

This was the first the'd made such an effort to go out.

"I've got a dinner date with your sister and will check in on her kid as well," Haley said, and then turned to remind Aaron, "Don't

mention it to your mom; it will only stir up trouble."

"Sophia?" Aaron shot upright with a sudden jolt of excitement, "You've got dinner with Sophia?"

Haley was startled by his sudden burst, "What's the big deal?"

"I'm coming with you," Aaron declared, swiftly heading to change, "Just wait a second."

Haley was uneasy, "What for?"

"What harm could there be in joining my sister for dinner?" Aaron said while rummaging for clothes, half-turning to Haley, "Dad,

can you stop overreacting? When have | ever caused Sophia trouble?"

That made sense to Haley.

Aaron had been an early bloomer in love and paid little attention to his sister. Most older brothers were similar, he thought.

Although he resented Sophia in their youth for sharing the affection of their parents and wasn't always the kindest brother, things

changed as they grew up—especially after Aaron fell in love and devoted himself to his romantic relationships instead.

Haley had hoped to see a harmonious sibling relationship in the Yearwood family. As their father, he naturally wanted his kids to

get along and support each other, so he nodded and urged Aaron, "Hurry up then, I'll wait for you."

"Got it."

Aaron responded impatiently and slammed his bedroom door. He reemerged shortly after, looking quite presentable—which was

rare for a visit with Sophia—and Haley felt a pang of reassurance.

"Your sister has had it tough since she was little. Be nice to her," Haley couldn't help but advise Aaron, "She only has one brother,

and if you don't look out for her, who can she rely on?"

"What's tough about her life?" Aaron dismissed the notion, "She never lacked food or clothes. Despite our family's struggles, you

and my mom worked hard to put her through university. She got into a top high school, and you didn't hesitate to support her. How

many girls like her ended up working in factories or getting married? If you hadn't insisted on sending her to that high school, she

wouldn't have the life she has now with Brandon."

"That was due to her own efforts; she did well, and the school offered her scholarships to attend. We just had to provide a little for

her living expenses—of course, we had to let her go," Haley said, with a touch of pride, " We owe it to her intelligence and success

that she could help with buying a house even before graduating. Otherwise, you and Barbara would struggle to make ends meet

when you were newlyweds, and wouldn't be living so comfortably or thinking about kids. Being grateful and content is part of life's

wisdom."

"The cause precedes the effect. Without us, she wouldn't have her successes and her present life," Aaron glanced at his watch,

"Let's go."

Haley shook his head with a resigned sigh and left the house with Aaron.

This dinner had been arranged during a previous call with Sophia.

Sophia had happened to be free that day and agreed to meet outside for a meal.

Haley had originally planned to have Sophia bring her kid home, as a sort of housewarming. They had moved to a new place, but

she hadn't been back since. But thinking that Laura would fuss every tshe saw Sophia, he opted to meet outside instead.

Upon their arrival, Sophia and her daughter Theresa were already waiting at the table.

Aaron parked the car outside while Haley walked into the restaurant ahead. The moment he stepped into the restaurant, Haley

spotted Sophia and Theresa sitting at a table, engaged in sfun little game.

Haley felt a lump in his throat as he looked on at the little girl, seated so properly, the spitting image of her mother, Sophia.

Although he knew that Sophia had a child, the sight of them sitting together, actually side by side, filled his heart with a

bittersweet sense of pride and emotion.

Sophia caught sight of Haley and stood up.

“Dad,” she called out to him. Noticing the redness edging his eyes as he gazed at Theresa, she softly introduced, “This is my

daughter, Theresa.”

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After the introduction, she softly told Theresa, “This is Grandpa.”

With a look of curiosity, Theresa glanced at Haley and obediently called out, “Hi, Grandpa.”

“Hey,” Haley choked up, “You are such a good girl, Theresa.”

“Dad, take a seat,” Sophia invited him to sit down.

It was then that Haley remembered Aaron was still outside parking the car, and he hadn't mentioned Aaron's visit to Sophia ahead

of time.

“Oh, your brother calong too,” Haley quickly added.

At that, Sophia paused.

Just then, Aaron walked in from outside.

“Sophia,” he greeted her casually.

Sophia turned to Haley, “Dad, didn’t | say you could cby yourself?”

Haley felt a bit embarrassed, “Your brother wanted to calong. | thought there’s nothing wrong with siblings having a meal

together as a family?”

“Yeah, it's just a dinner, don’t get all wound up,” Aaron chimed in, somewhat displeased. He pulled up a chair and sat down, then

looked at Sophia, “I'm not going to bite you, am 1?”

Sophia pressed her lips together and remained silent.

Aaron, making himself right at home, then grabbed the menu, ordered a bunch of dishes in one go. After setting the menu down,

he playfully addressed Theresa, “Hey little one, remember your uncle? Say ‘Hello, uncle.”

Theresa was a bit wary of him and edged closer to Sophia.

Sophia had to whisper soothingly, “Don’t be afraid, Theresa. This is your uncle.”

After a hesitant look at Sophia for reassurance, Theresa finally managed a timid “Hello, uncle” to Aaron.

“There you go, such a sweetheart!” Aaron praised her with a laugh and swiftly pulled out a bank card from his suit pocket, “Here's

a gift for you.”

Theresa was hesitant to accept it but still murmured a quiet, “Thank you, Uncle.”

Sophia pushed the card towards Aaron, "Keep it, the little one doesn't need it."

“It’s for the kid, not you. There's no tradition of not giving a gift at our first meeting.”

Aaron insisted as he stood up and firmly placed the card in Theresa's hand.

Theresa turned to Sophia with uncertainty.

Sophia had to force a smile for her and softly said, “We thank Uncle, but we can’t accept his gift.”

After saying this, Sophia once again pushed the card back to Aaron.

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