Chapter 109
Brandon shot him a glance. “Spit it out.”
Kent cautiously eyed his expression. “Should I really spill the beans? If I step out of line, please go easy on me.”
“I won’t.”
Kent was speechless
Don elbowed Kent. “Just come out with it, man. Why you beating around the bush?”
Kent cleared his throat, looked over at Brandon who had turned his attention back to work, and felt it was time to bite the bullet
while Don was there to back him up. So he addressed Brandon. “Mr. Crawley.”
Brandon was flipping through reports and didn’t look up, simply responded with one word. “Speak.”
“Did you run into Ms. Yearwood at the hospital?”
Brandon’s hand paused on the report, he tilted his head slightly and gave Kent a look. “You knew she’s back in town?”
“Did she contact you?” he asked.
The light questions and the chilly gaze made Kent instantly recall the incident two years ago when Sophia asked him to convey a message to Brandon about returning money. At that time, he carelessly called her “Sophia” and said, “Mr. Crawley, Sophia’s on the line.” What he got in return was the same kind of icy stare and a bone-chillingly calm remark, “Since when are you and Ms. Yearwood on a first-name basis?” That look, paired with his slowly measured tone, made Kent’s spine tingle.
This time, to avoid any suspicion, he had carefully referred to Sophia as “Ms. Yearwood,” but it seemed he still couldn’t dodge the scrutiny in that gaze and tone.
Feeling the weight of Brandon’s stare, Kent quickly waved his hands to show his innocence.
“Why would she contact me for no reason?” Kent chuckled nervously, carefully choosing his words, “Aren’t you off your game today?”
Don, intrigued, raised an eyebrow, looked at Brandon, then back at Kent. “What’s the deal here?”
Kent didn’t dare cater to Don’s gossip, his eyes still nervously fixed on Brandon.
Brandon still had that calm, side-glancing look.
“Go on,” he said.
Since the conversation had already started, Kent had no choice but to plow ahead. “Every time you’ve been off these past two years, it’s been about Ms. Yearwood. And since you visited her dad at the hospital yesterday, I thought maybe you bumped into
her there.”
And that it got under your skin again.
Kent didn’t dare to voice that last part..
Don seemed to catch on. “Who’s Ms. Yearwood?”
Kent sneaked a glance at Brandon. “Mr. Crawley’s wife.”
He just couldn’t bring himself to say “ex-wife.”
Don blurted out. “Didn’t you guys get a divorce?”
Realizing he might be betraying Kent’s confidence, he regretted it instantly and smacked his own mouth.
Kent pretended not to hear, maintaining a humble posture as if waiting for Brandon’s orders, trying not to draw fire onto himself.
But his humility was in vain.
Brandon glanced at him, and even without saying a word, his look made Kent’s legs go weak.
Brandon didn’t speak; just looked at him.
Kent wasn’t great at handling that kind of gaze from Brandon.
Feeling the psychological pressure reach its peak, he suddenly found the courage to break and speak his mind.
Kent coughed lightly. “The other day, when I went to pick up Mr. Dempsey, I accidentally let something slip.”
As he spoke, he looked at Brandon. He had been holding back for two years and decided to take advantage of this burst of
boldness to get it all off his chest. “Mr. Crawley, I’ve always been someone who speaks his mind, and I’ve been bottling this up for
two years. I’m just going to lay it out today. I don’t know what went down between you and Ms. Yearwood, but it’s clear, you’re not over her. If you can’t let go, why not just win her back? It’s no big deal, girls need a bit of sweet talk. You’re not going to get your wife back with that attitude.”
Brandon glanced at him. “What’s it to you?”
Kent was stumped, his audacity fading, and his voice grew weaker.
“It’s really none of my business. But I’ve been worried about you these past two years.” He looked at Brandon earnestly, “To be honest, I miss the way you used to be. Unflappable, unaffected by anyone or anything at any time.”
Brandon’s hand paused on the documents, seemingly lost in thought.
Kent suddenly worried he might have gone too far and was pondering how to make amends when Brandon looked at him.
“It’s my issue. You’ve all had a tough couple of years because of me,” he said, his voice very calm.
This was not the turn of events Kent had expected, and he was momentarily stunned.
Brandon had already rolled up the report gently, tapping it against his hand, his expression serene.
Kent had a feeling that the Brandon of two years ago had returned.
“Kent,” Brandon said, looking at him with a calm and composed gaze, “no one is clinging to anyone here, and nobody’s life depends on someone else.”
Don heartily agreed with this and chimed in. “I’m with you on that. Just because there’s a divorce doesn’t mean it’s anybody’s fault; maybe they’re just not right for each other. It’s best if both parties are well.”
Brandon didn’t respond.
Don continued. “Sometimes what we call not being able to let go isn’t about deep feelings; it’s just habit, or being stuck in memories and not willing to move on. But in the end, it’s often because you haven’t met someone new.”
Don looked at Brandon. “Have you considered meeting other girls, starting over? You’ve been divorced for two years; it’s fine to find someone new.”
Then he remembered Yolanda. “Yolanda’s back, you know. Maybe you could think about Yolanda.”
“There’s no Yolanda,” Brandon cut him off coldly.
Don didn’t sweat it too much, thinking Brandon and Yolanda just had some cobwebs to clear after not seeing each other for ages. Plus, Yolanda had changed quite a bit since she was a kid, and even Don was struggling to wrap his head around the change. So, Brandon would naturally need some time to adjust.
So, with a chuckle, Don teased Brandon, “No worries, man. How about I play matchmaker for you and set you up on a blind date?”
Kent jumped in before Don could finish, “Mr. Crawley doesn’t need any set-ups.”
But before he could get all the words out, Brandon was already looking at Don and replied coolly, “Sure, let’s go for it.”
Kent stared at Brandon in shock.
The Brandon he knew might have gone off the rails occasionally because of Sophia over the past couple of years, but most of the time, he was on a totally different wavelength from us mere mortals.
The idea of Brandon going on a blind date sounded so out of place, it was downright jarring.
“Mr. Crawley,” he called out, unsure, “You good?”
“What could possibly be wrong with me?” Brandon’s voice was nonchalant, “It’s all just habit. There’s no habit you can’t break. What’s the difference who you’re with, anyway?”
Kent didn’t know what to say.
Kent kinda regretted bringing it up.
