Chapter 110
He originally wanted to nudge Brandon to win Sophia back, but it totally backfired.
In his eyes, Sophia was ace – from her looks and vibe to her education and temperament, everything about her was top-notch and she seemed like the perfect match for Brandon.
This matchy-matchy vibe wasn’t just about looks, but also about how well their personalities clicked.
Marriage wasn’t always about opposites attracting; sometimes the most chill and comfy vibes when two were together can be the real deal.
With Sophia, Brandon was the most chill and at ease Kent had seen him since like, forever.
Kent had no clue if Brandon would ever find that kind of peace and calm with someone else.
But hey, life’s gotta move on.
From Brandon’s reaction, Kent figured Sophia must’ve cut the cord with more resolve, and it wasn’t a given that chasing her down would bring her back – he worried that Brandon might just go off the deep end.
He didn’t dare to shoot his mouth off any further, so he just chuckled and said to Brandon, “Yeah, well, Mr. Crawley, wish you can nail the blind date scene.”
Patricia just happened to be outside the office door and paused, giving a thoughtful look inside at Brandon.
Brandon didn’t bite on Kent’s teasing and just kept his cool, going over some documents.
Kent and Don were also in the office.
Patricia had meant to come over to smooth things over with Brandon, not expecting a crowd.
Playing it cool, Patricia didn’t step forward to interrupt, but she did take to heart Kent’s comment about “wish you can nail the blind date scene,” deciding to hang back in the lounge and wait. When Kent passed by, she called out to him.
“Kent.”
Kent turned, a bit surprised, and seeing Patricia sipping coffee in the booth, he approached with a smile, “Mrs. Crawley, what brings you here?”
“I had something to discuss with Mr. Crawley, but you guys seemed tied up in a meeting, so I didn’t intrude,” Patricia explained with her usual grace. “I overheard something about Mr. Crawley going on a blind date?”
Kent chuckled awkwardly, “Just a little joke. Mr. Crawley doesn’t need blind dates.”
But Patricia wasn’t buying the brush-off, “Who’s he meeting? What’s her name? What do her parents do?”
“It was really just a joke, there’s no one.”
“Kent,” Patricia put on a stern face.
Kent didn’t dare to play silly any longer and got serious.
“Mrs. Crawley, there really isn’t anyone,” Kent emphasized earnestly, “Mr. Dempsey was just joking about setting Mr. Crawley up on a blind date, that’s all, nothing else to it.”
Patricia pondered, “So Brandon agreed to this blind date?”
Kent was stuck on how to answer. Saying “yes” might drag Patricia into Brandon’s business, and saying “no” might just prolong the hassle.
Patricia saw right through his hesitation, “Alright, I was just asking. Look how worked up you got.”
With that, she left without making things harder for him.
Kent, watching Patricia walk away, let out a huge sigh of relief, patting his chest and exhaling before turning to leave, only to catch Brandon’s gaze through the office window.
Kent’s heart skipped a beat, not sure if Brandon had seen his chat with Patricia about the blind date stuff. After a moment’s thought, he decided to come clean.
“I just bumped into Mrs. Crawley outside. She kinda heard about you going on a blind date, so she casually asked me a few questions.”
Kent dutifully recounted his conversation with Patricia.
1/3
Brandon’s expression didn’t change, he just hummed indifferently, his eyes not even shifting from his computer screen to Kent, as if it was no big deal.
Kent was a bit lost about what Brandon was thinking.
Brandon finally spoke up, “You can go now.”
“Sure thing.” Kent, relieved to be off the hook, quickly left the office, making sure to close the door behind him.
Brandon didn’t look up, tapping a few keys on the keyboard, then paused, glancing at the time on the computer – it was six in the evening.
He lingered on the time for a moment, then silently shut down his computer and got up.
Passing the outer office, Kent happened to look up and called out in surprise, “Mr. Crawley, you’re off work?”
“Yeah.” Brandon’s voice was faint as he walked straight out, leaving everyone else exchanging puzzled looks.
Seeing Brandon clock out on time was rare indeed.
As Brandon stepped into the elevator and saw the surprise and confusion on the faces around him, he didn’t say anything, just pressed the elevator button..
The drive home was clogged with slow-moving traffic.
That’s why Brandon hated leaving on the dot – he wasn’t a fan of wasting time in traffic jams.
But today, he felt eerily calm, with occasional flashes of an indescribable emptiness – just like everyone else.
Brandon didn’t know why he chose this time to leave work.
Sophia had already said goodbye, probably wasn’t there anymore.
Heading home early or late, it didn’t really make a difference.
Logically, he knew he’d be facing an empty house, but still, his body chose to head home first.
When the car stopped in the underground garage, Brandon sat inside quietly for a while before finally locking up and stepping out. The elevator was a short walk from the garage.
Riding the elevator to his floor, Brandon pressed the code on the lock, pushed open the door, and started toward the living room, loosening his tie. Halfway there, he froze, eyes landing on Sophia who was coming out of the kitchen with a dish in hand.
Sophia, hearing him, looked up, not expecting Brandon to be home so soon. She felt a bit awkward too, “You’re back early?”
Brandon didn’t respond, just stood there, his gaze shifting from her face to the dish in her hands, then to the food on the table, and back to her slightly embarrassed expression.
“I thought about it and figured I should break the news to you in person,” she said, pursing her lips slightly. “You’ve been a huge help these past couple of days, and I haven’t had the chance to thank you face-to-face. I didn’t have much going on this afternoon, so I just whipped up a few dishes.”
“You haven’t eaten yet, have you?” Her voice softened as she asked.
“Nope.” Brandon finally spoke up, loosening his half-done tie.
“Then let’s eat first,” Sophia invited. “The food’s just off the stove, still hot.”
Brandon gave a light “Mhm” and headed to the dining table.
Sophia had already dished up a plate for him.”
“I didn’t make much, hope you don’t mind,” she said, taking a seat at the table.
Brandon pulled out a chair and sat down, glancing at the spread. The table was filled with hearty, homemade dishes, all her specialties.
Brandon looked at her. “The food’s great, thanks.”
Sophia was a bit thrown off by Brandon’s sudden politeness and gave a small smile. “No problem.”
Brandon didn’t respond. He picked up some food with his chopsticks and started eating.
Sophia stayed quiet too, calmly eating her meal.
It was another silent dinner.
But unlike last night’s fast-food joint meal, tonight’s Brandon wasn’t waiting to settle scores after eating. He was just silently and
calmly enjoying his meal, more peaceful than ever.
In the end, it was Sophia who broke the silence. “I’ve booked a hotel already, I’m thinking of moving there after a while.”
Brandon looked at her. “I’ll drive you over.”
Sophia wanted to refuse, but she nodded in response to his gaze. “Alright, thanks for the trouble.”
