Chapter 118
“What’s going on here?” Don stammered, his eyes darting back and forth between Brandon’s chilly demeanor and Sophia, who had her back turned to him. “Weren’t we all just on a first-name basis with you two? How did we jump to divorce and kids in the blink of an eye?”
Brandon remained silent, his eyes still fixed on Sophia’s back.
Sophia had stopped in her tracks but didn’t turn around. She stood silently, her posture rigid, her silhouette slender and upright, not uttering a word either.
Don, growing anxious for answers, looked to Brandon. “Brandon, spill it, what’s the deal with you and Sophia-what’s your relationship exactly?”
Brandon glanced at him. “She’s my wife.”
Don was shocked.
“You mean your wife?” Don felt like his heart was about to give out. “And you had the nerve to suggest I marry her?”
Brandon’s cold gaze swept over him. “Got the cheek to say that? Did the name ‘Sophia’ bite you or something? You’ve been yapping at me for days and not once did you mention the designer’s name. Did you?”
How was he supposed to know that a big-shot CEO like him would be mixed up with a designer from halfway across the world? He figured since he didn’t mention her name, Brandon would probably forget it as soon as he turned around, and he’d just have to repeat himself. Might as well just call her “the designer” to save the hassle.
Don remembered Brandon was divorced. He hadn’t forgotten the slip of the tongue from Kent. He recalled Kent saying, “Who the hell decides to erase traces of their ex-wife and renovate two years after a divorce?” And Brandon had just mentioned divorce
too.
He didn’t try to correct him. He just looked thoughtfully at Brandon and then back at Sophia.
Sophia had turned to face Brandon with the same calm and gentle expression she always had.
“Why does it have to be about fear?” she asked, her voice still soft. “Is it wrong for me to want to make a clean break from the past?”
“Have you truly cut ties?” Brandon asked, his voice quiet but frosty. “Sophia, be honest with me, is the child still around?”
Sophia bit her lower lip, not saying a word, but her eyes were already welling up with tears, her emotions suddenly spiraling out of control as they began to fall.
She raised her hand to wipe them away, but the more she wiped, the more fiercely they fell, and her silence turned into suppressed sobs.
Don was thrown into a panic, unsure whether to offer comfort or how to do so, and looked worriedly at Brandon.
Brandon stood still, watching Sophia without moving, his eyes reddening slightly, his gaze harder than ever.
Don was at a loss, not sure whether to intervene or walk away, his eyes filled with concern for Sophia.
Sophia continued to cry, trying desperately to stop but unable to, her emotions clearly out of control.
His anxious gaze shifted back to Brandon.
Brandon, however, had turned his head coldly away.
Don clearly saw the tension in Brandon’s jaw and the violent bobbing of his Adam’s apple.
He wanted to curse.
But before he could say a word, Brandon suddenly stepped forward, stopping in front of Sophia and then wrapping his arms around her, hugging the sobbing Sophia tightly.
Don really wanted to curse now.
What a mess.
But nobody was paying attention to him.
Brandon held Sophia, his palm gently stroking the back of her head, offering silent comfort.
After a while, Don heard Brandon’s hoarse voice. “I’m sorry.”
His apology did not elicit a response from Sophia.
But Don could clearly see that Sophia’s emotions were beginning to calm down, her sobbing ceasing.
Customers at the restaurant occasionally cast curious glances their way.
Don alone seemed to notice the gawkers, awkwardly waving his hands as if to say “nothing to see here,” while his eyes flickered back to Brandon and Sophia worryingly.
Brandon’s hand continued to gently stroke Sophia’s back.
“Sophia, I’m not trying to force you into anything,” Brandon finally spoke up. “You want to study, go ahead. You want to be a designer, do it. You think being single is happier than being married, then let’s get a divorce. But now, you’ve finished your studies, you’re doing what you love. You clearly adore the resort project, and you’ve put your heart and soul into it. But just because it happens to be related to me, you’re going to force yourself to give it up? What about the future?”
Brandon said this and gently let go of her, looking into her swollen eyes. “I’m in this industry too, and it’s inevitable that our paths will cross. Are you planning to give up every project that has something to do with me? What were all your efforts over the years for?”
Sophia didn’t speak, just sobbed quietly.
Her mind was a mess.
She had never imagined that she would cross paths with Brandon in her work so soon.
The world is vast. She couldn’t understand how, after going out and making a loop, she still couldn’t escape Brandon’s orbit.
She had thought that they might never meet again in their lifetimes, or if they did, by then they would each have their own families and lives. When they met again, they would be able to greet each other calmly, say “long time no see,” chat about their current situations, and then, after a polite exchange, calmly turn and walk away without any regrets or sadness because of the
other.
She had imagined all sorts of possibilities, but never this one, especially not in this project.
She truly loved the Zenithan-style resort project and was eager to see it realized. All the emotion and hard work she had put into it were filled with her hopes.
ཏ༤ ཙཅ ཧ ཝཿ༤ འཐཾ ཧ ཧཝཿཧཾ
And so, even after learning about Don’s relationship with Brandon, even though she had turned down Don’s offer to be the head designer, she had agreed to continue with the project.
She thought it was just one of many projects at Dempsey Architects, unrelated to Brandon. She never expected that Brandon would be the client in the end.
She suddenly felt like she was falling apart in that moment. It was like she was a kite in Brandon’s hands. No matter how high she flew, the end of the string was always tightly gripped by him. With just a slight tug on the rope, she’d have no choice but to drop back by his side.
On one hand, there was the burning desire to spread her wings, to turn her dreams into reality, and on the other, a fate she couldn’t shake off. Sophia was heartbroken and torn.
“Why does it have to be you again?” Sophia lifted her swollen, tear-streaked eyes, her emotions teetering on the edge of another breakdown, “Why is it still you? What do I have to do to not run into you?”
Brandon looked at her with a complex gaze, silent.
Even Don couldn’t help but shoot a worried glance at Brandon.
