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Chapter 99
This Brandon really freaked Kent out.
Brandon might have been frosty, but at least he was even–tempered.
Now, there was a mean streak hiding beneath his cool facade, a ruthless and fierce edge to him.
After he finished trashing the living room, Brandon finally reacted.
“Clean up the living room and just wing it with the decorations,” he said, already grabbing his suitcase and. heading out without a hint of planning to stay.
The whole “just wing it” comment left the decorators scratching their heads, not sure how to play it. They all looked at Kent, seeking guidance.
Kent was just as clueless and didn’t dare double–check with Brandon.
“Just slap something together,” he eventually said, extending Brandon’s vague instructions before chasing after
him.
He drove Brandon back to his pad of the last two years, sneaking peeks at him through the rearview mirror
from time to time.
Brandon’s face remained cool and composed throughout the drive.
When they reached his doorstep, Brandon simply told Kent in a flat tone to head home and get some rest before pushing his suitcase ahead and walking off.
Kent never mustered the courage to ask what went down between Brandon and Sophia, or why Brandon seemed so changed upon his return.
In the following days, Brandon seemed to revert to his old self–working like a maniac, polite and courteous to others, but keeping everyone at arm’s length with an indifferent chill.
But Kent could still tell something was off. Brandon used to throw himself into his work with passion. Now, he seemed more like a walking dead, just going through the motions.
This change in Brandon had Kent worried, but he felt helpless and didn’t even dare to ask why.
He and Brandon were close, but Brandon wasn’t the type to open up, so asking him would be pointless
Luckily, a few days later, Don returned from abroad.
Kent was tight with Don and knew he and Brandon were close.
He remembered Don was also in Wye City, and figured Brandon must have crossed paths with him. Unsure whether Don knew what was up with Brandon, Kent cautiously asked Don on the way back from the airport, “Did Mr. Crawley run into something over in Wye City?”
“Nothing at all.”
Don said, baffled by the question. “What could’ve happened to Mr. Crawley?”
“It’s just that Mr. Crawley seems off since he came back, Kent said carefully. “Like something shook him up?”
“Really?” Don perked up, turning to face him. “Like what?”
Kent replied, “He’s redoing his matrimonial home that he smashed up. I’ve never seen him like this, not even during his divorce. Who suddenly decides to erase all traces of their ex–wife two years after the fact?”
“Hold on,” Don caught on to something crucial. “Brandon got divorced?”
Kent looked at him in surprise, “You didn’t know?”
Don shook his head. He was clueless.
He’d asked about Brandon’s wife a few times, but Brandon never mentioned a divorce.
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Kent figured Brandon wanted to keep it under wraps and regretted spilling the beans, “Mr. Crawley probably didn’t want it getting out. Pretend you never heard about it, keep it to yourself.”
Don chuckled at Kent’s remorseful face, “Relax, I won’t rat you out. And even if I did, Brandon wouldn’t hold it
against you.”
Kent grimaced, knowing it wasn’t about Brandon holding a grudge. It was about him gossiping behind people’s backs, which was indeed the case.
“But,” Don pondered, “there was nothing unusual about Brandon in Wye City. Although, he did space out looking at a little girl over a year old during lunch. He left in a hurry without eating, no idea what he rushed off to.”
“A little girl over a year old?” Kent paused, his eyes widening as he looked at Don, “Could it be Mr. Crawley’s daughter?”
Before he could dwell on it, Don slapped him on the shoulder.
“What are you thinking? The little girl was with her mom, and Brandon didn’t seem to know her.”
Kent’s look of shock quickly fizzled out, realizing how unlikely it would be to randomly bump into his own kid halfway around the world.
Seeing Kent’s worried face, Don couldn’t help but tease him. “You’re just an employee, yet you’re taking on his parental worries as well. Even his own parents aren’t this concerned.”
“Give me a break. He’s the one paying my salary. If he’s gone, where am I going to find such an easy, high–paying job where I can throw my weight around?” Kent turned to Don, “Seriously, Mr. Crawley’s been off since he came back from Wye City. Help me out and nudge him a bit, tell him not to keep things bottled up. We might not be able to solve his problems, but we can be his sounding board. Brooding too much is bad for your health.
Don glanced at him with amusement, “Why don’t you tell him that yourself?”
Kent replied, “He’s my boss, after all. I can’t just say to his face, ‘Boss, keep sulking and you’ll shorten your lifespan.”
He couldn’t help but roll his eyes at Don.
Don laughed, “Alright, I keep an eye out.”
But giving advice wasn’t really his strong suit. He had his own gripes to share with Brandon.
That night, when he met up with Brandon, Don forgot all about Kent’s request and casually mentioned while pouring Brandon a drink, “I gave away the design director position at the joint venture.”
Brandon, who had been lost in thought, glanced at him, “To that girl?”
Don nodded, “Yes, I’ve already told her.”
Brandon chuckled, but his eyes didn’t share the amusement. Clearly, he wasn’t on board with the decision.
To him, it seemed like Don was making a foolish move, blinded by beauty.
“Is she that beautiful?” Brandon asked.
Don nodded, “Yeah, really pretty. Innocent and classy. And most importantly!
He wanted to say “talented,” but before he could get the words out, Brandon cut him off. “If you’re smitten by a pretty face, go the extra mile and put a ring on it. Why gamble with the company’s future?”
Don was speechless.
Brandon looked at him, “I don’t agree with using her,”
The company isn’t a tool for you to woo women with,” Brandon added, his face dead serious.
Don glanced at him, “Where’s your head at? If I could charm her with the company I wouldn’t be here hashing it
Chapter 99
out with you. Chill, she didn’t even agree herself, so no need for your blessing.”
Brandon raised an eyebrow, a bit taken aback.
He thought the position of Design Director at the Starlight Group would be a huge draw for someone fresh out of school, even if it was just for a subsidiary.
Don saw the surprise on Brandon’s face, “Right? The Design Director gig is super tempting. She’d get to work back in her home country, rake in a fat paycheck, and land straight into a director’s chair – a dream job loads of folks can’t even snag. Why isn’t she jumping at it?”
This really got Don’s goat. He figured Sophia wasn’t biting because the offer wasn’t sweet enough. He had already agreed with Brandon to wait until Sophia’s design proposal was in before deciding whether to appoint her as Design Director. But eager to lock Sophia down, Don jumped the gun, all giddy about offering her the position, only to get rejected.
“Thank you for the generous offer, but my experience and skills are limited, and I’m not up for such an important role.”
Even her excuses for turning it down sounded so official and insincere.
He just couldn’t fathom why Sophia would turn her nose up at this job.
no
Out there on her own, as a greenhorn fresh out of school, if she walked away from his company, there was no guarantee she’d find such a great opportunity elsewhere.
“To each their own.” Faced with Don’s frustration, Brandon simply remarked. He had never been on board with handing such a crucial position to a newbie. The refusal suited him just fine – everyone’s happy.
But Don didn’t see it that way, “Look, this girl’s really got the chops and the drive, humble and not full of herself. Most importantly, we’re on the same page, get along like a house on fire, and working together has been a blast. We need people like her to solidify our foothold domestically. Help me figure out how to make her stay.”
Brandon gave him a look, “With the large population of Zenithia, are you seriously worried about not finding someone else who’s talented, compatible, and a good fit? If she’s not keen, why are you so keen on her?
Don was speechless.
No, he came to Brandon for ideas, not to be talked out of it.
But Brandon’s attention had already shifted to the vibrating phone on the table.
Don glanced at the phone too, his brow furrowing in confusion at the name “Aaron Yearwood,” instinctively looking back at Brandon.
Brandon also stared at the name on the phone, momentarily lost, but then he composed himself and picked up the call.
“Hello?” His voice was calm, almost indifferent.
“Brandon, something urgent has happened to my dad,” Aaron’s voice came through, frantic with urgency.
“What happened?”
