The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate



"Ms. Barlow, long time no see."

Observing the varied expressions of the people staring at him, Brandon greeted them with a neutral expression.

Dennis managed a smile, "Yes, Mr. Crawley, long time no see."

Brandon's gaze fell on his rather pale face, "Ms. Barlow seems to be in a hurry. Where are you heading?"

"It's... there's this pretty important meeting, I'm about to be late," Dennis said with a strained smile.

"Is that so?" Brandon's lips curled slightly, but his eyes had already shifted to Jerry, who was watching him with confusion.

Jerry had participated in the search and rescue on the night of Sophia's incident and had crossed paths with Brandon. He thought highly of him, seeing him as a boss who didn't put on airs and showed gratitude toward his employees. Especially since Brandon didn't point fingers after the accident and even doubled the pay for those who helped with the search efforts, Jerry held Brandon in high regard, even harboring the sneaky suspicion that Brandon was a somewhat naïve and wealthy benefactor.

Jerry had rubbed elbows with plenty of rich kids who had their parents' money to play boss without any real skills. He assumed Brandon was one of this sort.

But as a mere construction worker, Jerry hadn't had the chance to interact with Brandon since that day.

He was keen on making connections with wealthy but gullible individuals, as they were easy to handle. So when Brandon looked his way, Jerry, with a sycophantic smile, eagerly greeted him, "Mr. Crawley." Brandon gave a faint nod, "Aren't you busy at the construction site? What brings you here?"

The words clearly showed he remembered him.

Jerry was a bit surprised, but he couldn't very well openly say why he was there the taxi driver said Dennis and Gordon wanted to see him, and he had yet to ask them why. He cut off work with a family excuse, and he couldn't risk Brandon's cross-checking his story with Tomas. Weighing his options, he chose what he believed to be a safe response to Brandon, "Just here to have a meal with friends."

He figured someone like Brandon wouldn't press further, just making small talk. But Brandon glanced at him and zeroed in, "A meal with Ms. Barlow and Mr. Barlow?"

His voice was casual, almost indifferent, making it hard to discern the intention behind his words.

Jerry was startled, instinctively looking at Dennis.

Fearing Jerry would admit to it, Dennis quickly chimed in with a smile, "No way, we just..."

Marian cut in at the perfect moment, "Dad, so you already had plans? Why didn't you tell me earlier? I thought you'd be bored alone in the hotel, so I came here to keep you company even on a sick leave."

Her voice conveyed confusion and a playful complaint.

Brandon glanced at her.

Marian's expression seemed to playfully reproach Dennis for not informing her of his schedule earlier, but in reality, she was reminding him not to deny knowing Jerry. After all, he did not hide the fact that he had been recording them on his phone; anyone with a quick mind wouldn't further incriminate themselves by denying it so blatantly at this point.

However, admitting an acquaintance Jerry didn't mean admitting to any shady dealings.

In dealing with unexpected situations, Marian was far smarter and more perceptive than Dennis.

Dennis caught on, followed Marian's lead, "I didn't make any appointments."

He even threw a glance Jerry's way.

Jerry got the hint and added with a smile, "The lady's got it wrong; I wasn't here to see your dad. We just happened to run into each other at the entrance."

Brandon looked at Jerry and Dennis, "So, you two aren't familiar with each other?"

Dennis responded with a smile, "We've met at a gathering once, wouldn't say we're close."

"Is that so?"

With three soft words, Brandon quickly tapped his phone screen, and out came Jerry and the driver's conversation:

Jerry (surprised): "Ms. Barlow wants to see me? Why would he want to see me at this time? Isn't this the worst time for a casual meet-up?" Driver (calmly): "You'll know once you get there."

Jerry: "I'll call Mr. Barlow to ask. He clearly said we shouldn't contact each other without a good reason..."

Jerry's face went ashen.

Brandon stopped the recording, eyeing Jerry, "Didn't you say you weren't here to see Mr. Barlow?"

"It was not me who came looking for Mr. Barlow; he had someone bring me here," Out of fear, Jerry instinctively countered.

"Nonsense. When did I ever have someone bring you here?" Dennis instinctively retorted, too.Content held by NôvelDrama.Org.

Brandon glanced at them with an unfazed look, "It was me who had Jerry brought here."

Jerry and Dennis were lost for words. Both looked at Brandon in fear.

Marian subconsciously clenched her phone, using it to mask her fear while maintaining a puzzled expression as if she understood nothing.

Brandon didn't bother with Marian; he kept his cool gaze on Dennis and Jerry, "Would you two rather walk in on your own, or shall I escort you in myself?"

Dennis mustered a forced smile, "Mr. Crawley, what kind of joke is this? Where would we be going?"

After saying that, unable to restrain

himself, he scolded Jerry, "I barely know you. Don't drag me into your

mess. Just because someone fooled you doesn't mean you can spout nonsense. I don't even know that driver."

5

Jerry's expression wasn't any rosier, but Brandon's upfront admission of

deceiving him made Jerry very

uneasy,

unsure whether he should

agree with Dennis or continue

denying everything.

"No need to dither over it, it doesn't matter whether you admit it or not."

Brandon spoke calmly, "I'm not here to watch you cook up a story together. I just needed to confirm my suspicions, to avoid misjudgment."

With that, Brandon's attention

shifted to Marian, his eyes drifting,

intentionally or unintentionally, to

Jared, who was silent and

bewildered looking, with a coldness

growing in his eyes. Content belongs

Jared kept his head down, not daring to look at Brandon. Even the occasional glances he cast toward Marian were utterly devoid of recognition.

That kind of unfamiliarity couldn't be feigned.

He genuinely didn't know Marian.

Clearly, Marian's intelligence over Dennis wasn't limited to handling sudden situations.

The chill in Brandon's eyes was getting more intense.