The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 197

When Brandon returned to the office, Kent could tell something was off with him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

His handsome face was still the usual calm, but beneath that calm, there was a silence as if a thousand rivers had quietly converged into the sea.

Kent couldn't quite describe it. This silence had been deepening ever since Brandon saw Sophia in the cafeteria, but clearly, he wasn't planning on shaking things up.

“When Brandon says he's let go, he might really mean it,” Kent thought to himself.

He didn't dare to ask out loud, but Brandon's demeanor made him feel a bit more hesitant to raise a ruckus.

Back in the office, Brandon dove into his work again. To Kent, it seemed like work was the wellspring of all his energy, the thing that could make him forget any discomfort.

While most people might let a bad mood affect their work, Brandon used work to heal his mood issues. But today, Brandon didn't stay late.

As soon as it was time to clock out, he shut down his computer and left.

This unusual behavior took Kent by surprise, prompting him to call out, "Mr. Crawley, you're heading out already?"

"Yep."

With a brief response, Brandon walked past Kent without a glance.

This time, he didn't go for the staff elevator; he took the executive lift straight down. The elevator glided smoothly from the top floor to the underground parking garage without a single stop or encountering anyone.

Brandon drove out of the underground garage, the cool summer breeze flowing through the car windows, carrying the residual warmth of the sun.

He drove aimlessly, feeling very calm but also very empty inside. Except for the two years he married Sophia, his life was mostly like it was now, calm and dull.

For him, time was just calendar pages flipping over, with no particular anticipation, but also no overly troubling issues. His life had always been as still as a pond, with no ripples of excitement.

As he drove past the architectural cafe in the suburbs, he thought of Zachary Gardner, Sophia's mentor.

He had some work interactions with Zachary a few years back, but since they were both busy, and Zachary was still teaching at Sophia's university, not living in the West district, their meetings were scarce, though their friendship remained.

Zachary had retired in the past couple of years, busy with Building Society stuff, and had recently moved back to settle in the West district.

The last time Brandon had reached out to him was when Sophia was about to drop the Zenitha-style resort project. He had called Zachary to persuade Sophia to reconsider.

This architectural cafe was Zachary's private villa, where he hosted work and social gatherings, and with Brandon's busy schedule, he rarely visited, never expecting to end up here by sheer chance today.

Brandon drove slowly, looking at the purple bougainvillea climbing over the iron fence, falling silent for a while. As he passed the gate, he turned the wheel and drove into the yard.

Zachary was at home, alone in the room, sipping coffee next to a newly constructed architectural model.

He was examining the model over his coffee when Brandon walked in, and he looked pleasantly surprised as he stood up immediately, "Brandon? What brings you by today?"

He said as he got up to greet him.