The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 228

Brandon watched with regret, his voice softening involuntarily, "I'm sorry. It's my bad. How about I make it up to you with a new one?"

The little girl, pouting, hesitated as she looked at Brandon, wanting to nod but too cautious to do so. She glanced back toward where she came from, as if looking for someone.

Instinctively, Brandon followed her gaze.

A tall and plump woman was hurrying toward them, the same one he had seen before in Wye City with the girl.

Brandon gave her a once-over.

The woman clearly recognized him too, offered an awkward smile at him, and moved forward to pick up Theresa.

Theresa, feeling wronged, pointed to the broken balloon on the ground, "Balloon's busted."

Brandon looked at the tall, plump woman, "Sorry about that, I wasn't paying attention and accidentally stepped on the little one's balloon."

The woman smiled, "It's no big deal, just a balloon."

"I just promised her a new balloon," Brandon said, glancing outside, "I remember there's a mall right by the entrance, would it be alright if I take her to pick one out?"

The woman quickly waved her hands, "No need, children forget fast, she'll forget about it soon enough. It's just a balloon, after all."

"To us adults, it's just a balloon, but to a kid, it might be more," Brandon said. "I already made a promise to her."

Brandon then looked at Theresa, the little girl gazing at him with big, hopeful eyes.

"Just a few minutes," Brandon said to the woman, "It won't take long."

"Or if you're worried, feel free to wait here for me, and I'll go get it," Brandon added.

The woman looked at him with a touch of surprise, perhaps unsure why someone as well-dressed as he would go out of their way to buy a balloon for a kid, but after a moment’s hesitation, she nodded, "We’ll wait here then."

"Alright."

Brandon responded lightly, looking at Theresa, "Theresa, can you wait here for a sec? I will go and get you a balloon, okay?"

He remembered that her name was "Theresa" from asking last time.

Just as Brandon was about to get up, the little girl suddenly grabbed his pant leg in quickly.

Brandon turned back to look at her.

"I... wanna... go... too."

The little girl's voice came out in short bursts, milky and eager, her big watery eyes filled with longing.

Brandon paused, looking at her.

The woman, not knowing Brandon, hurried to pick up Theresa when she saw the child wanted to go with him.

"We've got balloons at home; we can get one from there. Let him go about his business, okay?"

To her surprise, the usually compliant little girl shook her head stubbornly, tears welling up her eyes again, looking pitifully at Brandon.

Brandon gave her a comforting look, then tentatively reached out his hand.

The little girl immediately climbed onto him, as if afraid being taken away. Once securely in Brandon's arms, she clung tightly to his neck, nestling her face affectionately in the crook of his neck.

Brandon couldn't help but hug her a little closer, then looked up at the tall, plump woman, but his attention was captured as he saw Sophia and Ivan turning the corner not far behind her.

Sophia instinctively looked up and paused when she saw Brandon.

Her gaze slowly moved to Theresa, who was snugged against his neck, and then back to Brandon.

Brandon's expression had already turned cold.

He glanced at her, then at Ivan beside her, and without another word, turned away.

Seeing Theresa being carried off, the plump woman gave an anxious look back toward Sophia.

Sophia, after a moment’s hesitation, gestured for her to follow them.

The woman hurried to catch up.

Soon, they were far away.

Sophia stood there, staring at the backs of Brandon and Theresa.

The little girl was still affectionately perched on his shoulder, her small arms tightly wrapped around, without even looking up.

Ivan looked at Sophia with a complex of emotions.

"You alright?"

Sophia snapped back to the present, shook her head slightly, and then took out her phone to send a message to Grace: [No need to disturb them, just follow.]

After sending it, she turned to Ivan, somewhat apologetically, "Ivan, sorry, but I won’t able to keep you for dinner."

Ivan just smiled, "That’s fine."

His purpose was to see her today, to apologize for last night's incident and to further confirm her intentions.

He had arrived just a short while ago and had come upon Sophia and Grace playing with Theresa downstairs. Not wanting the little ones to hear their conversation, Sophia had asked Grace to watch the kid while she talked with him in one of the complex’s pavilions.