The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 27

The girl looked up at him, puzzled. "Where did this bracelet come from? Of course, it's mine."

As she spoke, she twisted her wrist, trying to pull it back.

Brandon looked at her face. "What's your name?"

"Are you sick or something?" The girl was even more baffled. "Who asks for names the first time they meet? I don't even know you."

Brandon frowned slightly, sizing her up with his gaze.

The girl was young, around twenty-three or twenty-four, with delicate and pretty features. She had a slim and well-proportioned figure, wavy light brown hair, and was dressed in a simple yet chic outfit that screamed youthful fashion. Her demeanor was calm with a hint of playful boldness, but her face was completely unfamiliar to him.

Feeling Brandon's stare, she grew anxious. "Let go of me or I'm calling the cops."

Then she started shouting, "Help! There's a creep here!"

Only then did Brandon realize he was still holding her wrist through her sleeve, a reflex from his wandering thoughts.

"Sorry," he let go of her hand, glanced at the bracelet in her hand, then back at her face with a look of confusion and contemplation.

The girl eyed him warily and quickly withdrew her hand the moment she was free. She gave Brandon a look as if he was a nutcase, backing away towards the door and occasionally turning back to look at him in wonder.

Brandon didn't pursue her again and headed upstairs to his room. Once there, he called Kent to ask him to pull the hotel's lobby surveillance footage.

"Mr. Crawley, what do you need that for?" Kent asked, puzzled.

"Just send it over," Brandon didn't elaborate, "I need it in five minutes."

"Alright, I'm on it," Kent promised right away.

"And another thing," Brandon settled on the sofa, "check who Ivan Evert is."

"Huh?" Kent was completely bewildered. "Who's that now?"

"Just do it. I'll send over the basic info," Brandon instructed.

"Got it," Kent nodded.

Efficient as always, Kent quickly retrieved the surveillance footage and sent it to Brandon.

Brandon's eyes fell on the bracelet in her hand, the initials "SY" etched on it flickering in and out of view as she moved.

He furrowed his brow slightly and tapped his long fingers idly on the back of his phone, lost in thought.

At that moment, the doorbell rang.

Brandon glanced at the door and got up to answer it.

"Surprise?" As soon as the door opened, a handsome face with a big smile appeared, clearly in high spirits.

Compared to his excitement, Brandon was much more composed.

He let go of the doorknob, leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed, and glanced at the newcomer. "Who told you I was here?"

Don Dempsey's smile didn't fade. "Who else but your buddy Kent?"

He tried to push past Brandon into the room, but Brandon blocked the doorway with his leg, standing firm like a mountain, and asked, "He called you?"

"No way," Don didn't mind, still grinning from ear to ear, "I tried calling you when you were on the plane, but couldn't get through, so I called Kent instead. He said you were on a business trip, so I pried a little and found out you'd flown into Wye City. What a coincidence, since I'm also in Wye City. Of course, I had to take the chance to catch up for a drink. It's been ages since we last saw each other."

Don and Brandon had grown up together, from the same neighborhood, attending the same kindergarten, elementary, and middle school. It was only in high school that Don, the slacker, didn't reach the scholarly heights of Brandon, the brainiac, and they ended up at different schools. But that didn't affect their friendship. Brandon had always been a bit aloof, while Don was more outgoing. Don had initially been somewhat dismissive of Brandon, finding him too stiff and no fun, but his admiration for strength gradually drew him to Brandon, and he got used to Brandon's cool responses. Most importantly, Brandon was meticulous and considerate, with a keen and unique perspective. While others were still looking short-term, Brandon could think three steps ahead. Hanging with Brandon gave Don a sense of security.

Brandon might not be as loud and boisterous as Don when it came to friends, but he was sincere and righteous. Over the years, their friendship deepened in a subtle and profound way. After the test, when Don chose to study abroad due to not getting into a good university and spent most of his time abroad, they rarely see each other, but it never affected their bond.