The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 554

Brandon scooped her up and pulled her in close, gently patting her back and whispering soothing words, feeling a pang of guilt eating him up inside. He hadn't expected Theresa to wake up in the middle of the night, let alone be freaked out by it.

Before Sophia's accident, Theresa had always slept like a log till dawn. Sophia's sudden exit hit both him and Theresa like a ton of bricks.

Even though she consoled herself in her letter, saying that her stint on earth was perhaps just to repay all the karmic debts she owed, and once squared, she could ascend back to her own world, that wasn't the ending she deserved.

This was the result of someone's foul play.

She would never have willingly cut ties with him and left Theresa to face the world all alone. The moment she decided to bring Theresa into the world, sticking around to see her grow up was part of the plan. But someone's malice had stripped her of that right and robbed Theresa of the happy life she was meant to have.

Brandon's hand, resting on Theresa's shoulder, started to move more slowly, and beneath his lowered eyelids, his eyes turned icy cold.

Kent, standing to the side, caught the sharp chill crystallizing in Brandon's eyes. It was the look of hate pushed to the extreme, of ruthlessness personified.

He knew all too well that the old Brandon, cool and calm as distant mountains and rivers, might be gone for good.

Sophia was the warmth underpinning all his tenderness. With her gone, it was like his soul had been yanked out.

But seeing Brandon now, with that intense ruthlessness in his eyes, Kent would rather deal with this Brandon than the one who was too pained to speak earlier. At least this way, there was something fueling him to keep going.

"Any news from the construction site these past few days?"

Watching Theresa slowly fall asleep on his shoulder with his comforting, Brandon finally spoke up. His voice was still hoarse but carried a hint of venom as he deliberately lowered it.

"Nothing yet." Kent whispered back, careful not to wake the now peacefully sleeping Theresa, "Everyone's sticking to the site for now, but there are some restless ones."

"Give me the list," Brandon said.

"Sure thing." Kent nodded, noticing Brandon still looked under the weather and couldn't help but urge, "Mr. Crawley, you should get some rest tonight. Take care of yourself first. I've got people keeping an eye on things; no one's going anywhere. You and Theresa really need a good night's sleep."

He hadn't forgotten the grave look on the ER doctor's face when asked how long it had been since Brandon had slept. After Sophia's disappearance, Brandon had collapsed twice from sheer exhaustion, a so-called self-preservation mechanism kicking in, but to put it bluntly, he was dancing on the edge of sudden death, and Kent was genuinely scared for him.

"I know." Brandon murmured, glancing at Theresa asleep on his chest, then back at him, "You should head back and rest too. You've been through the wringer yourself."

Kent offered a smile, "What trouble could I have? It's just a phone call, and there’s a whole crew at our beck and call."

He looked at Brandon again, "You rest up, Mr. Crawley. I've got things covered here."

"No need."

Brandon didn't ask him to stay, nor was there a need to. He was well aware of how hard Kent had been working, "You go get some rest. I want some alone time with Theresa."

Kent couldn't say much when Brandon played the Theresa card, so he nodded, "Then give me a ring if you need anything, Mr. Crawley. I'll swing by tomorrow."