The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

Chapter 23

The hotel was clad in steel-gray glass, a skyscraper with over fifty floors that exuded grandeur and high-class sophistication, matching its brand positioning to a tee.

Outside the hotel cars came and went Through the revolving glass doors, stylishly dressed folks were constantly coming in and out, with the clientele primarily consisting of young men and women

Sophia and Brandon had been married for quite some time now, but they had never stayed at the Starlight Hotel.

She hadn’t even set foot inside

All she knew was that the Starlight Hotel brand was Brandon’s efforts back in his university days.

While everyone else was still patting themselves on the back for making it through the exams and kicking back, while they were busy gaming, dating or joining clubs, Brandon was already diving headfirst into the family biz on top of his studies. He built the Starlight Hotel brand from the ground up, and in just a few years, he turned it into a world-class luxury hotel chain it was his golden ticket to taking the helm as the big boss of Starlight Group.

Back home. Sophia hadn’t seen much of Starlight Hotel-not because there were few of them, but because she hadn’t been out much in the past couple of years. And now, in this foreign land, stumbling upon a Starlight Hotel felt like a warm hug

Seeing familiar words on a street sign amidst a sea of foreign languages can give her that fuzzy feeling, all the more so when the brand had a special place in her life.

Sophia couldn’t help but crack a smile, her wandering heart finding a touch of solace in this familiarity, and she found herself drawn towards the hotel

The valets and the front desk staff at the entrance were Zenithans As Sophia approached, the security guard greeted her, Welcome.”

“Thank you,” Sophia responded with a smile, finding comfort here.

She didn’t go in, just peeked inside, and the sight of familiar Zenithan faces deepened the sense of nostalgia, as if she were back home, settling her restless heart even more.

The parking valet, noticing she didn’t seem to be heading in, asked with a grin, “Miss, looking for someone?”

Sophia shook her head and smiled, “Nope, just passing by and thought I’d take a gander.”

The valet smiled back. Feel free to come in and look around. Our hotel offers a free rest area and afternoon tea.”

“Thanks, but I’ll pass, Sophia smiled, declined politely, and bid farewell to the valet. As she turned to leave, a black Cayenne slowly drove past her. As it brushed by, Sophia instinctively glanced inside the car, and her gaze froze

Brandon, who was in the driver’s seat, happened to turn his head at the same time. Their eyes locked in mid-air.

There was no npple in Brandon’s deep gaze. After looking at her, he slowly shifted his gaze back to the road ahead, his chiseled profile cool and detached.

Sophia calmly withdrew her gaze as well and continued walking.

Brandon glanced at her in the rearview mirror. In the condensed reflection, Sophia had reached the corner and was hailing a taxi.

Brandon tumed his face away, his hand on the steering wheel drawing back before nimbly turning it, and the car headed towards Sophia.

Sophia watched as taxi after taxi passed by without any intentions of stopping.

Her place wasn’t far from here, if it were the old days, she’d just walk back

But she was in the early stages of pregnancy and didn’t dare to walk too much. After failing to flag down a couple of texts, she hesitated and couldn’t help but check her watch, then looked towards home, contemplating whether to just hoot it. The unexpected sighting of Brandon had left her a bit shaken, despite her calm exterior, and she didn’t want to

nger, though Brandon might have already entered the hote! All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

Still undecided, Sophia turned to leave when the familiar black Cayenne suddenly screeched to a halt beside her, its window rolling down to reveal Brandon’s cool and indifferent handsome face.

“Where to?” he asked, his voice as deep and mellow as Sophia remembered, steady as ever

Sophia was caught off guard, gesturing vaguely towards home, “Oh, I’m heading home.”

“I’ll give you a lift, Brandon said, with a click the car door unlocked, “Get in”

Sophia instinctively declined, “No need, it’s just around the corner”

But Brandon repeated firmly, “Get in

His tone was still even and calm, but the commanding presence in his voice softened Sophia’s resolve.

“Really, it’s not necessary. Sophia’s voice softened involuntarily. “I’m just around the corner”

Instead of replying, Brandon leaned over, opened the passenger door, and then looked at her, “Get in.”

Sophia hesitated, looking at him.

Brandon didn’t rush her, just patiently waited, giving off the vibe that he wouldn’t leave until she got in the car

Sophia, being soft-hearted and mild-tempered, had never had a row with Brandon, not even when they divorced-it was all very amicable. She couldn’t muster the energy to throw a tantrum, and under Brandon’s calm and deep gaze, she eventually caved in, opened the door, and got into the car

Brandon turned to her, “Where are you staying?”

Sophia pointed ahead and gave him the address.

It was close by, and in no time at all, Brandon pulled up in front of her apartment building.

Brandon surveyed the surroundings, then looked up at the apartment complex, noting that it seemed nice, especially the security, which looked pretty safe.

Sophia unbuckled her seatbelt, turned to him, and thanked him, “I’m here, thanks for the ride.

“You’re welcome, Brandon replied, also unbuckling his seatbelt.

Sophia didn’t understand why he was unbuckling, and said instinctively, “It’s fine, you can go on with your day”

After that, she opened the door and stepped out.

But Brandon didn’t drive away as she had suggested; instead, he got out of the car too, looked up at the apartment building, and then at her.

“Living solo?” he asked

Sophia nodded, “Yep, riding solo for now.”

Guess if she decided to keep the kid around, she would have to upgrade to a two-bed or a three-bed and hire a nanny

Brandon’s brows furrowed, and he shot her a look, kinda on purpose.

Sophia felt a bit thrown off by his gaze.

“What’s up?” she asked.

“Nothing. Brandon said, looking at her. “Mind if I take a peek upstairs?”

Sophia forced a smile. “It’s not really convenient, you know?”

“Why not?”

Sophia found herself at a loss for words, just feeling like she didn’t want to get too tangled up with him.

Brandon was still expectant waiting for her to spill the beans.

it’s just, you know, a guy and a gal alone together doesn’t seem quite right, Sophia blurted out, and immediately felt her excuse was a bit off, considering they had been husband and wife for two years and had seen every inch of each other

Brandon looked at her. “You got hitched?”

Sophia shook her head in confusion: “Nope.” She didn’t get why he was asking.

“Got a boyfriend?”

Sophia just shook her head blankly again: “Nada.”

“So what’s the big deal? You know I’m not that kind of quy.”

Sophia was completely speechless once more

Brandon was already reaching out to her “Gimme the keys”

His words were like a spell, and before Sophia knew it, she had obediently handed over her keys.

“How’d you end up here?” she asked, trying to break the awkward silence in the elevator.

Brandon replied simply. “Business trip.”

“Ah

Then they lapsed back into a long silence.

Sophia was used to this kind of quiet, hands casually stuffed in her coat pockets, standing ramrod straight, eyes calmly fixed ahead totally able to ignore Brandon. But then, out of the blue, he glanced at her: “Settling in okay over here?”

Sophia was taken aback, then nodded: “Yeah, pretty settled.

Brandon nodded back and said no more.

The elevator stopped on Sophia’s fifteenth floor. Brandon held back the elevator doors, letting her out first before following

This was something Brandon always did when they were together, like how he’d instinctively stand on the traffic side when crossing the street, or how he’d open the car door for her before heading to the driver’s seat Sophia didn’t know if these gentlemanly gestures were just his habit with everyone or just with her, she never had the chance to compare.

Out of the elevator, Brandon unlocked the door and stepped into the place first, with Sophia trailing behind. She watched as he flicked on the light and scanned the not-so-spacious room.

Sophia stayed quiet, not wanting to interrupt, as she leaned against the wall and changed her shoes by the door.

Brandon turned around just in time to see her slip off her flats, his gaze pausing before looking at her.

“Why the flats? I remember you weren’t into them.”