Chapter 7

Brandon was in the middle of a meeting with his phone lying next to him. When he heard the ping of a notification, he glanced over and caught a glimpse of a text from Patricia, pausing for a beat.

Kent, who was presenting at the time, was pretty sharp at reading the room. He paused mid-sentence, his eyes couldn’t help but sneak a peek at Brandon’s phone, only catching the name “Sophia” before Brandon smoothly flipped the phone face down on the table and looked up at him.

Kent got the jitters, thinking Brandon was about to chew him out, but all he got was a cool, detached glance, “Carry on!”

Kent hesitated, then nodded and tried to wrap up the design presentation, but as soon as he finished, Brandon’s face scrunched up in displeasure.

“Who greenlit this trashy proposal?” he asked, his voice was calm but it cranked up the tension in the already tight meeting room to eleven.

Kent was caught like a deer in headlights, glancing at Brandon and biting back his words.

Brandon’s gaze swept over the others in the room.

One by one, they all bowed their heads, feigning deep thought, scared stiff of locking eyes with Brandon and getting called out.

“Nobody has an answer? Brandon probed.

Silence Everyone clammed up.

Help-me looks were sneakily cast towards Kent.

Kent, Brandon’s right-hand man and the company’s VP, was always the one to take the heat, especially lately.

Even the slowest folks had picked up on Brandon’s off vibes. He wasn’t snappy or nitpicky, just inexplicably brought a chill to the room, with a laser focus on work that could freeze them.

And the kicker? He seemed to be on another planet half the time, like he was hit with a bout of amnesia.

With all eyes on him, Kent felt the heat. He could normally handle the blowback, but this time, could he really?

Kent tried to make himself small, hoping to slide under Brandon’s radar, but no dice. Brandon’s gaze followed the crowd’s and landed on him.

“Since everyone’s looking at you, why don’t you speak for the team, Kent? Brandon said, glancing at the Ephemoran architecture design on the big screen behind him, Who greenlit this trash?”

Kent was speechless.

Man, they were all throwing him under the bus

Brandon’s gaze held on Kent. “Kent?”

Kent, taking a deep breath, looked back at Brandon I, I don’t know.”

didn’t have the guts to spill

at him, then back at

down, pretending to be deep

thoughts? Brandon called

question back

at his colleagues who were all busy pretending to take notes, then hesitantly met Brandon’s

on Brandon

the bullet. “Mr. Crawley, It was you who approved the

last night,” he added, barely

room went

and caught a rare glimpse of bewilderment on

to look at the design on the screen behind

“Mr. Crawley, you’ve seemed a bit off

“Sorry, my

grabbed his phone from the table

room door closed,

gave Kent a

“Warrior.”

them on his fingers. After all the times I’ve had your backs, you just toss me to the wolves when it counts.

only have you who

We’ll treat

responded, easing back into comfort, but still puzzled “Is something

right, I noticed that too.

feel the same. He’s never been like this.

gossip-hungry gazes once again unanimously shifted

Mr. Crawley? Kent smoothly diverted the topic, “With his passion for work,

have off days

with the team,

discussing work until Brandon walked by, prompting everyone to straighten up, sit stiffly, and not make a peep, but they relaxed

chuckled and playfully tapped a few heads with the

bit afraid of Brandon, Kent

the same from his employees. He was considerate, offered better compensation than competitors, and never

of authority, Kent thought, his eyes drifting through the office space to

flopped into his office chair, tossing his phone onto the desk corner, clearly in a foul

figured it had something to do with that “Sophia” he

slow voice that was just soothing to the ears no rush, no drama queen antics. She was

him, so yeah,

11 42

Chapter 7

it quits, that’s still a mystery to

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