The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

Chapter 198

Brandon chuckled and shook his head, deftly changing the subject, "Do you plan on settling down in the West district for good?"

Zachary responded with a smile and a finger point, "There you go dodging the bullet again. Don't tell me you plan on staying a bachelor for life?"

Still smiling, Brandon simply shook his head and glanced at the chessboard with a game still in play. He picked up a black piece and placed it firmly on the board.

"Mr. Gardner, let me keep you company with a game of chess."

Clearly, he wasn't keen on dwelling on the topic.

Mr. Gardner shook his head with a smile, knowing it was best not to pry further and picked up a white chess piece, "Let's go for it. It's been a while since we've had a good spar."

Sophia also knocked off work early today, not really in the mood for her job, and bolted as soon as the clock struck quitting time.

Seeing her pack up, Ivan started to shut down his computer and got ready to leave too.

"Let's grab dinner together tonight," he suggested.

Sophia wasn't really feeling it. With a smile, she declined, "Some other time. I've got stuff to handle today."

Ivan just smiled back, "Sure thing." He didn't push it.

Sophia headed home alone, and couldn't tell if it was the sweltering heat making her sluggish, but she didn't feel like cooking and casually ordered some takeout online.

for her meal, Sophia video-called Theresa. The little munchkin was engrossed in her Legos, her young face lit up with wonder as she stumbled over her words excitedly explaining what she was

time she saw Sophia, she'd light up with joy and excitement, but never fussed or clamored

like this, Sophia felt a pang of longing, and couldn't help but think back to running into Brandon at the

she'd had feelings for nearly a decade. There

truly the best remedies

at Theresa made Sophia wonder, did

nearby, definitely caught

asked,

nothing." Sophia shook her head, "Just missing you guys and then I can't help but wonder if

it. And if you're feeling guilty about Theresa, you shouldn't. It's not like you're away for good; it's just for a work trip, that's all. I'll be back once my work handover is

Sophia, "Don't even think about becoming a full-time stay-at-home mom. When she grows up, she won't thank you for it. She'll

playful

world. Choosing to be there for her might not guarantee you can provide her with a comfortable life. If you opt for the latter, naturally you'll have to cut back on quality time. Whenever you're working, something's bound to eat into your time, and you can't be with your kid every second of the day. So, no need to feel guilty about Theresa. You're just on a business trip, okay? This happens with any

"I get it; no need

back, knowing Sophia was smart

I do." Susan said, steering the

in the West district

aware of this, as they hadn't been in touch much since their

it to Sophia, "He retired a couple of

sense Sophia didn't know; she'd been abroad at the

a visit soon," Sophia

they were in different cities, but now that they were in the same town,