Xo Novel
Chapter 26
Chapter 26
Sophia tumed around later than she should have and was momentarily stunned to see Brandon stepping out the door. Then she whispered to Susan, “Got something to take care of now, I’ll hit you up later.”
“Huh?” Susan, who was itching to get the scoop on Brandon, was also taken aback but quickly got her act together, “Oh, sure, take your time. Remember to take it easy.”
“Will do. You too, take it easy. Sophia hung up, handed the phone back to Ivan, and then turned to face Brandon.
Brandon stood at the doorway, his tall figure outlined against the light, exuding a calm yet intense presence.
He glanced at Ivan briefly, then tumed his gaze to Sophia, “Who’s this guy?”
Sophia was caught off guard at first but quickly composed herself, slightly turning her body and gesturing towards Ivan as she introduced, “Oh, this is Ivan, my senior from university. He was also our instructor for half a year and now we’re classmates again.”
After hearing the introduction, Brandon gave her a look and then turned to Ivan, his lips barely moving as he greeted him with a cool and polite, “Hello
Ivan returned the greeting with a “Hello” of his own and then looked at Sophia with a questioning gaze.
Only then did Sophia remember she hadn’t introduced Brandon. She pointed towards him and said, “He’s my…” Sophia hesitated, feeling odd about saying “ex-husband, but she managed to get it out with a stumble, ex-husband”
Brandon frowned slightly at the title, seemingly not fond of it
Ivan showed no surprise in his eyes and even nodded politely at Brandon as a form of greeting.
Brandon returned the gesture and refocused on Sophia, “If there’s something to discuss, let’s go inside. It’s cold out here”
“No need, Sophia instinctively refused, noticing that Brandon didn’t seem to be leaving. She couldn’t help but glance at him, “By the way, there’s a lecture at school later, and my senior and I need to head back I won’t be able to entertain you. Make yourself at home.”
Brandon gave her a look.
Sophia felt a strange apprehension under his gaze and her eyes drifted away, avoiding direct contact
Just when she thought Brandon was about to say something, he simply said. “Be safe.”
After that, Brandon stepped out, headed straight for the elevator, pressed the button, and got in.
As the elevator doors closed, Sophia looked up to see Brandon also looking at her, his face and eyes returning to their usual cold indifference
Sophia watched as the elevator doors slowly shut, standing still. In the elevator, Brandon didn’t move either, just calmly watching her until the doors were fully closed.
Ivan glanced at the descending elevator and then at her, “Everything okay?”
Sophia shook her head and apologized, “Sorry about that”
Ivan’s mouth twitched slightly, “No worries
He checked his watch and said, “You haven’t eaten yet, right? I’ve just made dinner upstairs, so come up and have some, if you like.”
Sophia smiled and shook her head, “No, thank you.”
Ivan didn’t insist, Alright, if you need anything, just give me a shout. I’m right upstairs.”
Sophia nodded, “Thanks.”
After watching Ivan get on the elevator, Sophia went back inside,
As the door closed behind her, the smile on Sophia’s face slowly faded. She looked around the room, which seemed
colder and more silent now that Brandon had left.
Although she was getting used to living alone and was adapting well, Brandon’s visit still managed to stir up some not-so-bad memories, since they had lived together for two years.
Sophia took a deep breath, pushing down the slight discomfort that had bubbled up inside her, and walked over to the closet where she had hastily stuffed clothes and a storage basket earlier. She opened the closet door.
The hurriedly packed items were scattered and messy.
Sophia put the clothes and basket back in their places and took the medical report out of her bag. She glanced at the HCG report resting in the basket and gently pulled it out.
The report showed a HCG level over 600, and Sophia’s eyes drifted to the top right corner where “early pregnancy” was clinically diagnosed She felt a bit dazed and unconsciously stroked her flat belly,
finding it strange to imagine a life growing inside her. This wonder turned into unspoken anxiety when she remembered the doctor’s words about the unstable fetal condition from that afternoon She gently placed both hands on her belly, looked down, and carefully folded the report, placing it in the drawer of the coffee table before getting up to have dinner. Deep down, she still hoped to have a connection with this child.
Brandon drove back to the Starlight Hotel. Just as he pulled up to the hotel entrance, Kent’s call came in.
Brandon casually hit the answer button.
“Mr. Crawley, have you arrived there? Kent’s somewhat relaxed voice came through as soon as the call connected.
“Yeah Brandon responded indifferently, turned off the engine, released the handbrake, unbuckled his seatbelt, and stepped out of the car.
The valet at the entrance came over with enthusiasm, ‘Good evening, sir. Will you be checking in at the hotel?”
Brandon rarely inspected the business here, and when he did, he’d stay briefly under the guise of a customer to secretly evaluate the service, never notifying anyone. Thus, besides a few executives, not many in the hotel knew him. Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.
Not one to fuss about appearances, Brandon simply nodded in response to the valet’s greeting with a brief “Yeah,” then glanced at his car and said, “Please park it for me.”
As he finished speaking, he tossed the keys to the valet.
“Got it. The valet caught the keys with ease and gestured towards the lobby, “Please head this way. The receptionist will assist you with check-in.”
“Alright, thanks. Brandon said his thanks and headed towards the revolving doors of the lobby. He was on the phone, his mind on other things, kinda out of it and not really paying attention to his surroundings. Just as he got to the doors, a slim person darted out from the elevator direction, yammering away, “Hey, hold up, hold up, let me through first. I’m in
a real rush here
Before she could finish her sentence, she crashed straight into Brandon.
Instinctively, Brandon sidestepped, but the girl charging at him couldn’t hit the brakes in time and-bar- she ended up plopping down on the floor. Her purse and phone she’d been holding flew out of her hands, scattering all over the place since the bag wasn’t zipped up.
“Hey, what’s your deal?” the girl muttered on and on, dusting off her clothes and reaching out to pick up her scattered. stuff.
Brandon glanced down without thinking and his eyes locked on a classic emerald bracelet with “SY” intricately carved on its surface. His eyes narrowed suddenly, and he bent down, grabbing the girl’s wrist in a flash. “Where’d you get this bracelet from?”