Chapter 152: Chapter 152

Chapter 152

Don sure wasn’t whispering, and the moment his voice rang out, everyone who was buzzing with excitement suddenly tensed up and turned their gaze to Brandon.

Brandon glanced at the anxious crowd and didn’t want to kill the vibe, so he gave a slight nod, “Go ahead.”

As soon as he said that, the whole office seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

ཆ ཆ ན ཡི ཧཡོ ཝ

Except for Sophia.

She had just finished a phone call and hadn’t noticed the subtle shift in the office atmosphere. She looked around confusedly, not sharing the collective exhale of relief, nor did she seem disappointed. She just had this thoughtful, serene look on her face.

Brandon noticed Sophia’s calm and couldn’t help but frown slightly.

Don was already organizing carpooling.

Who rides with whom was crystal clear.

After sorting everyone out, he turned to Sophia, “Sophia, you ride with me.”

Sophia nodded, “Sure.”

Others were already shutting down their computers, packing up, and getting ready to leave, buzzing with excitement and chatting away as they headed out in groups.

Cindy, also caught up in the excitement, approached Sophia and casually linked arms with her, “Sophia, I’m tagging along with you.”

But then she paused slightly when she caught Brandon’s look, and her face showed a mix of caution and anxiety as she gave Brandon a restrained nod, “Mr. Crawley.”

Sophia cast a puzzled glance at her, then looked at Brandon.

Brandon simply nodded back, his expression revealing nothing out of the ordinary.

Don leaned over to grab his car keys from his desk and called out to Sophia and Cindy, “Let’s go.”

Then he followed the crowd toward the elevators.

Cindy, still buzzing with excitement, tugged at Sophia to catch up with the main group.

Suddenly, the once bustling office was deserted, save for Brandon, who was still standing there.

Being pulled along with the crowd, Sophia couldn’t help but look back at Brandon.

Standing there in the spacious, bright office, his tall figure somehow took on the air of a lone wolf.

A pang of sympathy suddenly hit Sophia and she blurted out, “You wanna join us?”

Brandon looked at her sharply, a flicker of intensity in his eyes.

Sophia felt a bit uncomfortable under his gaze and awkwardly tugged at her lips, “Work’s never done, right? When it’s time to chill, you gotta chill.”

Don, already at the elevator, interjected, “Don’t bother with Brandon. To him, work is his greatest joy. He’s never been one for group stuff, not since we were kids.”

Sophia frowned slightly, disliking the way Don labeled Brandon.

She thought Don, being friends with Brandon for years, would understand him better.

It was clear Brandon just didn’t want to rain on everyone’s parade.

As the company’s top decision-maker, he wasn’t as approachable and funny as Kent and Don. He had an aura about him that could make others feel constrained.

Don didn’t notice Sophia’s frown as he ushered people into the elevator, “Let’s go.”

He didn’t forget to turn back and smile at Brandon, “Mr. Crawley, we’ll head out first. Stick to your work. Don’t mind us.”

Brandon nodded lightly, his gaze drifting past Don to Sophia, who was being pushed into the crowd.

Sophia was trying to turn around, her eyes searching for Brandon through the elevator throng.

Their gazes collided unexpectedly.

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08:42

Brandon’s eyes were reassuring.

“Have fun,” Brandon said, and then he turned away.

The elevator doors slowly closed, and Sophia’s gaze lingered on Brandon’s retreating figure.

Behind him lay a long, quiet corridor, where his solitary figure seemed lonely and the path ahead stretched on.

Sophia watched, transfixed, until the doors sealed shut.

The elevator quickly descended to the parking garage.

Everyone walked out cheerfully.

Don called out to Sophia and Cindy to head towards his car.

Cindy, already over the moon, linked arms with Sophia and turned to ask Don, “Mr. Dempsey, what are we eating?”

“BBQ buffet,” Don replied, fishing out his car keys and pointing them at his vehicle.

The car doors unlocked promptly.

Don called out, “This way.”

Cindy, all geared up to go, pulled Sophia in the direction of the car.

Sophia’s steps slowed to a halt.

Cindy and Don looked at her puzzled.

Sophia gave an awkward smile, “I forgot something. You guys go ahead, I’ll catch a cab and meet up with you later.”

With that, she extracted her arm from Cindy’s grasp and turned back towards the elevator.

“Huh?” Cindy was baffled, “She just got here, what could she have left behind?”

Don was equally puzzled.

As soon as Sophia got to the elevator, she hastily pressed the button, and when the doors opened, she stepped in and hit the button for the top floor.

But the elevator didn’t move.

Sophia then remembered that you needed a card to access the CEO’s office on the top floor.

She pressed the highest floor she could access instead.

Stepping out as soon as the elevator stopped, she turned and headed straight for the fire stairs.

Brandon had just returned to his office when he ran into Kent who was about to leave.

Kent was surprised, “Huh, Mr. Crawley, weren’t you off for the day?”

Brandon didn’t answer, just looked at him, “Not leaving yet?”

Kent tugged at his bag, “About to head out.”

Brandon nodded, “Head home and get some rest.”

With that, he walked towards his office.

Kent moved towards the elevator and caught sight of Sophia gasping for breath as she came out of the fire stairs, “Ms. Yearwood?”

Brandon stopped in his tracks and slowly turned back to look at Sophia.