President Poe actually rang Sophia up not long after, breaking the news to her that Brandon had given his thumbs-up to use her design.
Clearly over the moon about the outcome, President Poe was all chirpy on the phone, reminding Sophia to keep the lines open with Brandon and to put a fine polish on her work.
"I will, thanks a bunch, President Poe," compared to President Poe's buzz, Sophia was way more chill.
"By the by, the school's about to throw this massive centennial bash in the next few days. If it's cool with you, Ms. Bright, would you like to swing by as a guest?" President Poe invited with a chuckle.
"Thanks for the invite, President Poe, but I'm not exactly an alum, and the science museum isn't even a thing yet. Even the drafts for the design aren't set in stone. I haven't really contributed anything to the school, so crashing the party now might not be the best move."
Sophia gracefully declined President Poe's offer, feeling like her current ties to the school didn't quite cut it to be a guest of honor at such a big event.
President Poe got where she was coming from. The invite was more of a casual drop, and he wasn't expecting a yes anyway, so he laughed it off, "No sweat. You're always welcome to drop by and check out the school when you've got a sec."
"Sure thing, thanks again, President Poe."
It was a polite thank you, as usual. After hanging up, Sophia got down to brass tacks, mulling over the tweaks for her design.
But maybe because there were so many hopes and expectations pinned on this design, the pressure felt heavier than before.
Sophia sat in front of her computer all day long, churning out drafts but not loving any of them, always sensing something was missing but couldn't put her finger on it.
Ideas seemed to be itching to break free in her mind, but whenever she picked up her pen, the end result was never quite up to snuff.
Left with no choice, Sophia felt compelled to shoot Brandon a message, "Hey Mr. Crawley, got any specific requests for the cultural gallery? Like the structure, style, purpose, or should I just freestyle it?"
Brandon was stumped by the question.
The cultural gallery was Sophia's brainchild. He didn't know about her lack of a place to call home back then; he just knew she often spent her weekends flying solo in the bookstore near the school.
In those days, the bookstore at the school's gates was just about selling books, with no place to sit or chill and read. She'd stand around the bookstore for the whole day.
And since she didn't have the cash to buy books, she felt awkward hanging out there for too long.
He bumped into her a couple of times at the bookstore. The idea of a cultural gallery came up during a casual chat.
At that time, although the school had a library, it wasn't open on weekends, and the place was old-school, with no spots for studying or reading. The school's study rooms and classrooms were also locked up tight on weekends.
With nowhere to study or rest, she said, almost jokingly, that it would be cool if the school had a cultural gallery that was open on weekends where one could read, study, or just kick back.
But back then, he had no clue about her home situation and took her words lightly.
He had no idea at that time of her situation at home, only thinking she just mentioned it casually.
She didn't spell out exactly what kind of cultural gallery she wanted, just talked about those specific needs.
Back in the day, she was content with just having a place to land, regardless of whether it was ritzy or run-down.
"Nope." Brandon texted back to Sophia, "As long as it meets the needs I mentioned, where you can read, study, and relax, that's all good."
After a moment's thought, he sent another message, "Stick with your current style vibe."
He knew that would be Sophia's jam.
Sophia quickly replied, "Got it." But she still felt stumped, maybe because she was carrying the weight of the other party's hopes, worried that her design wouldn't live up to what Brandon had in mind.
After much hesitation, Sophia shut down her computer, deciding to take another stroll around the school to find some inspiration.
----------------------
Brandon, who had put away his phone, was also zoning out in front of his computer. Sophia's message had thrown him for a loop, and he couldn't help but wonder what kind of cultural gallery she had in mind.
She hadn't gone into details. Back then, she was young, and her vision for the cultural gallery wasn't fully formed - she just wanted a place to land.
But surely she must have pictured the interior layout of the gallery.
The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate ï¤Chapter 608 The Imposter Bride (Natalia and Magnus)
ï¤Chapter 590 Forgive Us, My Dear Sister ï¤Chatper 494 Suddenly, Brandon felt the urge to check out the school. At that time, all of Sophia's imaginations about the gallery were tied to the school, and the style she liked was probably just like the school's.
Without second thoughts, he pushed away his keyboard, grabbed his car keys, and headed out.