The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

Brandon just shook his head with a chuckle, "Man, that's a long story." Looking at Sophia, he said, "I'll fill you in sometlater, okay? Let's just drop it for now. You don't need to worry your pretty little head about it, alright?" His voice was low and soft, carrying a hint of a plea.

Sophia couldn't say no, plus she wasn't the nosy type. If he didn't want her to dig, she wasn't going to. So she gave a gentle nod, "Mhm, sure." Her sweet andpliant reaction brought a smile to Brandon's face, and his gaze softened even more as he looked at her. It was that tender look that seemed to see through her, as if he was looking at someone else from the past.

This look puzzled Sophia a bit, but she didn't press for answers.

Daniel and Hannah also noticed Brandon's look, that kind of gaze that seemed to look at the person before him yet through them at someone else. It made them both frown in unison, but they didn't step in to interrupt.

After the meal, the moment Daniel got back to his office, he called his assistant Manney over.

"Go check out the nof the girl who's been hanging around Brandon, where she's from," he instructed with a serious demeanor. Manney had also been in the cafeteria with Daniel and had seen Sophia, so he nodded in agreement to Daniel's request without hesitation.

"Alright, I'm on it." Getting the scoop on Sophia wasn't a tough nut to crack these days.

Just a few days back, in the search for Sophia, Brandon had Kent hire a Pl firm to dig into Harvey Ferber and Sophia's whereabouts. The detective agency had already sussed out their details.

Now, with Manney on the case, it didn't take long for him to get the lowdown on Sophia's situation.

That evening, Manney personally reported back to Daniel at his house: "The girl who looks like Sophia and has been seen with Mr. Crawley checked into the hotel under the nArlene, apanying the president of the Ferber Group, Harvey Ferber. She's said to be the goddaughter of Harvey's mother Amanda-seen calling Amanda 'godmom' and being treated like her own daughter." After briefing Daniel, Manney handed over the photos they had collected.

The snapshots showed Sophia with Harvey Ferber and Amanda, moving in and out of the hotel together, looking for all the world like a family.

Daniel's brow furrowed, "Why does the nHarvey Ferber ring a bell?" "That's the guy who's been gunning for Starlight Group and Aurora Wharf these past couple of years, from the Ferber family." Manney reminded him, "He's the big cheese at the Ferber Group." Daniel slapped his forehead, suddenly remembering, "Oh, that guy." His expression turned grave. In that case, the possibility that this Sophia was a fake made even more sense.

Patricia happened toe down rom upstairs, fresh from a shower and wearing a face mask, when she caught sight of Daniel and his Issistant Manney deep in a serious convo. Curiosity got the better of er, and she couldn't help but ask, What's up? Something happen? You Juys look all doom and gloom." "It's nothing." Daniel brushed her off without looking back, his expression as somber as ever.

It had been a a hot minute since Patricia had seen him like this.

Driven by curiosity, she moved closer and saw a bunch of photos in Daniel's hands. "What's all this?" she asked, reaching for the pictures. The moment she laid eyes on Sophia in the photos, her face went white, and she turned to Daniel in shock, "Where did you get these? Sophia's back? She's alive?" Daniel looked at her, somewhat puzzled by her outburst, "Why the big shock? If she's really alive, that'd be great news. I'm just worried someone's pulled a fast one on Brandon with a lookalike." Patricia froze, recalling the day she bumped into Sophia at the mall—a moment she hadn't shared with Daniel, nor had the desire to.

She could tell that ever since Sophia's incident, Daniel's attitude had shifted. Bringing it up now, he'd probably go to the ends of the earth for answers.

Patricia didn't want to believe it was Sophia and preferred to think she'd been mistaken. She'd rather believe her eyes had played tricks on her.

Sophia's reaction upon seeing her that day, though somewhat stunned, didn't feel like the recognition between acquaintances. Patricia hadn't thought much of it at the time, only feeling a bit off. Now, with Daniel's reminder, it clicked for her. Sophia had looked at her with unfamiliar eyes.

"You mean she might be an imposter?" Patricia looked at Daniel in disbelief, suddenly feeling like everything made sense, and there was a weird sense of relief in her heart.

Daniel let out a sigh, "I'm not sure yet, I only briefly met her today, and before we could exchange a few words, Brandon just..." "You saw her?" Patricia's voice shot up, cutting him off, "She's with Brandon now?" Daniel gave her a puzzled look, "Why are you freaking out?" Patricia yanked off her face mask, "Shouldn't I be freaked out? A person who's been dead for months suddenly shows up!" Daniel thought about it and realized she had a point, but he wasn't too keen on her using the word "dead." He frowned but didn't correct her, just shared his worries with her: "Would I be this worried if she wasn't with Brandon? I ran into her in thepany cafeteria today, she looked atlike I was a stranger, like she didn't recognizeat all. Her е demeanor seemed different too, not as cold or sharp as the last two years, she seemed more innocent and kind, kind of like when she first married Brandon. Something felt off, but she said she lost her memory." "People don't just lose their memory that easily." Patricia didn't even think before dismissing the idea, "I'm more worried about the scenayou're afraid of, what if she's an impostor?" If she's a fake, then there's nothing to worry about.