Chapter 74


    Sophia walked into the ssroom, and there stood Brandon, rooted to the spot and not budging an


    inch, just giving Louis and his family the cold shoulder. Then he shifted his gaze slightly,nding on


    Martin who was sporting the same chilly vibe.


    Martin’s face was missing any hint of joy or excitement, a far cry from his earlier eagerness to zip over


    to Wye City.


    Martin caught Brandon’s eye, but only offered a cool nce from a short distance before turning his


    attention to Louis, who was trying his hardest to keep his excitement in check. He couldn’t take his


    eyes off Louis and stayed that way.


    Brandon also took a quick peek at Louis.


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    Louis was over eighty, and who knows, maybe the travel had taken its toll because he looked a lot


    more worn out and frail than he did a few months back.


    It had been a hot minute since Brandon had seen Louis, and in his memory, the guy had always been


    in tip-top shape, an eighty-something you’d mistake for seventy. But just a couple of months apart and


    the man seemed to have aged a bunch. Louis was all eyes on Marian, totally oblivious to Brandon


    nearby. However, Patricia caught sight of him.


    Her eyes rimmed with red, she walked towards Brandon with an excited face and a cating smile,


    “Brandon, Ynda’s back.”


    Her words instantly redirected everyone’s focus from Marian to Brandon.


    Brandon’s dad, Daniel, couldn’t hide his excitement either and waved Brandon over, “Brandon,e


    here.”


    Brandon gave him a frosty look, no words, no movement.


    Martin, who had been silent until now, chimed in, “Marian’s got ss, let her go to ss first.”


    Then he looked at Louis, “Grandpa Louis, you’re not in the best shape, and you’ve been on a ne for


    so long. Better head back to the hotel and rest up, don’t wear yourself out.”


    The others joined in the persuasion, “Right, right, you should rest first. It would be a shame if your


    granddaughter finally finds her way back and then you go and keel over.”


    As they urged him, they helped Louis walk away.


    Martin took the opportunity to nudge a totally bewildered Marian back into the ssroom.


    “What the heck is going on here?” Marian, finally finding her chance to speak, asked Martin with an


    urgent whisper, as she tried to poke her head out of the ssroom to talk but was pushed back in by


    Martin.


    He whispered back, “Take your ss first, I’ll exinter.”


    His palm resting on her shoulder, he seemed affectionate as he half-forced her back into the


    ssroom.


    Brandon watched the whole scene unfold with an icy expression, not stepping forward to greet anyone,


    nor offering to send them back. Sophia, inside the ssroom, didn’t want to pay attention to any of this,


    but when she looked up, she couldn’t help but catch the scene of Martin affectionately nudging Marian.


    She was torn between being happy for Marian finding her family and being annoyed. She remembered


    Marian saying her current family treated her well and she wasn’t looking to find her biological ones, and


    she was worried about whether to go back or not.


    As Marian turned around, she caught Sophia’s eye and pouted at her.


    Sophia couldn’t help but smile back, her reassuring smile prompting Marian to pull a funny face and


    nod towards the group by the door, her eyes full of speechlessness and sarcasm.


    Sophia couldn’t help but nce towards the door as well.


    1 = 1 3 = 5


    Louis was looking back at Marian with a lingering gaze that identally met Sophia’s. Sophia was


    taken aback for a moment, her eyes instinctively meeting Louis’s, but his gaze had already moved on


    to Marian, his eyes brimming with tears, soft and affectionate.


    Sophia just smiled and looked away, only to lock eyes with Patricia.


    Patricia’s look went from surprise to chilly disdain, and her judgmental and condescending look brought


    back all sorts of unpleasant memories from Sophia’s marriage, stirring up a bit of PTSD.


    When ss was over, Sophia sent Brandon a text. [I’m heading back to my apartment. I didn’t bring


    much with me, can you pack up my stuff and have someone drop it off?]


    After sending the message, Sophia gathered her things and headed back to her apartment.


    Thest thing she wanted was to burhp into Patricia and Daniel, who would surely be staying at the


    Starlight Hotel. Sophia didn’t want to see them, but Patricia wasn’t about to let her off the hook.


    After school, Sophia ran into Patricia and Daniel sitting in their car at the school entrance, apparently


    having waited there for a while.


    Sophia hadn’t noticed them at first, but as she walked past their car, Patricia rolled down the window


    and called out to her.


    “Sophia,” in that same condescending tone.


    Sophia turned to look at her.


    Patricia took off her sunsses, rested her elbow on the window sill, her chin slightly lifted, looking at


    her, “Let’s have dinner together.”


    And then she added deliberately, “My treat.”


    Sophia let out a chuckle, “No need, thanks.”