Chapter 146


    Brandon’s gaze brought Sophia to a screeching halt, leaving her feeling awkward as all get out.


    She had bolted over to the hall the second she hopped out of the cab.


    The second she stepped into the hall, she was greeted with a massive, fire-engine red banner


    screaming “A Warm Celebration of Star Dempsey Architects’ Grand Opening!” and the buzz of a party


    in full swing in the reception area.


    In that moment, a wave of cold feet washed over her as she got closer to home turf.


    The timing of her card drop was kinda iffy.


    While she was on the fence about whether to crash the party or not, Brandon caught sight of her, and


    those piercing peepers of his threw her for a loop.


    Brandon’s deep, cold gaze was like a riddle wrapped in an enigma-she couldn’t make heads or tails of


    it.


    The courage she had mustered up was slowly but surely deting under his intense stare.


    Suddenly, she was second-guessing whether she had shown up at an inopportune time.


    Don also spotted her and shed a grin that had a hint of surprise when he did.


    Sophia couldn’t help but return the smile before her eyes drifted back to Brandon.


    Brandon was still in the same pose, the same intense, cold stare, just standing there, motionless


    across the crowd, giving her the eye.


    People at the venue started to pick up on Brandon’s unusual stare, craning their necks to sneak a peek


    at Sophia.


    The domino effect of head turns sparked even more curiosity.


    More and more heads turned to look towards the entrance.


    Sophia wasn’t exactlyfy with all eyes on her.


    She awkwardly grinned at the onlookers before spinning on her heel to leave, figuring she’d better wait


    outside in the lobby and not stir up any trouble during the opening ceremony.


    Brandon’s face turned to ice, he chucked the mic onto the table, and leaped off the stage, striding


    through the crowd towards the departing Sophia at the door.


    The room went bananas.


    Everyone was bbergasted by the sudden turn of events, their heads swiveling towards Brandon on


    reflex.


    Brandon’s pace was fast and frantic, and as he nearly reached Sophia, he suddenly reached out,


    grabbed her arm, and spun her around with a yank.


    Sophia looked at Brandon, her face a nk te of confusion.


    “Where to now?” Brandon demanded, his voice as cold and deep as his unwavering stare.


    Sophia was still trying to get her bearings, her hand instinctively pointing towards the public area’s


    couch. “I was just gonna wait over there ’til you guys wrapped up.”


    Brandon nced at the couch in the public area, his piercing gaze not softening one bit as he kept his


    eyes locked on her.


    Sophia was at a loss under his intense scrutiny, “What’s up?”


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    Brandon just looked at her, not saying a word, then suddenly stepped forward, his hand snaking around


    her neck, pulling her into his embrace, and nting a deep kiss on hér.


    Sophia fell silent.


    The room erupted with surprise again.


    Those who had a clear view of the door were gobsmacked, their jaws dropping.


    Those who couldn’t see were antsy and confused, craning their necks, trying to catch a glimpse of the


    action outside, especially Cindy.


    She was about to take the stage and, along with her new colleagues, was seated right at the front,


    totally oblivious to the drama unfolding outside. She only saw Brandon ditch the mic and dart off the


    stage, followed by a wave of gasps and murmurs, and a crowd of necks craning towards the door.


    “What’s going on?” she asked, pulling a colleague towards her and quickly moving towards the


    doorway to snoop around.


    Quick on the uptake, Kent was already at the door when Brandon pulled Sophia into a kiss, mming


    the reception hall’s doors shut to shield the untimely scene from prying eyes.


    Don, ever the smooth operator, grabbed the mic with a smile, steering the chatter back to the opening


    ceremony. “Now, let’s give a big hand to our designers, a young and vibrant team with tons of


    experience.”


    Those who missed the action outside sighed as they watched the door close, whispering to their


    neighbors, trying to get the skinny on what had just happened, not really paying attention to the stage.


    Don, sensing the room’s gossip mill working overtime, coughed pointedly into the mic.


    Hís reminder via the mic brought everyone back to their senses, and they covered their awkwardness


    with apuse, sneaking another look at the door as they settled back into their seats.


    But Kent was holding the fort at the door, which was shut tight, revealing zilch.


    Kent ignored the crowd’s disappointed and curious stares, standing his ground by the door and looking


    towards Don on stage.


    Don, keeping up the momentum, reiterated his initial introduction of the design team, starting with the


    designers.


    Outside.


    Brandon’s kiss lingered on Sophia’s lips before he finally stopped. He was still holding her neck in a


    firm grip.


    Both were panting slightly.


    Sophia’s lungs felt nearly vacuumed out, her mouth agape as she gasped for air, her oxygen-deprived


    brain still muddling through a fog of confusion and bewilderment.


    Brandon’s kiss had been so sudden and intense, she was still reeling.


    Brandon, too, was a bit breathless, his palm gently cradling her neck, forehead lightly pressed against


    hers, eyes half-closed.


    But unlike Sophia’s scrambled thoughts, Brandon’s mind and gaze were crystal clear.


    He looked into Sophia’s still-dazed eyes and asked in a hoarse voice, “Where’s your ID?”


    “In my bag.”


    Sophia replied instinctively, even reaching into her bag’s side pocket to fish out her ID and hand it over


    to Brandon.