Chapter 7

Brandon was in the middle of a meeting with his phone lying next to him. When he heard the ping of a notification, he glanced over and caught a glimpse of a text from Patricia, pausing for a beat.

Kent, who was presenting at the time, was pretty sharp at reading the room. He paused mid-sentence, his eyes couldn’t help but sneak a peek at Brandon’s phone, only catching the name “Sophia” before Brandon smoothly flipped the phone face down on the table and looked up at him.

Kent got the jitters, thinking Brandon was about to chew him out, but all he got was a cool, detached glance, “Carry on!”

Kent hesitated, then nodded and tried to wrap up the design presentation, but as soon as he finished, Brandon’s face scrunched up in displeasure.

“Who greenlit this trashy proposal?” he asked, his voice was calm but it cranked up the tension in the already tight meeting room to eleven.

Kent was caught like a deer in headlights, glancing at Brandon and biting back his words.

Brandon’s gaze swept over the others in the room.

One by one, they all bowed their heads, feigning deep thought, scared stiff of locking eyes with Brandon and getting called out.

“Nobody has an answer? Brandon probed.

Silence Everyone clammed up.

Help-me looks were sneakily cast towards Kent.

Kent, Brandon’s right-hand man and the company’s VP, was always the one to take the heat, especially lately.

Even the slowest folks had picked up on Brandon’s off vibes. He wasn’t snappy or nitpicky, just inexplicably brought a chill to the room, with a laser focus on work that could freeze them.

And the kicker? He seemed to be on another planet half the time, like he was hit with a bout of amnesia.

With all eyes on him, Kent felt the heat. He could normally handle the blowback, but this time, could he really?

Kent tried to make himself small, hoping to slide under Brandon’s radar, but no dice. Brandon’s gaze followed the crowd’s and landed on him.

“Since everyone’s looking at you, why don’t you speak for the team, Kent? Brandon said, glancing at the Ephemoran architecture design on the big screen behind him, Who greenlit this trash?”

Kent was speechless.

Man, they were all throwing him under the bus

Brandon’s gaze held on Kent. “Kent?”

Kent, taking a deep breath, looked back at Brandon I, I don’t know.”

have the guts to

glanced at him, then back at the

heads down, pretending to be deep

thoughts? Brandon

his wits, glanced at Kent and lobbed the question back at him.

busy pretending to take notes, then

it on

bullet. “Mr. Crawley, It was you who approved

last night,” he added, barely

room went

a rare glimpse of bewilderment on that

the design on the screen behind

“Mr. Crawley, you’ve seemed

fine,” Brandon’s expression was back to neutral, “Sorry, my oversight.

grabbed his phone from the table

door

gave Kent a

“Warrior.”

just toss me to the wolves when it counts. Not a

have you who can handle

you’ve worked hard. We’ll treat you

still puzzled “Is something up with Mr.

noticed that too. He’s been

the same. He’s never been like

again

with Mr. Crawley? Kent smoothly diverted the

have off days and zone out once in a

with

outside Brandon’s, shared with a few other assistants. They were all casually discussing work until Brandon walked by, prompting everyone to straighten up, sit stiffly, and not make

few

afraid of Brandon, Kent knew,

considerate, offered better compensation than competitors, and never lost it with

the aura of authority, Kent thought, his eyes drifting through

into his office chair, tossing his phone onto the desk corner, clearly in a foul

to do with that “Sophia” he

slow voice that was just soothing to the ears no rush, no drama queen antics. She was polite and courteous with everyone, not pulling any of that high and mighty actake Patricia, who strutted around

hooked up by him, so yeah, he was clued in about the split

11 42

Chapter 7

why they’re calling it quits, that’s still a

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