SWNOVELS Chapter 158
Chapter 158
Sophia took forever to find her voice again, her eyes, widened with embarrassment, seemed to be searching for a place to hide. When her gaze crashed into Brandon’s, it brought back flashes of the fiery tangle from last night.
She might’ve been tipsy, but her memory had no blackouts.
She vividly remembered blurting out “friends with benefits” in a moment of desperation, and she also recalled the near-defeatist thought when Brandon leaned in for a kiss, coupled with her fierce determination to wrestle back control by clasping her hands around his neck without a care in the world.
In their two years of marriage, she had never been so fierce.
Although, ultimately, due to her natural disadvantage in size and strength, the upper hand remained firmly in Brandon’s grasp. But her initiative had certainly fired Brandon up.
The fiercer she got last night, the more ruthless Brandon became.
Brandon, the businessman, was never one to pull punches, and he certainly wasn’t about to start then.
The soreness all over her body, like she’d been run over by a truck, reminded Sophia of the intensity and wildness of last night.
Her fingers tightened awkwardly around the blanket, and Sophia silently turned her back.
“I was drunk last night.” she murmured, her voice so weak and soft it was almost a whisper.
“Blackout?”ostrich-like back and asked.
Sophia didn’t want to answer that question.
“Sometimes when you’re drunk, certain actions and words can bypass your brain’s control,” she said softly.
“I noticed.”
Brandon said and slipped out of bed.
Sophia could feel the mattress suddenly lighten behind her, followed by the sound of the bathroom door opening and closing, then the running water.
Brandon had showered last night, even given Sophia a rinse.
She was dead tired in the wee hours, but she vaguely remembered Brandon carrying her into the bathroom for a wash.
And then in the bathroom….
Sophia touched her forehead and stopped herself from recalling any further.
Brandon came back from his shower in no time, toweling his damp hair with one hand while walking towards the blow dryer on the balcony.
He had only a white towel wrapped around his waist.
Sophia looked up and saw his toned chest, muscles well-defined, with a pair of beautifully curved Adonis belts diving beneath the towel.
Noticing Sophia looking, Brandon gave her a glance. His expression didn’t show any discomfort.
“Do you want to take another shower?” he asked. “I had clothes sent over. They’re on the table.”
Sophia glanced at the table instinctively and indeed saw two sets of new clothes.
“I guess not right now,” she said in a low voice, still clutching the blanket.
Under the blanket, she wore nothing that could cover her, and she couldn’t muster Brandon’s composure.
“My head’s still a bit achy, I’ll sleep a bit more. You go ahead to work when you’re done,” she said softly, her back still to Brandon, not quite knowing how to deal with the awkwardness of having slept with her ex-husband.
Brandon looked back at her and read her ostrich-like avoidance in a glance.
“Get some more rest, then.”
He said, gave his hair a quick blow to half-dry, and shut off the dryer.
Sophia didn’t really fall asleep; after the dryer stopped, she faintly heard the rustling of packaging being opened.
She expected Brandon to leave first after getting ready, but he didn’t.
1/3
08:43
Brandon, now in a white shirt, looked back at her while tying his tie. “I had breakfast sent up from the hotel. Eat something first. If you’re really feeling unwell, just rest at the hotel today, I’ll cover for you at work.”
“No need,” Sophia had to sit up, still wrapped in the blanket, “I can go to work.”
Her pale, delicate shoulders became exposed as she sat up.
Bite marks could be seen on them.
Brandon’s gaze lingered on her bare shoulders for a moment before he coughed lightly and looked away.
Sophia then belatedly noticed her exposed shoulders and awkwardly pulled the blanket up a bit, barely daring to meet Brandon’s
eyes.
The doorbell rang from outside at that moment; it must’ve been the breakfast delivery.
“I’ll get the breakfast. Start getting ready.”
Brandon said and turned to answer the door.
He was being considerate of her feelings, giving her some space.
After Sophia got ready, Brandon had already laid out the breakfast on the table.
“Is your head still hurting?”
He asked as she approached.
Sophia shook her head. “Not anymore.”
She felt much better after freshening up.
Brandon nodded. “Let’s eat, then.”
Sophia gave a small nod.
During the meal, they typically didn’t talk much.
Sophia was still a bit embarrassed, especially since they had just been so intimately connected the night before, in such a raw and passionate way.
The steamy memories made it hard not to think of something more suggestive when she looked at the neatly dressed Brandon across the table.
Both of them tacitly avoided discussing last night, knowing full well that it wouldn’t lead to anything.
Like Brandon had said in the heat of the moment, they were two consenting adults, each taking what they needed; once out of bed, there were no responsibilities to each other.
Despite the passion of the previous night, Brandon had been careful.
One of the perks of staying in a hotel was people could easily get hold of contraceptives just by opening the bedside drawer. After breakfast, Brandon drove Sophia to the office together.
“Got any thoughts on where to find an apartment?”
On the way to the office, Brandon asked Sophia, “Renting or buying?”
“I think I’ll rent for now,” Sophia replied. “Probably just look around near the office.”
Brandon nodded, “The properties you got in the divorce are still vacant. You could live there.”
Sophia replied, “I’d rather not, it’s not very convenient for work to live in those places.”
She hadn’t touched those properties or the assets Brandon had divided with her after the divorce.
“What about the one you had before?” Brandon said. “I remember it’s close to the office.””
Sophia replied, “I sold it.”
Brandon mentioned, “I heard from Kent it’s up for rent recently.”
“Oh. Sophia wasn’t very interested the apartment was too small to house three people, and with a kid, there were way too many clothes and toys.
Besides, the memories tied to that place were too sweet, and she didn’t want to touch them.
Brandon turned to look at her, “Not planning to move back in?”
Sophia shook her head, “No, I want a change of scenery.”
Brandon laughed, “You really don’t cling to the past, do you?”
Sophia cracked a smile and played it cool, as if she hadn’t caught the snark in his words.
ཞ ཆ ཉ རྗ ཕྱ ོ
The car soon came to a stop in the company’s underground parking lot.
As Brandon unbuckled his seatbelt, he turned to her and said, “I’ll tag along with you to hunt for an apartment after work.” Sophia paused in the middle of unbuckling hers, giving him a hesitant look, “Nah, that’s not necessary. You told me when you were dropping me off at the airport that Don is handling the branch office and you wouldn’t be swinging by often. The
Zenithan-style resort project has got its own point person, so you won’t be too hands-on. You told me not to sweat thinking about you too much.”
Sophia spoke up softly.
Brandon locked eyes with her for a moment, “Last night you really did treat me just like a booty call.”
“I was drunk,” Sophia murmured.
Brandon gave her a glance but didn’t say much, his expression as composed as ever.
“Let’s head up.”
They took the elevator together.
“I’ll have Kent sort out an elevator card for you to access the top floor,” Brandon said as the elevator doors closed.
“That’s not necessary” Sophia turned to look at him, “I don’t really need to go up there for my job that often.”
He gave her a look, “You have the right to refuse, but I have the duty to offer. It’s up to you whether you take it or not, but it’s up to me whether I give it.”
Sophia kept mum, and not long after returning to her office, the HR department delivered the elevator card.
The HR rep didn’t recognize Sophia and just stood at the entrance of the office area, scanning the room politely asking, “Excuse me, is Director Yearwood here?”
Brandon’s mother, Patricia, just happened to walk up to the office entrance at the sound of the name “Yearwood” and immediately frowned, looking towards the office space.
Sophia, who was discussing design plans with Cindy at her desk, looked up, “Over here.”
Patricia followed the voice and when she saw Sophia looking back, her brow knitted so tightly it almost tied a knot.
Sophia also noticed Patricia and her movements slightly froze.
Patricia gave Sophia the once-over from head to toe with that same haughty, disdainful attitude.
“Director Yearwood?” Patricia flashed a sardonic smile, the scoff in her eyes all too clear, “Is this my son’s way of compensating you?”