Love Beyond Emotions

1

I got goosebumps.

According to the intel, Bryanna Nash was wealthy and influential. As long as you took the initiative, the leading male role in the next movie was practically guaranteed.

Sure enough, Bryanna's smile was exceptionally bright as she took a few steps forward.

"Brandon is quite savvy."

Brandon Lawson's smile didn't waver, and he seemed to glance at me.

I raised an eyebrow, signaling him to continue, and took the opportunity to speak.

"Bryanna, about the lead role..."

"I don't want to act. Please leave."

Brandon's face suddenly turned cold as he walked straight past, bumping into Bryanna and causing her to stumble.

I was completely shocked. I stood there, stunned.

Not again.

I rubbed my forehead. Over the years, Brandon had offended many people due to his low emotional intelligence, but he didn't care.

Firstly, he wasn't short on money. After all, he was from a wealthy family.

Secondly, and most importantly, he chose the acting industry to experience a variety of extreme emotions to stimulate his nerves.

Brandon suffered from an emotional disorder and couldn't distinguish emotions.

This was a secret only the two of us knew.

Ignoring Bryanna's face, which was as dark as a storm cloud, I hurried after Brandon, lowering my voice to complain.

"Brandon, you've always been this way since childhood. How have you not improved in over twenty years? Wouldn't it be better to earn more money?"

Brandon kept walking. "Cindy, are you obsessed with money? Can't you see her intentions?"

Thinking of Bryanna's burly figure, I glanced at Brandon and wisely kept my mouth shut.

Once inside the room, I flopped onto the bed, letting out a long sigh of relief.

Brandon loosened his tie and casually asked, "How do you plan to celebrate your birthday this year?"

Brandon and I met at the orphanage.

On his birthday, I used the money I had saved for a long time to buy a mini cake, and we shared it bite by bite.

"Let's always spend our birthdays together, okay?"

Brandon wasn't moved to tears. He just lowered his eyes, quietly ate the cake, and gave a barely noticeable nod.

Later, Zayne Lawson, his biological father, found him, and after a conversation, he was taken in by Zayne, while I was adopted by Jane Gill next door.

Brandon, usually expressionless, tightly held my hand as we got into the car.

We went to our new home together.

I raised an eyebrow. "Haven't you been busy lately?"

Brandon sat on the sofa, taking a sip of tea. "There's always time if you make it."

His feigned solemnity tickled me. Since he stepped into this industry, he had grown more and more humorous.

I turned to look out the window. It was cold, and snow was falling heavily.

"Let's go skiing."

He agreed without hesitation. "Sure."

I looked at Brandon, and unexpectedly, he suddenly raised his eyes, catching my gaze.

My heart fluttered wildly.

They said feelings developed over time.

Brandon and I had been together once.

Unfortunately, Brandon who was usually a good actor had many flaws.

There were wrong expressions and wrong tone.

Brandon seemed like a robot with a glitch. His every move told me - We weren't right for each other.

2

The video of Brandon rudely rejecting Bryanna's invitation spread like wildfire, followed by a torrent of criticism.

I should have seen it coming. Bryanna was prepared.

If Brandon had agreed, Bryanna would have had leverage over him. If he refused, he was seen as arrogant and pretentious.

The insults were particularly glaring.

"No matter how famous you are, it doesn't matter if you lack manners."

"Bryanna inviting him was a privilege. Brandon really thinks he's something."

I rushed between departments at the company, overwhelmed with trying to suppress the trending topic.

A comment caught my eye, making me freeze.

"Probably that woman instructed him. I saw her nudge Brandon with her elbow. "

Brandon noticed my unease and leaned over. I hurriedly locked my phone, but it was too late. Brandon's eyes darkened.

The head of PR gave Brandon a meaningful look.

"Brandon, Bryanna said she wants to talk to you privately."

I felt incredibly anxious, nervously lowering my gaze.

Netizens were quick to jump to conclusions, and my actions in the video were the most suspicious.

At first glance, it seemed like I was the one directing him.

In other words, I had pushed Brandon into the spotlight.

"Brandon!" The head of PR raised his voice, and only then did Brandon slowly lift his eyelids, responding with a faint "hmm".

I couldn't see his expression with my head down, but the atmosphere felt colder.

"I refuse to apologize."

Like a bolt from the blue, Brandon's low yet firm voice echoed in my ears.

I looked up sharply, staring at him in disbelief.

"Are you crazy?"

I blurted out, my voice piercingly loud in the quiet office.

The usually smiling head of PR uncharacteristically frowned. "Brandon, if that's your attitude... Then there's nothing more to say."

I stood up, trying to ease the tension.

"Mr. Johnson, please don't be angry. Give him a little more time."

Brandon lowered his gaze, masking any emotion.

The meeting abruptly ended in discord, leaving just the two of us.

I tried my best to persuade Brandon, hoping to change his mind.

"Brandon, if you just go along with what Bryanna said, we might still have a chance..."

"Let's go skiing." He interrupted, catching me off guard.

In my efforts to suppress the negative rumors, I had long forgotten about birthdays.

But now, Brandon looked at me with a smile, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"Didn't you want to go skiing? Let's go. As a belated birthday gift for you."

I stared at Brandon, his eyes filled with indulgence and gentle coaxing, but devoid of love.

"Do you know what you're doing?" I asked with difficulty, my voice hoarse, a mix of hope and pleading.

Brandon laughed, ruffling my hair until it was a mess.

"Didn't we promise each other when we were kids?"

My heart sank, a bitter feeling rising within me.

This wasn't the right answer.

I forced a smile, brushing his hand away.

"My hair is a mess."

In Brandon's world, we could be family, best friends, or partners, but never lovers.

3

Brandon and I attended the same elementary, middle, and high school, and even went to the same university.

He inherited Zayne's excellent genes, with a tall stature and nearly perfect features.

Someone like Brandon, who attracted attention wherever he went, was always the object of secret admiration among girls.

But when I saw Brandon publicly reject a girl who had mustered the courage to confess to him at the welcome party, it made my eyes roll so hard.

That was off. He was too blunt.

No matter how straightforward Brandon was, he shouldn't have rejected her in such an almost insulting manner in front of everyone.

I looked at Brandon, but all I saw was his calm face, without a ripple of emotion.

It was as if... this was how it was supposed to be.

That evening, I asked Brandon out for dinner to talk about his behavior that afternoon.

I waited for a long time.

The night grew darker, and the wind was biting.

My messages went unanswered, and he didn't pick up my calls.

My unease grew until I received a photo of Brandon, his face covered in blood, his expression unreadable.

"He is completely reckless."

My pupils contracted, and my heart clenched. I frantically searched the streets, trying to find him.

It wasn't until my throat was sore and I was out of breath that I found Brandon in a dark alley, looking disheveled and with a head injury.

"Brandon!" I called out, my voice trembling with tears.

Hearing my voice, Brandon forced himself to lift his eyelids, looking at me with vacant eyes.

His cheek was swollen, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Apparently, he had been beaten severely.

Yet his voice remained calm, without anger or humiliation, and there was even a hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth.

"Sorry, I'm late."

Suddenly, the person I had known for over a decade seemed like a stranger.

He was too calm.

A chilling realization struck me.

Brandon wasn't indifferent but couldn't feel emotions.

Happiness, sadness, anger... He didn't have any of these emotions.

That was why he could not understand the nuances in conversations or find the best solutions to problems.

I took him to see a doctor.

Brandon stared at the diagnosis of "emotional detachment" for a long time.

He said, "I want to act. To learn normal reactions, normal expressions. I don't want to be a strange person anymore."

Looking at his serious profile, the sunlight casting a soft halo around him, I lowered my eyes, gently punching his chest.

"Brandon, would you let me be your personal manager?"

Brandon's low voice sounded in my ear. "Sure, Cindy."

It turned out to be the right path.

Brandon was a natural-born actor.

With just a little guidance, he made dramatic progress.

His acting skills became so refined that even I couldn't tell if his emotions were real or fake.

4

I had never skied before and screamed in fear at the slightest movement.

"Brandon! If I die, my bank card is behind the photo frame, and the password is my birthday..."

I clung tightly to Brandon's arm, unable to stop sliding down.

He couldn't help but laugh. "What about the rest of the cards?"

Seeing the wooden post getting closer, I shouted in panic, "The card behind the photo frame is the most valuable!"

Resigned, I covered my forehead, only to bump into a warm chest.

Above me, Brandon's low laughter echoed.

"Little penny-pincher, are you really willing?"

Feeling my cheeks heat up, I dared not look up at him. "Go away."

Brandon released me, his tone teasing.

"Oh, then I'll be off."