Brix left his mother as soon as he was sure she was fine, and that her assistant was inside the office with her. His mother had quieted down once he had opened up and cried in front of her. He actually did not notice himself crying.
He wanted to go out somewhere to be alone. So he left his office to go out.
"Are you alright?" he heard the question in Cris' familiar voice.
Brix raised his head and saw the concern in Cris' eyes. He forced a smile on his lips as he mumbled, "I'm fine, Cris. I just need some fresh air."
He continued to walk towards the elevator with his head down. The elevator doors opened and he entered and pressed the button for the ground floor.
Cris was worried as she had noticed Brix's downcasted look, so she followed him into the elevator. He did not notice that he was alone with her inside the elevator because he kept looking at the floor, at his shoes, in particular.