Chapter 470 – Beginning with a Daring Encounter

“Thanks for your understanding,” Jade said, and they both lapsed into silence.

Neither of them said a word to each other for some time since they were both occupied with thoughts of their own. After a while, Jade turned to Candace, “You know, I just realized that I don’t know much about you despite the fact that we’ve been through a lot together in the course of this case,” Jade said and Candace turned weary eyes to her.

“There’s nothing much to know about me. You pretty much know everything there is to know,” Candace said, and Jade shrugged.

“I can count a number of things I don’t know about you. For example, I don’t know how you met Andy,” Jade said, wanting to engage Candace in a conversation since she wasn’t comfortable with Candace’s silence.

At the mention of Andy’s name, Candace’s lips curved in a smile, “Andy is my family. We grew up together at the orphanage home. She has always been there for as long as I can remember.”

Jade smiled when she heard the warmth in Candace’s voice. Jade had come to realize that the only time there ever seemed to be warmth when Candace spoke was when she was either talking about her son or Andy.

“I’m sorry to ask, but I was just wondering. How long did you live at the orphanage? I mean, when did you start living there? Did you ever get to find out how you wound up at the orphanage?” Jade asked thoughtfully.

“You are wondering if my parents abandoned me or if I lost them at an early age,” Candace said, and Jade flashed her an apologetic smile.

“I’m sorry if my question made you uncomfortable,” Jade said, and Candace smiled at her.

“Do you know that apart from trying to get away from Jero and the cartel, I started studying law because I admire you?” Candace asked, and Jade blinked at her in surprise.

“Me?”

Candace’s smile widened as she gave her a nod, “Yeah. The first time we met, you were always so confident, honest, and straightforward. Although, you are different now,” Candace said, and Jade raised a brow.

“How so?”

“You were always so stiff, and you never let things get personal or asked questions unrelated to the case. You did help us a lot, but you kept your emotional distance,” Candace said, and Jade smiled.

“Is this your polite way of saying I’m nosy and you no longer admire me?” Jade asked with a grin, and Candace laughed softly.

“Not at all. I still like you. You seem more relaxed now.”

“Is that a good or a bad thing?” Jade asked curiously.

“It’s good. You seem happier and even more confident now,” Candace said, and Jade smiled when she remembered her mother had said something similar to her.

“Anyway, to answer your question. It is both. I lost my parents, and my family abandoned me,” Candace said, making Jade blink in confusion.

“I’m lost.”

“The sisters at the orphanage home where I was raised said I was brought to them by a man when I was three years old. According to them, I was a very sickly child. No one wanted a sickly child, and by the time I stopped being so ill, I was already a teenager, and no one wanted to adopt such a grown-up,” Candace said in a flat voice as though that didn’t bother her in any way.

“That’s sad. Who took you to the orphanage? Your father?” Jade asked with a confused frown.

Candace’s lips curved in a rueful smile, “Not exactly. According to the sisters, the man who dumped me was my father’s brother. He claimed that I had been adopted, and since his brother and sister-in-law were dead, and I was such a sickly kid, he couldn’t raise me, so he left me at the orphanage and paid a huge sum of money,” Candace said, and Jade felt her heart break.

“Don’t you want to find out who he is and know more about your family?”

“There is no need for that. At first, I wanted to find my family. Hence I asked those questions, but when I was told he paid them to take me from him, I saw no reason for me to find him. Andy and I left the orphanage home when we became adults. I’m okay with having just Andy and Jamal in my life,” Candace said, but Jade wasn’t satisfied.

“I’m sorry about that,” Jade said apologetically, and Candace sighed.

“It’s fine. Right now, all I want is to get Jero out of the way so that Jamal can grow up in a decent home,” she said, and Jade glanced at her

“About wanting to get Jero out…”

“Let’s not discuss about that. What you don’t know about wouldn’t hurt you,” Candace cut in, and Jade sighed in resignation. It seemed like Candace was set on her plans. She was going to have to try a different approach.

After Jade drove into the parking lot of the mall and got out of the car, she led Candace into the building and up to Aurora’s spa.

Apart from bringing Candace there to help her relax, Jade had also come because she wanted to see Aurora and find a way to discourage her from meeting with Harry again.

“Darling!” Aurora, who had been expecting Jade for the past twenty minutes, greeted happily once she sighted them. Jade smiled as Aurora embraced her.

“Guess what?” Aurora asked excitedly as she took Jade’s hand and led her to her office, which would afford them more privacy, while Candace followed them.

“What?” Jade asked curiously as she followed Aurora, wondering why the lady seemed unusually excited.

“I just got off the phone with Harry a while ago, and you won’t believe what he said!” Aurora said, making Jade’s smile falter as her heart skipped several beats.

“What did he say?” She asked as they walked into the office and sat down.

“He asked me to accompany him to OmniGlobal’s anniversary event as his date! Can you believe that?” Aurora asked in a high-pitched voice as she laughed happily, while Jade felt her throat constrict as she tried to speak.

“Harry said that?” Jade asked, trying to force a smile while Candace watched her reaction with interest while wondering who Harry was.

“Yes. Jade, you have no idea how happy I was when he said that. I felt like dancing in the air. By the way, I’m going to visit him next week, and I will be… Oh, lest I forget! He said I should ask you to give me his shirt. He said he left it behind in the closet in his suite. He wants me to bring it along with me while coming,” Aurora said, and Jade’s heart broke even more.

“He said all that?” She asked in a slightly shaky voice, and Aurora bobbed her head.

“He might be starting to like me, right? What do you think?” Aurora asked, and Jade shrugged.

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