Chapter 552 – Beginning with a Daring Encounter

Jade took a deep breath. She wanted to be there for Aaron and Harry. She needed to be there for Harry. “I’m going to submit my resignation letter today and ask my boss to assign the case to someone else. I will get on the plane with Candace,” Jade said, and Benne nodded.

“That will be good. We will be expecting you,” Benne said before hanging up the call.

Once Jade turned around to return to the bedroom, she saw Candace standing behind her and staring at her with a deep frown.

“Who was that on the phone? And why were you talking about getting on a plane with me?”

Jade sighed. “That was Benne.”

Candace’s brow arched, “Benne? You told your brother about Sara? Why would you do that?” Candace asked Jade in an annoyed tone, not the least bit embarrassed to let her know she had eavesdropped on her conversation.

“He didn’t hear about Sara from me. He knew about her before now,” Jade said, and Candace frowned.

“What do you mean he didn’t hear about Sara from you when I just clearly heard you tell him that Sara sold me to that man? How could you even tell him something like that when we don’t know the details of what truly happened yet?” Candace asked, and Jade sighed wearily.

“I told you I know the truth, remember?” Jade said as she held Candace’s gaze.

“And the truth is that she sold me to that man? How did you know she did that? And what is the meaning of this? Who is Aaron? And what is Harry’s name doing here?” Candace asked pointing to Jade’s journal which she was holding since that was the reason she had left the room to find Jade.

Jade’s sighed when she realized that she hadn’t even taken note of her journal in Candace’s hand. She didn’t need to look too closely to know what Candace was pointing at in the journal. It was the family tree she had drawn which connected Harry, Candace, Aaron and Sara together.

“Let’s sit for a moment,” Jade said as she walked over to the living room and sat on the couch, and Candace did the same.

“Remember Harry? My brother’s best friend?” Jade asked, and Candace gave her a nod.

“Yeah. The guy you’re in love with,” Candace said, and Jade winced when she remembered confiding in Candace about her feelings for Harry, who now happened to be her twin brother.

“Yeah. That Harry,” Jade said with a nod, and then held Candace’s gaze for a moment before saying, “He is Sara’s son.”

Candace blinked at her in confusion, “Sara’s son? But there is no record of her getting remarried or having a chil…” The rest of Candace’s words trailed off as she made the connection in her head.

She knew that Benne was thirty, and since he was Harry’s best friend, that meant Harry would most likely be around Benne’s age. She was twenty-eight. It wasn’t possible that Sara would have had another child since her modelling career had started in the same year she gave birth to her. To them.

The Harry who she had heard a lot about but had not seen was her twin brother? “Harry is the son she abandoned?” Candace asked, and Jade gave her a nod.

“You pretty much figured her out on your own. I’m sorry,” Jade said apologetically as she went to sit beside her, but Candace’s face was blank as she stood from her seat and walked over to the bar to pour herself a glass of wine.

She laughed humorlessly as she returned to join Jade, “Today has to be the most memorable day of the century, don’t you think? First, Jero dies, and then I find out my biological mother is searching for me and I have a father and a twin brother, and next I find out about my adoptive parents, and now I learn she sold me off to my adoptive parents and I now know the identity of my twin brother,” Candace said in an emotionless tone as she raised her wineglass to Jade in a silent toast.

Jade said nothing as she watched her. She knew that Candace was probably still processing things in her head so she waited patiently. Giving her time to put her thoughts together.

“Why are you staring at me that way?” Candace asked when she noticed the sad look on Jade’s face as she watched her.

“Do you feel sorry for me?” She asked with a bright smile as she took a sip of wine and then dropped the glass on a stool beside her, “Don’t be. I’m not hurt. I’m not even surprised that someone like her would do something like that. When you have lived the kind of life I’ve lived, things like these don’t get to you anymore. At least she sold me off to a wealthy couple and didn’t just throw me into a dumpster like other kids I know,” Candace continued to chatter, while Jade merely stared at her.

Finding out that you weren’t abandoned but was actually sold off by your own mother had to be better and less hurtful than being dumped by the roadside, right?

“She had no right doing that. Not when your father is alive! You were not an orphan…”

“I was raised in an orphanage home, so I am an orphan. It doesn’t matter,” Candace cut in, swallowing past the lump in her throat as she continued to smile even though her lips were beginning to wobble.

“IT MATTERS! Stop acting like you are alright when you’re not!” Jade yelled at her, feeling frustrated because she knew how upsetting everything must be for Candace. For Aaron. And for Harry too.

“I am alright,” Candace said defensively as she tried her best to remain calm but her hands were trembling.

“Well, that’s good for you then, because YOUR FATHER is not alright! Aaron collapsed when he heard the news! He is not fine! Harry is not fine either!” Jade yelled at her as she stood from her seat.

“What has that got to do with me? How is any of that my fault?” Candace yelled right back as she rose from her seat and angry tears dropped from her eyes.

“Why shouldn’t I be alright? Would you rather I am devastated? They all lived a good life all these years without me and I lived the best way I could too, so I have every right to be fine whether or not they are fine!” Candace yelled, but her voice hitched, and she broke into a sob which betrayed her claim of being alright.

Jade took a deep breath as she tried to backtrack. She reminded herself that no matter how frustrated she was, yelling at Candace wasn’t the right thing. Not when she obviously hurting.

“I’m sorry. I’m not saying it is your fault. You are all victims of Sara. You, your dad, and your twin brother. You can be mad all you want, but you can’t be mad at Aaron and Harry. Harry didn’t even know his mother was still alive until today, and Aaron just found out his daughter is still alive,” Jade said softly as she embraced Candace whose body was trembling now.

“I’m sorry, Candace. None of you deserves any of this. I’m sorry for everything, and I’m sorry that I have to beg you for this, but we have to leave for Serenopolis today. Aaron needs to see you.”

Harry let go of Jamal’s hand and stood up immediately the door opened and the doctor walked out of the emergency ward.

Harry, Benne, and Celsie hurried over to his side, “What is going on? How is he?” Harry asked anxiously since it was over three hours already since they arrived at the hospital.

“I’m sorry it took so long to get back to you. He needed urgent medical attention so we had to attend to him immediately. You can rest assured that he will be fine. Did he suffer a heart attack recently? Or had any heart-related trouble?” The doctor asked, and Harry gave him a nod.

“Yes. That was a few days ago. But it was a minor one. At least that was what my doctor said,” Harry explained since his personal doctor was different from the company’s doctor.

“I see. He suffered a myocardial infarction. It was a good thing you brought him in when you did. Don’t worry, he will be fine,” the doctor said confidently.

“Can I see him now?” Harry asked, hopefully.

“Although he is unconscious right now, you can see him. He has been moved to a private ward,” the doctor said, and all three of them let out a sigh of relief.

---