One Wild Night

Once Harry stepped inside the room, both Candace and Aaron looked at him, and he paused, "I could come back later if you need priv..."

"Don't be silly," Aaron scolded with disapproval while Candace looked at Harry with a guarded expression.

She didn't require any introductions to know who he was. The man standing before her was the person she had never met but had heard so much about from the staff at Tom's house during her stay there, and also Jade.

The man she had now been told was her biological brother. Her twin brother. How did he feel about everything? It was one thing for Aaron to be happy about having back his missing child, as most sane parents would be, but what about Harry? Was he glad to see her?

He was a successful and influential man like Tom, and she knew reputation meant a lot to people like him. How did he feel about having a twin sister with a history like hers? She mused as she looked back at Harry, who was quietly observing her.

She was strikingly beautiful, with brown eyes like his and a short crop of black hair like Jade's.

Looking at her, Harry could see the resemblance between her and Sara's younger self. He had spent over twenty-six years looking at the picture and talking to it since he was old enough to speak, so he knew every angle and curve on that face. It was etched in his memory, and he doubted that he would have missed the strong resemblance had he met her before now.

Aaron watched silently as both his children stared at each other, and he wondered what was going on in their minds and if he should say anything to lighten the air.

Harry called himself to order when he observed Candace's posture and realized that his silence was making her uncomfortable. He noticed that she seemed cautious, like she didn't know what to expect, and then he remembered everything Jade had told him in the car about her fears and concerns about being accepted.

"Welcome home, Candace," Harry said with outstretched arms, surprising Candace, who looked at him with uncertainty, but before she could decide whether or not to embrace him, he covered the distance between them and hugged her to Aaron's relief.

Harry was taller and bigger than her, so he covered her up entirely while Candace stood stiffly in his embrace as he held her to himself. She had received so many hugs in one day from different people, more than she had received in her adult life.

The only people who hugged her this way were Andy and Jamal, but today Jade had embraced her, Tom had done so too, and then Lucy, and then she had embraced Aaron, and now Harry was embracing again. She had never felt so welcomed and accepted.

"I'm sorry it took so long to learn of your existence and find you," Harry murmured against her hair as he held her, and Candace found herself tearing up once again.

"We would have done everything we could to find you if we so much as suspected that she lied," Harry said, seeing no need to let her know that their father had kept everything away from him.

Aaron tried to stifle his sob as he watched them but could not, and Harry pulled away from Candace. They both turned to him, "Don't you think you've cried enough for one day? Even I didn't cry this much as a kid," Harry said in a light tone, and Candace smiled as she blinked back her tears while Aaron looked at them both apologetically.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for everything," Aaron cried as he tried unsuccessfully to control his happy tears at seeing his babies together.

"Why don't we give you some time to rest and pull yourself together?" Harry suggested, and before Aaron could protest, Candace nodded in agreement, thinking that he needed a break.

"I will get Candace something to drink at the cafeteria and get acquainted with her, and then we will return when you have put yourself together. We don't want her to think you are a crybaby. First impressions matter, remember?" Harry asked in a jocular tone as he handed a handkerchief to his father, and Aaron gave him a wobbly smile.

"You are doing so well, so just hang in there a little more," Harry encouraged, and Aaron gave him a nod, thankful that he had an empathetic son like Harry. He had no idea how he would have survived all of this if Harry wasn't as open-minded, caring, and forgiving as he was.

"I will be back," Candace told Aaron before letting Harry lead her out of the room.

Immediately the door opened, Tom and the others who were standing some feet away from there turned in their direction.

"Mommy!" Jamal said, running up to meet her, and she kissed his forehead.

"I will be back shortly so wait a bit, alright?" she asked, and he bobbed his head before looking up at Harry who was staring down at him.

"Are you alright now?" Jamal asked with concern, and Harry smiled at him.

"Yes, I feel better. Thank you for watching over my dad," Harry said as he ruffled Jamal's hair, making Jamal brush his hair back in position.

He couldn't understand why all the adults liked to ruffle his hair. The only person he could permit to do so was Lucy and he wished the others would keep their hands to themselves.

"We will be at the cafeteria," Harry informed the others, but his gaze was on Jade.

Jade exchanged a look with Candace before giving Harry a nod, and they all watched as they walked away.

Once they got to the cafeteria, Harry led her to the spot where he had sat with Lucy earlier and held out a seat for her before taking the chair opposite her.

"Jamal is a nice kid," Harry said conversationally and she smiled as Jade had told him she would. He had said talking about Jamal always brightened her and got her attention.

"I've been receiving compliments from everyone all day," she said with a proud smile, and Harry smiled back.

"Jade told me about his father's death and the package he left you. I know it has been a tough day, and coming here must not be easy for you. Thank you for agreeing to come despite everything," Harry said, and Candace gave him a nod.

"I wish there was something I could do to make up for all the pain you must have endured all these years. I wish she had given me away and not you," Harry said, wanting to make her understand that he shared her pain.

"I don't think you should wish for something like that," she said with a slight frown as she blinked back her tears.

"I really do wish so. I know you didn't live a pleasant life. I understand that things would have been tough for me had I been the one she abandoned, but I would have preferred it to you going through everything you did," Harry said, and a tear dropped from Candace's eyes at his kind words.

This wasn't what she had expected from him. But then again, it was Aaron who had raised him. It made her feel even more heartbroken to know that she had such a warm and caring family but had been denied all this warmth thanks to Sara.

"Jade said you thought your mother was dead until today. You must have been very shocked to learn the truth," Candace said, and Harry sighed.

"I am. But it is nothing compared to how shocked you must be," Harry said, and Candace didn't miss how he was trying to make it all about her.

"I want to hear about it if you don't mind," Candace said, and Harry gave her a nod.

Knowing that his initial plan not to tell her that had been ruined by Jade already, so he decided to open up to her.

He told her how his father had lied about having a perfect wife and how he had bought him gifts every year, claiming that the gifts were from his late mother.

"Why didn't he tell you the truth about her?" Candace asked curiously since she hadn't been able to ask Aaron about it.

Harry sighed as he told her about their father and how he was abandoned by his mother too. Harry also told her the story about how their father had met and married Sara and how she had abandoned them after stealing from him, leaving Aaron broken.

Tears dropped from Candace's eyes, and she smiled as she listened to Harry. All she could see in his story was a father's love for his son. Aaron was indeed a precious man, and she was proud to know that despite being born by a heartless being like Sara, someone like Aaron was her father.

By the time he was done, Candace sighed, "I guess, seeing as you only just found out about her existence today, you never met her in all these years?" Candace asked since she had been curious to know if Sara's maternal instinct had been roused even once in all these years for her to want to see her son.

Harry told her about his brief meeting with her in front of the restaurant, and he also told her about her meeting with their father and Lucy and let her listen to the voice recording Lucy had made. When he was done, Candace looked at him with disbelief.

"Is she even human, or does she lack a brain and a heart? You mean she had the guts to threaten him despite all she has done? She even showed up without the least feeling of remorse?" Candace asked, her blood boiling with anger, and Harry nodded.

"Now I feel more sorry for Aaron. He doesn't deserve this," Candace said with a frown, and Harry nodded in agreement.

Harry knew he didn't have to let her in on all of this immediately, but he wanted her to know everything so they could get that out of the way. She needed to know who her family was and who the enemy was.

"I don't suppose you knew you had a twin sister before today?" she asked, and Harry shook his head.

"But now that I think of it, I think he celebrated your birthday every year too. I once saw him blowing off some candles on a cake in the middle of the night on one of my birthdays, and when I asked him why, he said he was having his own private celebration. He might have done that every year. I don't think he ever stopped thinking about the daughter he thought he lost," Harry said, thinking about how Lucy had said she saw him crying in his sleep and asking for his daughter.

"What is your plan, Candace?" Harry asked as he watched her, and Candace frowned.

"What plan?" she asked in confusion.

"I'm sorry I'm asking you this so soon when you only just showed up. But there is a lot I need to do, and I need to get this out of the way. I need to know if you are willing to be with us," Harry said, but Candace looked at him with a blank expression.

"I hope you understand that my fath... Our father did not abandon you," Harry continued after correcting himself.

"I understand that you have the right to say you want no part in any of this, and you want to continue to live alone with Jamal. But I'm hoping you won't do that. I'm hoping you will stay back and complete our family. For both our sake and yours," Harry said, and Candace teared up.

"You don't mind having a sister like me? Are you not worried about what people will say?"

"As long as we reach an agreement right now that I'm the older twin, I don't think I care," Harry said, wanting to make her smile, and her lips trembled as she managed a smile.

"Shouldn't you be worried about your reputation? You know about everything, don't you?" she asked, and Harry gave her a nod, not pretending to misunderstand what she meant.

"So are you asking me to choose between my reputation and my family?" he asked with a slightly raised brow, but she looked away, unable to hide her insecurity and shame.

Harry stood up and went to her seat, then placed both hands on her shoulder and gently made her stand up so she would face him.

"You are much more valuable to our father and me than my reputation or anything else. And my reputation is a little price to pay in return for having you and Jamal," Harry said, and a tear dropped from Candace's eyes.

"So what do you say to taking your place in the family, kid sister?" Harry asked as he brushed away her tears.

"It will take some time for me to get used to this..."

"Me too. But we are not in a hurry," Harry assured her, and this time it was Candace who embraced him.

Harry sighed as he felt her arms go around him, and he hugged her back. He had been unsure how to approach her or what to say to her, but he was glad that Jade had made things easier for them.

Jade, who had followed to watch them from a distance, smiled when she saw them embrace each other, and she let out a sigh of relief.

She looked down at her phone when it started ringing with a call from Sonia, and she received the call when she remembered that she had a score to settle with Sonia.