Chapter 598 Low Self-Esteem



After chatting with the men for some time, Bryan excused himself, wanting to go to his bedroom to give his best friend a call.

He needed to brag to someone, and who best to be at the receiving end than his single pringle best friend?

As he went up the stairs, he heard the women laughing, and he could only wonder what they were talking about and if it was in any way similar to the ew inspiring revelation his father and Andrew had shared.

Once he got to the bedroom, he dropped on the bed and took out his phone to dial Matt's line.

He paused and tried to figure out the most unsuitable way to break the news to him.

'Hey, partner! Get ready to be a godfather!' Bryan exclaimed and shook his head.

Not good enough.

"Guess who is about to join the League of Fathers?" Bryan asked, and even though he liked that one a bit, it wasn't good enough yet.

"Hey, dog! Add some respect to my name! I'm going to be a dad!" Bryan said and then sighed.

He was just going to go with all the lines, and whatever else comes to mind, he decided as he dialed Matt's line.

"Don't tell me you just saw me or someone you know saw me, okay? I just got into Ludus barely an hour ago, and I was going to call...."

"You are in Ludus?" Bryan cut in, taken aback by Matt's statement.

Matt sighed, "Oh! Yeah. Sogal is sort of boring right now, and since I'm done with all I have to do at the moment, I decided to relax. Though I have a meeting with Harry tomorrow. Maybe we can meet up later if you're not too busy," Matt said, and Bryan grinned.

"Why later? What are you up to? I have news for you. I was going to tell you over the phone, but now I think I should do it in person," Bryan said, bustling with excitement, and Matt raised a brow.

"What news? Is it about Sonia?" Matt asked, hoping everything was okay between them.

"If you're so curious, why don't you come over?" Bryan suggested, excited at the thought of hanging out with Matt.

Matt hesitated for a second, "Is she still over there?"

"Who? The sexy lady who used and dumped you?" Bryan teased.

"Yeah, my sexy dumper," Matt hissed, and Bryan chuckled.

"Yes. But she spent the night at Harry's. I don't know if she is coming back here today. Why? You're not going to come over if she is here?" Bryan asked as he spread out on the bed.

"Yeah. I'd rather not run into her. And I will appreciate it if you don't tell Sonia I'm in Ludus either...."

"That doesn't make any sense. Sonia, as well as everyone else, is going to be here when you drop in, so she is going to see you and know you're in Ludus unless you're wearing a mask or something," Bryan pointed out.

Matt sighed, "Let's meet somewhere else then. Maybe we can meet at one of the cafes around the hotel. I'm at I-Global hotel," Matt said, and Bryan looked up when the door opened, and Sonia walked in.

"I was just going to call you. Thought you were still with the guys," Sonia said before she noticed he was on the phone.

"Sorry," she whispered.

"It's fine. It's just Matt," Bryan assured her, and Sonia raised a brow.

"Did you tell him yet?" she asked in a whisper, and Bryan shook his head.

"Sonia is here. Want to say hello?" Bryan asked Matt.

"Hey, Matty man! You have no choice but to say hello, you know?" Sonia said as she fell on the bed beside Bryan, and Matt chuckled.

"Of course, Queen!" Matt said as Bryan passed the phone to Sonia.

"What's up? What are you up to?" Sonia asked as she lay face up beside Bryan, who seemed to be examining her abdomen.

"I'm in Ludus at the moment," Matt said, wanting her to hear it from him first.

"Oh, that's great! Are you coming over?" Sonia asked excitedly.

"No," he said without hesitation.

"I suppose you're not coming because you are avoiding Candace?" she asked knowingly.

"Yes. I am avoiding her. And I will appreciate it if you don't talk to her about me or to me about her," Matt said, and Sonia shrugged.

"Cool."

"Bryan says he has news for me. Want to share?" Matt asked, and Sonia glanced at Bryan, who shook his head.

"Sorry, buddy, you will have to hear it from him. I have to get ready to go out with Evelyn. See you hopefully before you leave Ludus. Kisses," Sonia said as she returned the phone to Bryan.

"I will call to let you know when I'm on my way," Bryan told Matt and then hung up to face Sonia.

"Where are you going with my mom?" Bryan asked as he watched Sonia take out a pair of jeans trousers and a top from the closet.

"She booked an appointment with a doctor friend of hers who specializes in obstetrics and gynecology," Sonia explained.

"And I'm not allowed to come with you?" Bryan asked with displeasure.

"You are welcome to come with us. But I think it might be best you don't make an appearance just yet. I'd love us to treasure this moment alone within the family before the whole world begins to speculate whether or not Bryan Hank is expecting his first baby," Sonia said, and Bryan sighed.

"How about we be on a video call while I'm there? That way, you can be there without really being there?" Sonia asked, not wanting him to feel bad.

"It's not the same. But I suppose that will do. Only for now," Bryan said, and Sonia bobbed her head.

"Sure," she said as she quickly kissed him and then began to take off her clothes.

As Bryan watched her, he couldn't help wondering how long before the baby bump would become visible. The thought of seeing Sonia full and ripe with his baby turned him on.

"Why are you staring at me that way?" Sonia asked in a husky voice when she noticed the way his gaze was caressing her body.

"You know, my dad and Andrew said it's safe to have sex...."

"You asked them that?" Sonia asked in disbelief as she flushed with embarrassment.

"No, I didn't. They were merely sharing their fatherhood experience. I wasn't particularly thrilled when my dad told me he welcomed the news of my conception by making love to Mom," Bryan said with a scowl, and Sonia giggled.

"So? You want to give it a try?" Sonia asked as she slowly moved towards the bed where Bryan was still seated.

Sonia straddled him and smiled cunningly when she felt his erection, "We will be gentle, and if it hurts or I become uncomfortable, I will let you know," she promised as she helped him take off his clothes.

Away from there, immediately Candace got into Jade's car; Jade started the car and drove off, "You didn't tell Aaron that was I picking you up, did you?"

"I may have. Why?" Candace asked, and Jade made a face.

"I haven't been here for some time, remember? And then stopping over to pick you up without going in might seem somehow," she shrugged.

"Don't worry. He isn't going to make a big deal out of it. And you can always go in to say hello when you bring me back," Candace assured her.

"So, where is this fake crime scene? And I hope we are still stopping by a clothes store to get me something suitable for an intern. This morning I was the only one underdressed in Harry's office," she complained with a slight frown.

"Really? I didn't notice," Jade said, and Candace rolled her eyes.

"As if you notice anything else when Harry is within a hundred-meter radius from you," she muttered, and Jade grinned.

"You are right. I don't notice anything or anyone else when Harry is around. I'm sure neither Harry nor Lucy thought you looked underdressed...."

"They're family. They wouldn't think so. I walked past human beings on my way in and out of the company, remember? What if later in the future, when they find out I am Harry's sister, they remember seeing me dressed poorly? That's going to be embarrassing for Harry and me too. I should have put a lot more thought into dressing up," Candace complained, and seeing that she was serious, Jade's gaze moved over her outfit in a quick glance.

"This was what you wore earlier, and there is nothing wrong with wearing jeans trousers, and a t-shirt...."

"A faded jeans trousers and a T-shirt that says 'Best mom in the world.' I wore that to my brother's place of work, and people saw him showing me around," Candace complained, feeling frustrated that Jade wasn't getting her point.

"Did Harry say anything to give you the impression that he didn't like your outfit?" Jade asked, and Candace sighed.

"It's not about Harry, okay? It's about me. Everyone else is doing great. You all are accomplished and look so smart. Look at my father. He owns HAJ Studios. My twin brother is a CEO at I-Global. You are an accomplished lawyer. Lucy is a director at I-Global. I am like nothing compared to all of you. And when Harry decides to introduce me to everyone else, what will he say? I have no accomplishments for him to be proud of," Candace cried, tears spilling from her eyes.

Okay. This was clearly an issue of low self-esteem, Jade deduced as she found a spot by the side of the road and pulled over before taking Candace's hand.

"I don't think you are nothing. And I know neither Aaron, Harry nor Lucy thinks so. I would never have survived all you survived. Look at you, Candace! You are beautiful! You are strong! You even raised an amazing kid like Jamal. How could you ever think you are nothing? Yes, you weren't dressed in your best clothes, so what? Listen, we will go to the nearest clothes store we can find and get you some pretty impressive clothes, and if you want, we can both go to Harry's office tomorrow and make another first impression if that's what you want. I don't mind wearing this T-shirt and trousers when we go there tomorrow," Jade said, trying to make her smile.

Candace took a deep breath, "I don't know, Jade...."

"Then you can trust me as you've always done, Candace. I know enough for two. And stop comparing yourself to everybody else in your head. Only a smart person can study to become a lawyer. Besides, have you forgotten already that you are my intern? Just take it easy on yourself, okay? In the next couple of years, this will be a distant memory," Jade assured her as she squeezed Candace's hand.

Candace nodded, "Thanks."

"Come on, cheer up. We will get you some clothes and then go over to inspect the fake crime scene. When we are done, we will find somewhere to relax and talk for a bit before I go back home to get ready for my date," Jade said, buzzing with excitement as she started driving again.

"Why do I feel like you just want to use me to kill time?" Candace asked suspiciously, and Jade grinned.

"I don't think I can stay home doing nothing while waiting," Jade confessed, and Candace giggled.

"You should be well rested before your date...."

"I've been resting for long enough. Now I just want to get home, get dressed, open the door, and see Harry," Jade said, and Candace shook her head.

"What do you see in Harry anyway?" Candace asked, and Jade turned to look at her incredulously.

"What do you mean what do I see in him? Harry is the best guy in the world. He is everything. A complete package," Jade said, and Candace rolled her eyes, even though she was pleased that Jade felt this way about Harry.

"Good for you both. That's a dress store over there. Pull over," Candace ordered, pointing at the building quickly, and Jade did as she asked.

By the time they walked out of the dress store an hour later, Candace had ditched her jeans and t-shirt and was now dressed in a coral-colored sleeveless turtleneck jumpsuit with white blazers and a pair of white high-heeled sandals to match.

"Now I feel like I'm your intern," Jade said as they placed the shopping bags in the backseat of the car, and Candace giggled.

"Will you be very surprised if I tell you I've never dressed up this way?" Candace asked, and when Jade looked at her with a raised brow as they got into the car.

Candace shrugged, "I've never had a reason to. I went from working at a bar and restaurant to living with Jero and having Jamal to being a stripper. And I dress casually when going to school. I've always wanted to dress up this way and feel like a brilliant lady who has got her life put together," Candace explained, and Jade felt tears gather in her eyes.

"There's a feel to it, you know? You must be so used to it that you won't get what I'm saying," Candace said as she looked down at her clothes in admiration.

She looked like a kid. Jade thought as she turned away from Candace to brush off her tears.

Damn, Sara! It was all Sara's fault!

"Let's go to the fake crime scene! I feel like a true intern now," Candace said with a wide smile, oblivious to Jade's sadness.

"Sure."

"I'm curious about this case, though. Can you tell me more about it?" Candace asked, and Jade told her everything she needed to know as they headed to the scene.

As expected, there wasn't much blood around to indicate that whatever had happened to Adam had happened right there.

"This doesn't make sense," Candace murmured after they had looked around for a moment.

"I already told you it's a fake crime scene, so you shouldn't expect anything here to make sense," Jade said, and Candace nodded.

"You are right. I just think if they planned on making this place look like the actual crime scene, they should have put more thought into it. And why didn't they make sure he was dead before doing this?" Candace asked with a shake of her head.

"It was probably a spur-of-the-moment decision. She didn't plan to hurt him, but when she mistakenly did so and thought he was dead, she decided to make the most out of the situation," Jade reasoned as she took some snapshots.

"Let's get out of here. Our job here is done," Jade said, and they both returned to the car.

"That's Tom's hotel, right?" Candace asked when she saw the I-Global hotel ahead of them.

"Yeah," Jade said as she glanced at her wristwatch. It was past 3 p.m.

"I'm hungry. I skipped breakfast," Jade murmured.

"Me too. Let's stop over at the cafe over there," Candace suggested, and a minute later, Jade drove into the parking lot of the cafe.

"Isn't that Bryan?" Candace asked as they got out of the car and sighted Bryan going into the cafe.

"What is he doing here?" Jade mused as they both headed inside.

"What do people do at cafes?" Candace asked dryly and stopped abruptly when she saw who Bryan was greeting.