Chapter 194 – Beginning with a Daring Encounter

“Can I ask you a question? I need your honest opinion,” Harry said as he turned to spare Jade a glance.

“Hm. I will try. Shoot!”

“Do you think I’m boring?” Harry asked, and Jade giggled.

“Boring? Why are you asking me that? Did someone tell you that? Perhaps a lady?” Jade asked curiously.

“Well, you’ve been in my company now for almost twenty-four hours. That’s more than I can say for most people, apart from your brother, so tell me what you think,” Harry urged her on.

Jade pursed her lips thoughtfully as she considered his question, “I think it’s too early to form an opinion…”

“Oh, come on! You’re a lawyer and so you should be a good judge of character. From all you saw yesterday, what do you honestly think about me?” Harry asked, cutting her off.

“Well, I don’t think you’re boring. But I could be wrong. You know different strokes for different folks,” Jade said with a shrug, and Harry smirked.

“So you don’t think I’m boring, right?” Harry asked, just to be sure that they were on the same page.

“If I’m to judge by the first time we met four years ago, you’re not the least bit boring. Why do you ask?” Jade asked curiously.

“Your brother thinks you’d consider me too boring to…” Harry let the rest of his words trail off and silently cussed his big mouth when he realized what he had been about to say.

“Too boring to what?” Jade asked when she noticed how his face flushed in embarrassment. Something told her he had been about to say something very interesting.

Thankfully Harry’s phone chose that moment to ring, saving him from responding to her question, “I’m sorry. It’s my dad,” Harry said as he picked up his phone, reached into his pocket for his Bluetooth earbud so that he could connect it to his phone, but he couldn’t find it, so he quickly connected the phone to his car’s Bluetooth speaker and then received the call.

“Hey, son! What are you up to? Still being a workaholic as usual?” His dad asked immediately the call connected.

“Hey, dad! I’m fine. How are you doing too?” Harry asked dryly.

“Aging daily while waiting for my only child to bring someone home. It doesn’t have to be a lady, you know? If the reason you’re yet to bring anyone home is because you’re into guys and not ladies, then you shouldn’t worry. I’m okay with any partner of your choice as long as it isn’t an animal,” his father said, making Jade burst into a peal of laughter.

“DAD!” Harry hissed in belief, suddenly regretting his decision to use his phone’s Bluetooth speaker while Jade was in the car.

“Wait, that sounds like feminine laughter. Why didn’t you tell me you were with your girlfriend?” His father asked while Jade kept laughing.

“She isn’t my girlfriend. If this is the reason you called I should go now. I’m driving,” Harry said irritably.

“She isn’t your girlfriend? Who is she? Is she single?” His father asked, making Harry flash Jade an embarrassed and apologetic look.

“Dad, I’m using my car’s speaker, and she can hear you. Can you just change the subject?” Harry pleaded.

“Oh, she can hear me? Great then. Hello, there young lady!” His father greeted, and Jade glanced at Harry uncertainly.

“Hello, sir!” Jade greeted politely.

“What’s your name?” Harry’s father asked curiously.

“Jade. Jade Delgado.”

“Delgado? You’re related to Benne?” He asked curiously.

“Yes. I’m his younger sister,” Jade confirmed.

“Oh, right! The intelligent beauty Harry told me about,” he said, making Harry’s eyes grow round in surprise.

“What are you talking about dad? You know what? Let’s talk later. I don’t think you’re sober right now,” Harry said and quickly hung up before his father could say anything else.

“Don’t pay attention to anything he said. I’m sure he was just pulling your legs,” Harry said awkwardly as he prayed that Jade would let it go.

“So are you trying to say I’m not an intelligent beauty?” Jade asked, cocking her head to the side as she looked at him with a slightly raised brow.

“Uhm… Sure you are. I’m just saying…”

“So you did tell your dad that I’m an intelligent beauty?” Jade asked in amusement, making Harry turn to blink at her in confusion. What was she doing?

“I didn’t tell…”

“But you think I am. That means you must have told him that at some point.. Thanks,” Jade said with a happy smile which let him know she wasn’t going to believe anything else.

Matt had different thoughts running through his head as he drove his car away from Candy’s.

He wasn’t sure if he had done the wrong or right thing by walking away from Candy, but this wasn’t a movie where he could play the role of being her hero. He didn’t want to be with someone with such a horrid past. Even his upbringing wouldn’t let him.

He liked her no doubt, and if her past had nothing to do with being involved with a drug cartel or murder, then he probably would have considered sticking by her regardless of anything else, but now he couldn’t. He wasn’t sure that he could live with the thought that she had taken such extreme measures which had caused those teenage boys to lose their lives. And the fact that she wasn’t feeling remorseful about it, was something he couldn’t wrap his head around, especially seeing that she was a mother herself.

He was going to do his best to help her out of the mess she had gotten herself into, but he was going to do it all from a distance, and not get emotionally involved with her. She had too much emotional baggage and was associated with dangerous people, and he couldn’t involve himself with any of that. Not just because of himself, but because of his family too. He knew that getting involved in something like this wouldn’t affect just him, but would also be detrimental to his parents and siblings too, and he didn’t want to bring trouble to them for any reason whatsoever.

He remembered the sad smile he had seen on Candy’s face when he shook his head and told her that he needed a bit of time to process all she had just told him, “You can’t stomach it, can you?” She had asked as if she had been expecting him to run out the door the moment she finished her story.

---