One Wild Night

Chapter 457: Fear Of Abandonment

She had thought about it and had given it more than enough thought. She was done working for such a corrupt boss. She knew that a number of her male colleagues would gladly jump in and take the cartel case from her now that she was done with the most risky part of it, and had been able to put the dirty old men behind bars. She was just going to hand the case over to the first lucky bastard she could.      

"Hey, Jade! Congrats on nabbing those old farts!" A male colleague called out to her as he hurried to catch up with her before she got into the elevator.     

Great! Just one of the guys she had been hoping to see. "Thanks, Tate. What are you up to these days? Do you have any major case you're handling?" She asked as she walked into the elevator, and he joined her.     

"Major? Nothing like yours. You know how Amos favors some..."     

"Would you like to take over my case now that I've done all the dirty job?" Jade asked, cutting him off impatiently since she didn't have much time to waste.     

She had left Candace at the hotel to sort out her emotions, while she concludes her unfinished business at the law firm and clear up her desk. She had worked here long enough and was ready to move on.     

"Sure," he said with a chuckle, thinking she was joking, and his eyes widened in surprise when Jade suddenly thrust the file into his hand and dug into her handbag for the flash drive Harry had helped her organize which contained all the information Cassidy had sent them.     

"Here you go."     

"Woaw! Wait a minute! I thought you were kidding?" He asked, surprised by her action.     

"Nope."     

"Why? Did something happen?" Tate asked with a confused frown since he knew better than anyone else in the firm how much time and sweat Jade had put into this particular case.     

He had been on her case for quite some time wanting her to go out with him, but each time he stepped into her office, her head was buried over one file or the other and she barely spared him a glance.     

Everyone had called her crazy for being so obsessed over such a dangerous case, and now she was giving it up just like that when she was almost done? Concluding this case was going to take her career to another level since others had tried, but failed to shut down the cartel.     

"Nothing happened. You can either have it or I can hand it over to Chad. I'm sure he wouldn't mind," Jade said, and immediately he held the file possessively to his chest.      

"Are you sure about this, Jade? Do you think Amos would approve?" He asked, and Jade shrugged.      

"I'm not going to leave him any choice. He knows I'm resigning from the firm," Jade said as the elevator dinged and the door opened.      

Tate's eyes widened in disbelief, "Resigning? What is going on for fuck's sake?" He asked as he followed Jade who continued to walk in quick strides towards Amos' office.     

"Nothing. I'm going to join the legal team in my brother's company. I've worked here long enough. It's time to move on," Jade said with a shrug as she continued to walk.     

"But why the rush? Besides, I've been waiting this whole time for you to finally wrap up the case so we could go out," he pointed out, and Jade raised both brows as she stopped walking and turned to look at him.     

"I made it clear I wasn't interested in being more than colleagues with you from the beginning, so I don't get what you're talking about. That ship has long sailed, Tate. Now it's either you are taking this case or not. I'm in a hurry, and I don't appreciate the delay," Jade said curtly, and Tate sighed.      

"Alright. Fine. Good luck then. And thanks for this. I will do a good job," Tate promised, and Jade flashed him a smile as she gave him a thumbs up.     

"That's the spirit. I always knew you were a wise man," Jade said, patting his shoulder in a friendly manner before walking away from there, leaving Tate to go and spread the news of her resignation and the case transfer, as she knew he would.      

She did not doubt that by the time she would be leaving the building some minutes later, everyone in the firm would have heard the news.      

Once she walked into Amos' outer office, his secretary smiled at her, "Hello, Jade! Congrats on getting them this time," she greeted, and Jade smiled at her.      

"Thank you, Beatrice. Is Amos with a client?" Jade asked curiously, and she shook her head.         

"Not at the moment. I will let him know..."     

"Do not bother yourself on my account. I will make my presence known," Jade said with a dismissive wave as she walked over to the door to Amos' office and opened it.     

Immediately she walked into his office, he rose from his seat, "Jade, what brings you here?" he asked, surprised to see her so soon when he expected her to be busy working on the case he had assigned her.     

"Hello, Amos," Jade greeted, and without waiting for him to offer her a seat she took the seat opposite him, "I wanted to let you know that I just handed over the cartel's case to Tate," Jade said, and Amos frowned as he sat down, but before he could speak Jade continued.      

"Some weeks ago you said if I was feeling overwhelmed I could reassign to someone else," she reminded him.     

"I think Tate is smart and can pull it off," Jade said confidently, and Amos sighed.     

"Alright. I trust your judgment. I guess that means you will have enough time to focus on finding Sara's missing daughter," Amos said with a pleased smile, and Jade pressed her lips together.     

"Well, that is the second reason I came," Jade started, and then cleared her throat.     

"I came to let you know that I changed my mind about getting involved in Sara's business," Jade said, and immediately Amos flushed with anger.     

"What do you mean by that?" He yelled, and Jade raised a brow as she relaxed in her seat and crossed both legs.     

"Why are you yelling?" Jade asked in a calm but amused tone which only infuriated him the more.     

"You can't go back on your word!" Amos snapped at her angrily. He had mapped this out as a survival plan for himself and Sara, and he couldn't let Jade back out of their agreement just like that. She was his best shot at finding Sara's daughter.     

"My word?" Jade asked with humorless laughter.     

"What word did I give exactly? I can't remember making any promises to you. I said 'I would let you know what I find' and now I'm saying I can't get involved in it anymore," Jade said in a reasonable voice as she struggled to keep her own irritation in check.      

"Why? Why won't you do it?" Amos asked angrily and Jade sighed as she stood.     

"I don't owe you any explanation on why I won't do you this favor, Amos."     

"Then why did you reassign your case to someone else if you won't do it?"     

"I reassigned my case because I'm done working for this law firm and I'm done working with a corrupt person like you. I don't owe you any other explanation other than that," Jade's voice hitched as she struggled to keep her anger under control.     

Eyes blazing with anger, she glared at him, "You must think I'm a fool, don't you? You dare to sell me such a sob story even when you know full well about my family's relationship with the son Sara abandoned? Did you think I wouldn't find out eventually? Was that why you brought up that nonsense about a confidentiality agreement? How dare you?" Jade yelled at him, her voice much louder than his.     

Amos blinked back his surprise. How did she know that so soon? "What are you talking about?" He asked, feigning ignorance and Jade shook her head as she dipped her hand inside her bag and took out her resignation letter.     

Although she desperately wished she could slap him on the face with all the information she now had, but she couldn't do so. She didn't want either him or Sara to know about Candace until she was safely back in Ludus with Aaron and Harry.      

Jade took a deep breath, "I won't waste my time or breath by explaining something we both know already. It will be in your best interest to accept my resignation quietly and not cause any unnecessary trouble. Else, I will be forced to expose the details of your dirty deals with your late mentor," Jade threatened as she slapped her resignation letter on the desk, startling Amos who had no idea where the threat was coming from.     

"What are you talking about?" Amos asked in confusion since he and the late CEO had done a lot of illegal things and he didn't know which of them Jade knew about.     

"Why don't you disregard my advice, and then you can find out what I mean?" Jade asked with a cold smile before heading for the door, while Amos stared speechlessly at the resignation letter.      

With her hand on the doorknob, Jade paused and turned to look at Amos with disgust, "Do not hesitate to let Sara know that she messed with the wrong family. WE will stop at nothing to ruin her. And as for you, I've lost every iota of respect I ever had for you. You are a disgrace to this honorable profession, and I'm going to make sure you go down with her," Jade promised before walking away.          

As she headed for her office to pack her personal item, she stopped to receive congratulatory and farewell greetings from those she met along the hallway, and by the time she was at the parking lot stuffing the box containing her personal items into her car, she was sure she had said goodbye to everyone she worked with.     

Her phone started ringing just as she opened the car door and she received the call. It was a phone call from the pilot at Varis informing her that the plane was ready.     

Although she had planned to go to her apartment to set the place in order since she wouldn't be living there anymore and needed to move out, there was no time for any of that. That could wait. The most important thing was getting Candace home.     

Jade took a deep breath once she got into the car and shut the door. Her life in Varis was over, and it was time to turn the next page, she thought as she drove off.      

Immediately after she walked into the hotel suite, she met Candace seated in the living room as though she had been waiting for her.     

"The pilot is ready," Jade informed her, hoping she had made up her mind.     

Candace stood up when she heard Jade's voice, and she took a deep breath as she faced her, "I don't know what I feel or how I feel, Jade. I don't even know how I'm supposed to feel. I don't even know anything about them."     

"I know some things about them. And I can tell you, they are wonderful people and nothing like Sara," Jade said confidently, and Candace swallowed.     

"If all you've said about them is true, then they have both lived all their lives alone together and have an impregnable bond. There won't be room for anyone else, especially not for someone like me. I doubt they're going to care about me or Jamal. I don't want to subject myself and Jamal to playing second fiddle..."     

"Take a deep breath, Candace. You are overthinking," Jade cut in as she approached her and placed both hands on her shoulder to calm her.     

"I know what I'm saying, Jade. I would rather we save ourselves the heartache and just..." Candace's voice broke, and Jade frowned when she saw the way Candace's lips trembled.     

All Jade could see at that moment was a little girl in the body of a grown-up lady. A little girl who was scared of having high hopes. She was scared of being rejected and abandoned once again.      

"You are thinking that they would be ashamed of you? You are scared they would reject you and Jamal?" Jade asked with a deep frown, and Candace swallowed, unable to deny it.     

Jade took a deep breath as she tried to come up with the best way to reassure her, "Alright, I'm not a parent yet so I know nothing about having a child or losing one. You are a parent, so tell me. How would you feel if you were in Aaron's shoes and you thought you lost Jamal at birth but found out years later that he has been alive the whole time?" Jade asked, and the mere thought of it made Candace's heartache and she couldn't breathe. Jamal was her world. She could never bear to even imagine that.      

Seeing how physically pained she looked, Jade nodded, "I know without a doubt that Aaron loves you. I know Harry would love you too. Those two would never judge you, trust me. Jamal is at the hospital with them right now. And do you know what Tom said when he called? He said Jamal took Harry's hand to comfort him even without knowing anything. How do you explain such instant connection?" Jade asked, looking into Candace's eyes as she held her hands.     

Candace took in a shaky breath, "I'm not getting on that plane because I trust either Harry or Aaron. I'm going because I trust you, and if you say they are good people then I'm going to take your word for it. And if you think I should be there with them, then I will do so. But if..."     

"There are no buts, Candace. You've said the most important thing, and that is agreeing to get on the plane with me. So let's just leave it at that, okay? The faster we get on that plane, the sooner you reunite with Jamal. I'm sure he has missed you," Jade said, and Candace smiled at the thought of Jamal.     

"Alright. Let's do it. I packed my bags," Candace said, and Jade clapped happily as she embraced Candace.     

"Now we have to hurry," Jade said as she hurried into the room and picked up her luggage bag which she had packed before leaving for the law firm, and Candace did the same.     

Jade paused by the door when she remembered something, "Give me a second," she said as she ran back into the bedroom and took Harry's shirt which he had asked her to give to Aurora.     

"I have to deliver this to your twin brother," Jade said with a wink as she tucked the shirt into her bag.      

Candace winced as they both left the suite, "Please don't call him that. It's awkward."     

"Get used to it. I'm going to be calling both of you that henceforth. And guess what else I'm going to be calling you after all this is over?" Jade asked in a teasing tone as she grinned at Candace.     

"What?" Candace asked with a frown.     

"Twin sister-in-law," Jade said with a wink, and Candace found herself giggling.         

Trust Jade to make light of the situation.