Chapter 183: Set Up

Candy who had just finished preparing a breakfast of sausage french toast quickly washed her hands and picked up a napkin to dry them as she hurried to the door when she heard the sound of her doorbell. She didn't need to ask to know who it was as the only person she was expecting was Matt.

Once she opened the door, a smile split her facial features when she saw Matt standing there dressed in a gray-colored long-sleeved turtle neck top and black jean trouser and holding up a bouquet in front of him, "I didn't know which you would prefer," Matt said with an apologetic smile.

"So you decided to get a mix of them," Candy observed as she received the bouquet from him which consisted of tulips, sunflowers, daisies, and roses, "Thank you. It's beautiful," she assured him as she held open the door for him to walk in. 

Although she had wanted them to talk the previous evening, the music had proven to be too loud and the environment unsuitable for such a serious conversation to hold, hence she had invited him over to her house for breakfast instead.

"Where is Jamal, and Andy?" Matt asked, looking around the apartment as he stepped inside. 

"He went to school already, and Andy is out visiting a friend. I'm still busy fixing breakfast so you'd have to give me for a moment to wrap up," Candy said as she headed for the kitchen with the flower in hand. 

"Little wonder the whole place smells delicious," Matt said with a small smile, "Perhaps I should join you in the kitchen if you don't mind. I'd love to see what smells this nice," Matt said as he followed her into the kitchen.

"Can you cook?" Candy asked as she reached for a flower vase in one of the cupboards, and after placing the flowers in the vase, she dropped it on the center of the round table in the kitchen. 

"Sure. Do you need me to help you with something?" Matt asked as he looked around her very homely kitchen which reminded him so much of his grandmother's kitchen, especially with the cookie jar sitting on the center of the table, and the tray of Sausage french toast beside it. 

"Nah. I'm fine. Just sit still while I clean up and set the table. What would you like to have? Coffee? Tea?"

"Coffee," Matt said as he pulled out one of the four chairs which were around the table and sat on it, "This looks nice," Matt said as he reached into the tray to pick up a toast. He stopped halfway when he noticed the stern look on Candy's face as she watched him, "Sorry," he said with an apologetic smile as he dropped his hands. 

"You behave like my grandmother," Matt muttered with a playful scowl, and Candy smiled. 

"You behave like Jamal," Candy said with an amused smile as she took out a cup and rinsed it, "You want it black or with cream?" She asked as she poured him a cup of coffee

"Black. You know, after the last time you threw me out of your home I never expected I would be seated here in your kitchen watching you fix me a cup of coffee with a smile on your face," Matt said with a shake of his head as he watched her. 

Candy turned to look at him, holding the cup of coffee with both hands, "Well, I didn't exactly throw you out. Besides, if you never expected that, how come you showed up at the club again despite everything I said to you?" She asked with a slightly raised brow as she approached him with his cup of coffee. 

"Perhaps I was trying my luck to see if you would have a change of mind. I'm glad you did. Thanks," Matt said as he took the coffee from her. 

"I'm sorry I was harsh," Candy apologized as she poured herself a cup of tea and came to sit on the chair opposite him at the table, "You can have as much toast as you want now," Candy said as she picked up a roll and bit into it. 

"Thanks. I don't know if my ego was more hurt by all you said and did, or if it was my heart that got hurt. You were really mean getting off that bed and asking me not to bother you again," Matt said with a shake of his head as he picked up a roll of toast and bit into it. 

Candy sighed as she looked at him, "I did what I had to do. You could be in danger simply by associating with me. Fuck, we might all be in danger already," Candy said with sad eyes.

"So you didn't think that being in a relationship with anyone might put you in danger before signing up on that dating site? Or is the danger specific to dating just me?" Matt asked as he eyed her over the rim of his cup as he raised it to his lips and took a sip. 

"That's not the point of all this. Sure, anyone could be in danger by associating with me, but this would be worse because you are a public figure. I and my family will be at risk of being found out because of your high profile. Jamal's father is a very dangerous man, and I just really want you to have a fair idea of what you're getting up against if you really decide to pursue a relationship with me. It would be unfair of me to allow you blindly get involved with me," Candy explained, and then raised a finger to stop him before he could say anything.

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"Listen, Matt. If I date you, our business becomes public business. If Jero or any of his men sees a picture of me with you, they can easily find out where I am by following you. These people won't hesitate to kill you just so that they can get to me, trust me. I've been hiding from them for the past two years with good reason," Candy explained desperately wanting him to understand the implication of being with her. The last thing she wanted was to get involved with him now only for him to regret it months down the line. 

"And you don't think that maybe it is high time you stopped running from them and deal with it once and for all?" Matt asked with a concerned frown.

"You think I'm running just because I have long legs and love to exercise them? I don't have what it takes to fight them, so I have to run. I chose to study law because of them, hoping that some day I might be able to do more than just run for the sake of Jamal. I need him to have a normal life like every kid his age and not always have to be on the move," Candy explained with a sigh. 

"Then you need me in your life, Candy. Allow me to protect you and Jamal," Matt offered as he stood up from where he was seated and took a step towards her.

"As what? You don't even know what you want from me yet, do you? We had good sex and maybe that's what you are still after. You shouldn't risk your life trying to protect us when you don't even know whether or not you love me," Candy pointed out when Matt stopped in front of her and dragged another chair closer to her before turning her seat so that she was directly facing him. 

"Don't do that, Candace. Don't trivialize what we share. We both know that what we have is much deeper than mere sex. I liked you even before I had that awesome sex with you, and you know it! Yes, I would love to have you under the sheets with me again, but don't try to make it sound like sex is all there is between us," Matt said, sounding mildly offended as he looked into her eyes.

"Fine. Let's assume it's more than sex. Dating me would still be dangerous. Why date an exotic dancer like me who is a single mother and also has danger lurking all around her, when you can date someone more sexy and classy with an uncomplicated past?" Candy asked as she looked away from him. 

"Why don't you let me worry about the whys?" Matt asked as he placed a finger under her chin so that she would look at him. 

"You still can't protect me from them, Matt. As a matter of fact you're going to be needing all the protection you can get if Jero finds out about you. I've watched Jero chop off a man's fingers merely because he touched me," Candy said with fear in her eyes and Matt dropped his hand from her chin and raised his fingers to look at them. 

"I love my fingers. It would be such a shame to have them chopped off," he said, making Candy smile, "If I may ask, how did you get involved with someone as dangerous as Jamal's father anyway?" Matt asked curiously, and Candy sighed as she raised her cup of tea to her lips and took a sip from it while Matt patiently waited for her response to his question.

"After Andy and I left the orphanage home where we were raised, we took up waitressing jobs at a bar. Jero was one of the regular patrons at the bar where we worked and he acted like a perfect gentleman. He took me out on a couple of dates, and he lied to me about the nature of his job. When he found out I was pregnant for him, he said I and Andy could move in with him since he had a spare bedroom and that would save us the extra money we spent paying for rent," Candy explained, and paused to take a bite from her toast. 

"Can't the toast wait?" Matt asked with a frown, wondering how she could eat when they were having such an important conversation.

"It can't. I like my toast hot and crispy," Candy said as she chewed.

"Anyway, I was in love with him and was really eager to start a family of my own, being an orphan, so I agreed. I was able to convince Andy and we both moved in with him. Next he asked that we quit working at the bar. He insisted that he could take care of all our needs, and he didn't like the idea that pretty girls like us would be out there and different men would be ogling at us. Andy protested, but once again I managed to convince her to quit. We both quit our jobs, and soon ran out of our savings and had to rely on Jero for all our needs. Next thing we know he's complaining about how we are both lazy and can't do anything. He soon starts forcing Andy to meet with some of his bosses and sleeping with them for money. When she fails to do it, he hits her and sometimes locks her up without food. When I protest he locks me up too. But he never raised his hands on me... He loved me too much to hit me," Candy said in an emotionless voice.

"As time went on, he became more and more possessive of me especially after I had Jamal. The more possessive he became, the more annoying, controlling, and abusive he became too."

"Why didn't you both just leave?" Matt asked in confusion.

"We didn't have enough money. Every time we managed to save up some, he would always find out where the money was, and he would steal it thus leaving us incapacitated. He also threatened us that we could never get away from him. Once when Andy tried to run away she was caught by some of his men a few hours later," Candy said with a shrug.

"So how have you been able to hide away from him for so long?" Matt asked, and Candy turned to look at him with blank eyes.

"We sent him to jail. I and Andy mixed the stash of drugs he kept at home with some poisonous chemicals. So when he gave it to those kids and they died, I supplied the lawyer with all the evidence she needed to send him to jail and I testified against him in exchange for my freedom. He knows I set him up," Candy confessed, and Matt blinked at her in surprise.

"You mean you killed those kids?" He asked in confusion.

"No, I didn't kill them. They killed themselves. They would have died sooner or later at the rate they were going. I never asked them to be drug addicts or to get drugs from Jero. They were merely victims of our quest for freedom from that monster. I'm not good, Matt. And neither am I innocent. There is nothing I wouldn't do to keep my sister and son safe. Nothing.. I'm telling you all of this so that you can make up your mind whether or not you want to be with someone like me."

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