Chapter 776 Legal Adoption
Because Candace was familiar with Sogal, she didn't have to ask her father for directions since she knew her way around the city.
As she got closer to the company, it suddenly occurred to her that this was Sogal, and unlike Ludus, there were more people here who would easily recognize her and Andy from the club.
If they were to see her alone, they might not be able to place why she looks so familiar, but with Andy beside her, it would be easier for them to recognize them.
While Jamal chattered endlessly with his grandfather in the backseat, Candace tried to calm herself by reminding herself that Aaron knew all about her past and wouldn't be too embarrassed if they were to run into anyone.
"WOW! Grandpa, is this your company?" Jamal asked in awe as he looked through the window after his mom drove into the company's premises.
"Yes, it is," Aaron said proudly, happy to see how impressed Jamal was.
"Do you like it?" Aaron asked, and Jamal bobbed his head.
"It's so big! It's bigger than Tom's company," Jamal said, and Aaron chuckled.
"That's because it is a studio, and lots of stuff is done here. Movies and musical videos are also shot here," Aaron explained as Candace parked the car in the general parking lot.
"Grandpa, don't you have a secret car park like Tom?" He asked, and Aaron shook his head.
"There are several parking lots here. Maybe when next we come we can use one of those. But for today, we have to begin our tour from here," Aaron said as they all got out of the car.
"Dad?" Candace called hesitantly, and Aaron looked at her with concern.
"Is everything alright?" Aaron asked when he saw the slight frown between her brows, and Andy also looked at her curiously.
"This is Sogal. The chances of bumping into someone we know is higher. What if we run into someone we know from the past?" She asked, looking from Aaron to Andy.
"Then we can all say hello to them and move on. Let's get going," Aaron said firmly and led Jamal away, leaving Candace and Andy to follow behind.
"I thought we were over this already?" Andy asked Candace with a frown.
"This is his company. I do not want him being embarrassed here…."
"The only person feeling embarrassed here is you, and the earlier you get over yourself, the better for you. You are really beginning to piss me off. He is your father. He knows about your past, and he is okay with it. He has accepted you fully, and now you need to learn to accept yourself, too. Quit whining about this every damn time. It is annoying. How do you expect him to feel if you keep reminding him of it?" Andy asked before walking away to join Aaron and Jamal.
Candace sighed before going to join them. It wasn't like she liked feeling this way. She just couldn't help it. Her concern was for them and not for herself alone. She just didn't want her father's reputation to suffer because of her.
"I didn't realize this place was this big. It always looked normal from a distance," Andy was saying as Candace joined them, and Candace had to agree with her.
Candace felt overwhelmed knowing that her father owned such a huge place when she had been seeing it for the past two years since she moved to Sogal.
The moment they approached the entrance of the building, the president, as well as some of the directors, hurried out to welcome Aaron since the security at the gate had alerted the directors of his presence.
"You're welcome, sir. We didn't know you were coming in today…."
"I'm not here for an official visit. I'm just here to show my daughters and grandson around the place," Aaron said dismissively, and they all turned to Candace and Andy since they had never heard of the Chairman having any daughters. They all knew about his son, Harry, but none of them had heard of his daughters.
"I never knew you had any child aside, Harry," one of the directors said.
"Now you know. This is my first daughter, Candace, and this is my youngest, Andrea. And the charming young man is my grandson, Jamal," Aaron introduced, and Candace and Andy smiled politely at the group.
"You are all welcome," the president said as he looked from Candace to Andy with admiration.
"Thank you," Candace and Andy said in unison.
"I will escort you," the president offered, but Aaron shook his head.
"You can get back to work. I want to show them around myself," Aaron said, and they all bowed politely before walking away.
"You seem different around here," Candace observed after they had moved around for some time, and she had seen the way most of the staff seemed to fear and worship Aaron and how he addressed them.
"How different?" Aaron asked as he led them around.
"You seem fully in charge here," Andy said, and Candace nodded.
"Yeah. You don't sound like a fragile old man here," Candace joked, and Aaron chuckled.
"That is because I'm not a fragile old man here. Jamal, what do you think about this place? Do you like it? Would you like to own here someday?" He asked, and Jamal bobbed his head.
"Yes! Yes! I love it!" Jamal said happily.
"Good. You have to start learning early," Aaron said, making a mental note to bring Jamal over to the company every chance he got.
"Do you know major music artists?" Andy asked, and Aaron smiled.
"Sure. Why? You want me to introduce you to some? Jamal told me that you want to be a singer," Aaron said, and Andy nodded.
"Yes. I would like to collaborate with someone famous and have the music hit before asking Harry if his company can sign me," Andy said, and Aaron considered it for a moment.
"That's a good idea. Let's discuss it further to know which artiste you would prefer, and you can do it all here," Aaron said, and Andy clapped her hands happily.
"Hey! I know you," a young man said when he saw Candace and her heart skipped a beat as she froze immediately.
"Really? Do you know me too?" Andy asked, stepping forward and flashing him a smile.
"No. I don't think so," he said to Andy before returning his gaze to Candace.
"You were on the front page of the Business Daily paper with the CEOs of I-Global during their anniversary party, weren't you?" He asked, and Candace relaxed when she realized that was where he had seen her.
"Yes, she was. Do you want to know some fun facts about her?" Andy asked, and Candace frowned at Andy.
"Harry Jonas is her twin brother. This right here is her dad. Do you know him? He owns this building. See this sweet little boy right here? He is her son. And her boyfriend! You won't believe who he is! Matt Swift," Andy said in a dramatic whisper.
"You know him, right? The actor. She is quite popular and going forward, you might be seeing more news of her even if she likes to stay hidden. Would you like to get her autograph before she becomes too popular?" Andy asked, and the young man smiled.
"Yeah. Why not? What about you? Who are you, though?" He asked curiously.
Aaron, who had been watching Andy with an amused smile as she tried to boost Candace's esteem, responded before Andy could say anything, "She is my daughter, too. An aspiring singer. You should get her autograph as well before she becomes famous. This one is going to go places," Aaron said, and Andy exchanged an amused look with Candace, who had now relaxed.
"I suppose I should get your autograph as well," he said, and Andy smiled.
"What about me? I'm going to become an actor and own this place, too," Jamal said, and they all laughed.
The young man gave all three of them a book to put down their autographs, and then he took pictures with them.
By the time he walked away, they were all laughing happily and talking about what it felt like to be treated as celebrities.
"Thank you, Andy," Candace said, and Andy waved it off.
"That was nothing. Besides, thanks to you, I got myself my first fan. I'm pretty sure he's going to be the first to buy my music when it gets out. If for nothing, but to show his friends and family that he knows a hot shot like me," Andy said with a grin, and they all laughed.
"I want to go to the restroom," Jamal announced.
"Major or minor?" Candace and Andy asked in unison.
"Minor," Jamal said, and Candace turned to Aaron.
"Let's go to my office so he can use the restroom there," Aaron said since he had not taken them there yet, even though they'd been touring the place for over an hour.
"I'm glad Candace has you," Aaron said to Andy some minutes later after Candace had left for the restroom with Jamal.
"And I'm glad we both have you," Andy said with a happy smile.
"I have been meaning to ask you something," Aaron said, and Andy looked at him with interest.
"I would like to adopt you legally and officially. Would you like to take my name?" He asked, and she beamed a happy smile at him.
"For real? Are you serious?" She asked with tears in her eyes, and he nodded.
"Yes. I want you to really be my daughter and a real part of the family," he said, and Andy embraced him.
"I would really love that too. Thank you," she cried.
Candace, who had just stepped out of the restroom with Jamal, paused when she saw Andy crying in Aaron's arms.
"What is wrong?" She asked with a slight frown, and Andy turned to look at her.
"He wants to adopt me legally," she said tearily, and tears gathered in Candace's eyes upon hearing that.
"Oh, Dad!" She cried as she also went to embrace him.
"Let's also work on changing your last name now, Candace," he said, and she nodded.
Roberts was a surname she and Andy had randomly chosen at the orphanage home, and it didn't make sense that they would keep it now that they had a real father.
"I will start working on it immediately. I want it done before your interview with Harry," Aaron said, glad that they had easily agreed.
"Have you emptied your bladder? Can we continue our tour now?" Aaron asked Jamal, who was too busy looking around his office to care about what the adults were discussing.
"Yes," Jamal said as he returned to Aaron's side and took his hand.
Jamal was very impressed by all his grandfather owned, and he was happy to know they would be his in the future. He was going to be as wealthy as Tom, and he would have a beautiful girlfriend like Lucy.
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