THE DOUBLE

CHAPTER 2

AURORA

“You want to go talk to her?” Ryder asked, turning slightly from the driver’s seat to look at me in the face. “You’ve been coming here every day for the past week since you landed in Davao City.”

Folding my hands across my chest, I stared at Ivy giggling and laughing with a young man who seemed pretty decent in dressing compared to everyone else here.

It seems as though people over here are not concerned about looking good or fashion in the least. It’s almost as if they live a carefree life without any worries, and Ivy is not exempt.

“You said you didn’t want Mr. Damien to know the reason you visited the Philippines or Davao City, but if you don’t wrap this up really quick, if you don’t talk to her, he is going to find out.”

Truth be told, I am just scared. The idea of having a twin sister makes me very happy, but the truth that my father might have abandoned her, leaving her to suffer literally, might make her hate me.

“Let’s go,” I mumbled with a sigh, moving my eyes from the window. “I will talk to her tomorrow.”

“You said that yesterday.” Ryder deadpanned. “There is no better moment than now.” He glanced out the window, watching Ivy help a little kid lift a bag. “You want me to go talk to her first?”

I chuckled. “I’ll do it.”

“Then go.”

Shaking my head, I reached for my phone. “Showing up in public out of the blue, carrying her face is going to freak her out.”

Sucking his teeth in frustration, Ryder reached for the ignition and turned on the car. “So you’re not going?”

“Let’s wait for her at her house,” I answered, already going through work-related emails. “Some conversations are better had in private.”

“If you say so.” Honking at the driver in front, Ryder drove off, taking us to Ivy’s small cottage, where we had to wait for her to finish whatever it was she was doing and come home.

Two hours of waiting later, Ivy rode a bicycle into the small pathway leading to her house, eyeing our car suspiciously as she drove past.

Ryder reached to open his door, but I stopped him. “You are going to scare her. Let me go first.”

He frowned, clearly not liking the idea. “You don’t know how she is going to react.”

What is she possibly going to do?

“I respect you trying to reconnect with your sister and all of that, but your safety comes first to me.”

I was just about to argue when my phone chimed in my phone. Opening the messaging app, a small smile touched my lips at Damien’s message.

IT IS TIME TO TAKE YOUR DRUGS OVER THERE. I KNOW YOU DON’T LIKE TAKING THEM, BUT FOR YOUR HEALTH AND FOR ME, PLEASE TAKE THEM.

Glancing at my purse, I reached for it, opened it, and brought out the transparent daily dose wrap before reaching for the bottle of water.

Ryder silently watched me pop the pills into my mouth, chasing them down with water.

“Are you getting any better?” he asked, watching me from the rear-view mirror.

“Honestly? I don’t know.”

His brows twitched into a frown. “It’s your body Aurora, you should know if you are getting better or not.”

“I am beginning to forget things,” I mumbled, looking away from the mirror. “This morning, I forgot I was in the Philippines, got up searching for Damien, thinking we went to spend some time in a random hotel suite.”

“What is your doctor saying?”

“Stress.”

“Second opinion?”

I shrugged. “Damien thinks it’s risky to have another person know of my condition, and I think he is right.”

“Bullshit.” Ryder hissed. “When we get back to New York, we are getting your blood samples to be sure everything is fine.”

“Damien…”

“He's not going to know about it if you don’t want him to.” He interjected. “I made an oath to your father while getting this job to keep you safe, and regardless of whether he is here or not, I intend to keep that promise.”

Rolling my eyes, I reached for the door and opened it. “Well then, you had better work on convincing my sister to head home with me.”

“If that is what you want, then I am going to make it happen.”

He got out of the car too, and together we made our way to Ivy’s front door. Ryder knocked while I stood behind him, his body shielding me in case anything happened.

Within minutes, the door opened, followed by a female voice. “How may I help you sir?”

“Someone wants to meet you.” Ryder mused in that cold voice of his that usually scares people away.

“And who is this someone?” Ivy drawled out slowly.

Taking that as my cue, I stepped out of his back, wearing the warmest smile I could muster at the moment. “That would be me.”

She froze the moment she saw me, her mouth dropping slightly in shock.

I chuckled nervously. “I know… I was this shocked too when I learnt about you.”

Still frozen, her eyes moved from me to Ryder, then back to me. She took an involuntary step backwards, her hand tightening on her phone. “What’s going on?” she whispered, her voice quivering. “Why am I looking at myself?”

I glanced at Ryder, before nudging him with my elbow to help me out here.

This isn’t a business meeting where I have to assert my dominance… I don’t even know what to say!

“Can we please go inside and talk about this?” Ryder requested.

Ivy shook her head. “I am one minute away from calling the cops, so if you don’t explain what’s going on, I am dialing that number.”

“Elena Hale.” I muttered, “She was my mother too, and Victor Hale, my father, was your father too.”

She double blinked. “My father died in a car crash when I was five, and you are making absolutely zero sense.”

Ryder reached into his pocket. “This is a DNA result between you and Aurora, and it is a match.” He drawled out. “You both are siblings who were separated due to the problems of the adults. Now, if we can go inside and talk about this, I will very much appreciate it.”

When did he even get a DNA test done?

Ivy’s eyes narrowed. “How did you get my sample for the test?”

“The red brush in your second drawer.”

My eyes widened just as Ivy’s did. “You broke into her house?!”

“You broke into my house!” we both blurted out at the same time.

Jesus! He is not even helping my case right now.

“I had to.” Ruder deadpanned, not even apologetic in the slightest. “This is modern times, and people look alike all the time. I had to make sure you both were really siblings.”

Ivy’s licked her lips together, her eyes moving nervously to me. “I don’t know what this is about, but I am not interested.”

“Ivy’s please…” I blurted out when I realized she was about to close the door. “You are the only family I have left aside my husband Damien.”

Her brows arched.

“I am not asking for anything, I just want to get to know you,” I shrugged nervously, tucking a hair behind my ear, “you know do things that sisters do, whatever that is.”

She blinked at me.

“You can think about it and get back to me.” I reached into my purse and pulled out my card. “That’s my number. Feel free to give me a call and I will answer anytime.”

She reluctantly accepted the card. “What did you say your name was again?”

“Aurora,” I answered with a smile. “Aurora Hales.”

She nodded, licking her lips. “And how did you know our parents were married?”

“I saw a wedding picture, then heard whispers from people which prompted me to send Ryder here to find out more about her, and he found out you after learning she died of cancer. I'm sorry for your loss.”

Tucking the card into her pockets, she opened the door wider. “I am a bit shaken, it is not every day you see someone that looks like you standing outside your door, but I ordered dinner, it should be enough for three if you don’t have huge appetites.”

Ryder answered before I could. “We don’t mind coming in, but we will pass on dinner.”

I glared at him, forcing a smile for Ivy. “I don’t know about him, but I am interested in the dinner.”

“Ms. Hales,” Ryder growled and it took everything in me not to slap him across the head.

“Don’t get started with me, Ryder.”

Ivy chuckled. “Are you both married or something?” she asked stepping into the house.

I shook my head. “I am married to Damien, and the pain in my ass behind me is my personal security, Ryder. Has been with me since I was a teenager.”

Ivy chuckled again. “I can see he takes his job very seriously.”

“More than you know.” I agreed, teasing Ryder who doesn’t seem very pleased right now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dinner commenced and we hit it off so well that no one would believe we had just literally met. Ivy showed me a picture of our mother and told me what she was like, and when she asked about our father, unlike her, I didn’t have many fun stories to tell, so I just gave her the basics everyone knew.

However, when she asked about my husband Damien, I rambled for hours.

A glass of freshly pressed juice in hand, she stared at me with a smile. “I can see you really love him.”

Giggling, I nodded. “In a life of rigidity, he was like my fresh air.”

Ivy nodded. “I can’t wait to meet him.”

That’s your cue Aurora, don’t mess it up. “So I was thinking, since you are a baker, what do you say about bringing your baking skills to New York?”

Her smile slowly disappeared. “You want me to move to New York?”

I shrugged. “Dad left so many fortunes, it is only fair that I share some of that with you.”

Smacking her lips, she stood and began clearing the plate. “If he wanted me to have any of it, he would have added it to his will.”

Shit! “Well I do want you to have it, and I am willing to share.”

Ivy halted, her hands gripping the sink. “I appreciate your kindness Aurora, but it is painful and hard knowing my father didn’t want me, and I am not about to jump on his fortune and enjoy things he didn’t want me enjoying.”

“Ivy… pleas_”

“I am willing to get to know you better,” she interrupted, turning around to face me, “because none of this is our fault, but I am not moving to New York with you. My life is in this village, and I don’t mind staying here for the rest of my life.”

I opened my mouth, ready to beg her to think about it, but Ryder interrupted me.

“We will respect your decision Ms. Ivy.”

“Thank you.”

I glared at Ryder who didn’t seem bothered a bit.

“But I can come visit right?” I asked just to be sure what lines of boundary she is drawing.

She nodded, her smile returning. “My door is always open to you.”

Thankfully, I exhaled in relief. “When next I come visiting, I’ll be coming with Damien.” He will be shocked to see a woman who looks just like his wife.