Her Twin Baby Secret
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Therese Beharrie
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PROLOGUE
ALEXA MOORE HAD never thought the pressure her parents had put on her her entire life would result in this. She barely contained the squeal of excitement tickling her throat.
Her father was sitting beside her in the car, her mother at the back. Both were staring at their phones. They were either checking their emails, replying to emails, or writing their own emails. Leighton and Karla Moore were simple in that way. Work came first; everything else, second. They’d reconciled having a family in light of those priorities by treating their children as though they were work. That was why Alexa and her younger brother by a year, Lee, were raised to function much as their parents did: work was the most important thing. Being Leighton and Karla’s children, they had to work harder than anyone else.
Who needed a loving, emotionally supportive family anyway?
But that wasn’t for today. Today was for happiness and new beginnings. She wasn’t stubborn enough not to acknowledge her parents’ contribution to this moment. It was part of why she’d brought them with her. They were the ones who had suggested—instructed—her to start working as soon as she turned sixteen. They’d told her to give them half of what she earned, and because she was their child she’d asked them to help her invest the other half. On her graduation from her Honours degree in business, they’d gifted her with a policy they’d taken out with that money. It had been an impressive nest egg. And it had kept growing while she attended culinary school.
She’d got a bursary to study at Cape Town’s Culinary Institute. She was lucky. If she hadn’t, she would have had to use that nest egg and she wouldn’t be able to move forward with her dream. Her parents had paid for her studies in business on the condition that she got distinctions for all her subjects. She had, though not easily, because she knew she’d already disappointed them by not taking the mathematics bursary an elite tertiary faculty had offered.
But her dream was her dream. A business degree helped her get to that dream—and helped her please her parents more than culinary school had. Their disappointment was worth it for this moment though. She had no student loans, four years of business knowledge, two years of culinary knowledge, and two years’ experience in the industry. She was finally ready. This was the last step.
She pulled up in front of the property, letting out a happy sigh before she got out of the car. The brick façade of the building was as appealing as it had been the first time she’d seen it. As the first time it had encouraged her to take a chance on it.
‘This is it.’
She clasped her fingers together behind her back to keep from fidgeting.
‘This?’
‘Yes.’ She straightened her spine at the disapproval in her father’s voice. ‘It’s an up-and-coming neighbourhood.’
‘It looks unsafe, Lex,’ Karla said.
‘Oh, it’s fine.’ She waved a hand. ‘You know how Cape Town city centre is. The fanciest road is right next to the dodgiest one. Besides, there are so many people around.’
As if proving it, a group of young people walked past them. They were most likely students; not exactly her target clientele. But everyone had to start somewhere, and students meant lecturers and parents and more mature people who would come to the classy joint in the dingy neighbourhood for the feel of it. She jiggled her shoulders.
‘I’m going to call it In the Rough, because this place is a diamond in the rough.’ She grinned. ‘It’s going to be—’
‘Lee, darling!’
The world either slowed at her mother’s exclamation, or Alexa’s heart was pumping alarmingly fast. Why was her brother here? How much of what she’d said had he heard? Would he use it against her?
‘What are you doing here?’ she asked, her voice cool, a reaction to mitigate the heated emotions those questions had evoked. She would not show them that vulnerability. ‘I didn’t tell you about this.’
‘Dad did,’ Lee said, taking their father’s hand in a quick shake. ‘He told me about a week ago you were planning on showing them a property. Gave me the address and everything, so I could check it out myself.’
‘Why would you want to?’
‘I can’t check on what my big sister is doing with her life?’
No, she wanted to answer. She would have, if their parents weren’t there—they would disapprove. Somehow, after years of trying and failing to obtain their approval, she still wanted it. After years of her brother using that desire as a weapon to compete with her, she was still offering it to him.
‘To be fair, I’m not doing this with my life yet.’ She was trying to be civil, like she always did. Because she was still trying to be a decent person with Lee, too. When would she learn her lesson when it came to her family? ‘I wanted Mom and Dad to see this place before I put in an offer.’
‘I know.’
‘Did you want to see it, too?’
‘Oh, I already have.’
She frowned. ‘Why?’
‘Because I made an offer.’ He shoved his hands into his pockets, his smile catlike. ‘The owner accepted it this morning. This place is going to be mine.’
There was a stunned silence. Her parents broke it by asking Lee why he’d bought the place. Bits and pieces of his answer floated across to her. He wanted to secure the place as a surprise for Alexa. It was a smart business decision to invest in property, particularly in a neighbourhood that was fast becoming one to watch. If he and Alexa worked together, there was less chance of failure. The Moores could become a powerhouse in the hospitality industry.
Lies. Lies, all of it.
Lee spoke to them as fluently as he did his other languages. His linguistic skills were as impressive as her mathematical skills. He knew five of South Africa’s eleven official languages; he also knew how to fool their parents. They thought he was a good, supportive brother when in reality, he was a master manipulator. All for the sake of winning a competition he’d made up in his head where they were the only competitors and he the only willing participant.
‘Alexa,’ Karla called. ‘You’re daydreaming, darling.’
She blinked. ‘Sorry.’
‘Did you hear what your brother did?’
‘Yes.’
‘Aren’t you glad?’
‘Why would I be glad?’
Her mother exchanged a look with her father. Leighton took the baton.
‘Lee’s made the smart decision here. It’s not a buyer’s market at the moment, so you might not have got the property. He has more capital, and more clout, so he had a better chance of being successful in the purchase.’
‘He didn’t know about the property before you told him,’ she said numbly. ‘And he only has more capital because he’s been working longer.’ In the business sector, which was more lucrative. Even her nest egg couldn’t beat that. ‘The owner said she hadn’t had much interest in the six months the property’s been on the market.’
‘She did sound thrilled with my offer.’
She turned at the satisfaction in Lee’s voice. When she saw it reflected on his face, her heart broke. This didn’t feel like the other times. When he’d race to the dinner table, turn back to her and say, ‘I win!’ though he’d been the only one running. Or when he would bring a test home from school, announcing that he’d beat Alexa’s mark from the year before.
This was more malicious. It was...uglier. And it proved that she would always be a target Lee would shoot at, no matter what the cost.
Unless she did something about it.
‘I hope you find a tenant soon, Lee.’
‘Wait!’ he said when she started walking to her car. ‘I thought you’d rent it?’
‘So you can pop in whenever you want? Make your presence known in my business? Pull the rug out from under me when I think I’m safe?’ She shook her head. ‘I appreciate the offer, but you’ll have to find someone else.’
‘Alexa, you’re being foolish.’
‘No, Dad, I’m being realistic. But this is a great neighbourhood.’ Her voice cracked, echoing her heart. ‘He’ll find someone to rent from him soon enough.’
‘Darling, your brother only wants to help.’
She took a deep breath before offering her mother a smile. ‘I know.’ Even after he’d punctured a hole in her dreams and her parents were defending him, she couldn’t be blunt. ‘I can’t take his help or I wouldn’t be making the Moore name proud, would I? It’s all about achieving things we can be proud of. I can’t be proud of this.’
Another breath.
‘You should go to the restaurant I booked for us tonight with Lee. He deserves it.’ She smiled at her family, well aware that it didn’t reach her eyes. ‘I hope you enjoy the food.’
She got into her car and drove away, leaving her heart and her dreams shattered behind her.
