The Billionaire’s Twin Secret

By Imani King

Their daughters give them a bond they never expected ... but will past traumas and malicious interference steal away their second chance?

Nine years ago, Candace fled her home town and her best friend, Aric ...

... and Aric married the woman he thought was carrying his child.

Candace has never gotten over the only man she ever really wanted, but she's built a new life around her daughter and done her best to forget him.

All that changes the day she sees Aric at Lyric's school. Now a widower, he has a daughter the same age as hers ... and the two girls could be sisters.

Candace and Aric quickly realize they still have feelings for each other, but rekindling their relationship won't be a simple matter. No matter how much they want each other -- no matter how close their daughters have grown -- they haven't accounted for the schemes of an evil twin.

Will a sinister plot destroy their trust in each other and any chance at a happy future?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Imani King
• Release date: Nov 9, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201629533

Book preview

© January, 2019. Imani King

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Their daughters give them a bond they never expected ... but will past traumas and malicious interference steal away their second chance?

Nine years ago, Candace fled her home town and her best friend, Aric ...

... and Aric married the woman he thought was carrying his child.

Candace has never gotten over the only man she ever really wanted, but she's built a new life around her daughter and done her best to forget him.

All that changes the day she sees Aric at Lyric's school. Now a widower, he has a daughter the same age as hers ... and the two girls could be sisters.

Candace and Aric quickly realize they still have feelings for each other, but rekindling their relationship won't be a simple matter. No matter how much they want each other—no matter how close their daughters have grown—they haven't accounted for the schemes of an evil twin.

Will a sinister plot destroy their trust in each other and any chance at a happy future?

Chapter One

Come on, Kenny, you don’t have a twin sister, Aric said to his daughter, struggling hard to keep a straight face. And I should know – I am your dad, remember?

Don’t be silly, daddy. His daughter rolled her green eyes at him even as she slapped his hand away. She was wrestling with her school bag, trying to get her arms through the tangled straps.

He tried to help her, but she wouldn’t have any of it. She was a ‘big girl’ now and could do a lot of things by herself – she had been telling him those words since her sixth birthday. Not that it ever stopped him anyway. Even now, he still grabbed the straps and untangled them for her.

Right now, his honey bear was impatient with him and he struggled even harder not to laugh.

She glared at him. That’s a metaphor! A metaphor! she glared at him looking like the picture of the warrior princess emblazoned on her school bag.

He guessed Mrs. Smith had just taught them metaphor in school. Hmm. Come to think of it, he had been the one to teach her the word – the imp!

Aric’s mouth twitched as he grabbed his car keys from off the vanity table in his room. It was a Thursday morning and he was about to take Kenny to school. However, she didn’t seem ready to let up on the subject she had started since Monday. They’d recently moved to Chicago and Kenny just started at a new school, but she was already convinced that some girl in her class was her twin sister. Well, she hadn’t really said so, he admitted to himself ruefully. She had only said that they looked alike and everyone thought they must be twins.

Now, his daughter wanted to have a sleepover at the other girl’s house this weekend. She hadn’t even spent a full week in the school. But then, she had been so serious and passionate about the whole ‘we look just alike’ thing that he hadn’t been able to resist teasing her a bit. He knew how his daughter hated to be teased.

All right, honey bear, I hear you loud and clear, he said. This girl looks just like you, right?

His baby girl sighed. Yes, daddyyyy!

His lips twitched again. His daughter was fast losing her patience with him – not that Kennedy Simmons was ever a patient one. His little lady was as impatient as she was independent. At eight, she was already fierce, bold and beautiful and his heart burst with much love and pride whenever she was with him. It was a good thing she looked so much like him, too.

He walked ahead of her out of the room. She was beside him in a second, bouncing on her toes.

So am I going to her house for the sleep over or not? she asked in her candid way.

As if she would ever take ‘No’ for an answer.

They were out of the house now and Aric locked the door. Kenny stood by the door looking up at him.

Well... he began.

Don’t say no, dad. She folded her arms and pouted.

It was Aric’s turn to sigh. All his evasive tactics weren’t going to work, he knew. Kennedy was far too smart and just a little bit too pushy for her own good. She would employ all the tricks in the book just to convince him. He chuckled as he imagined just what an Amazon she would grow up to be. He had his hands full already and she was just eight.

He sighed again. Okay, tell me about this girl again, he yielded. Beatrice? That’s her name, isn’t it?

She looked so fierce, he wouldn’t be surprised if she growled.

It is Lyric!

While Aric was trying hard not to laugh, he wondered what kind of woman named her child Lyric. Like lyrics of a song, or what? He hadn’t forgotten the name though – he only wanted the exact reaction he got from Kenny.

All right, honey bear, tell me about Lyric.

He escorted her to the car and helped her to settle in the back seat. He reached out to strap her in – but she quickly grasped the seatbelt and strapped it on smartly for herself. Since her mother had died, she wanted to sit with him in the front passenger seat, but that was one thing about which he wouldn’t budge. In the back seat she would stay, no matter what.

Told you that I can do this too, dad! She rolled her eyes.

Forgive me, he murmured playfully. He tweaked her nose and strutted over to the driver’s side, got into his seat and switched on the ignition. So, tell me about Lyric, he invited.

His daughter’s eyes warmed over and her face became animated. She is the most brilliant girl in class – Mrs. Smith said so. She answers all the questions correctly and there is nobody who doesn’t like her. His daughter’s eyes danced as she spoke about her classmate which she obviously admired. And she is really nice – she came to say hello during lunch on Monday, I told you that already. I’m really glad she did ‘cause I really like her. Do you know that we are the same age?

Well, that isn’t surprising honey bear, you are in the same class. That tends to happen a lot.

His teasing remark did nothing to deter his daughter’s rapid flow of words.

Her birthday is May 10th and mine is March 10th. Isn’t that amazing, daddy?

Yes, it is, he allowed.

And she looks just like me!

Aric sighed. There we go again. You keep saying that honey bear, he said carefully.

While Aric was glad his daughter had quickly made a friend in her first week at her new school, he wanted to be careful about this too. It wasn’t quite a month since her mother died and even though Shawna hadn’t been the best mom in the world – in fact, quite the opposite - he worried that Kennedy might still be a bit affected by the whole sordid circumstances surrounding her mother’s death. The girl hadn’t acted like she missed her mom, but then, she had never been close to her. He and his honey bear had bonded from day one and he always felt a little guilty about that; in fact, he suspected it was one of the reasons Shawna detested him so much.

He shook off his melancholy thoughts and concentrated on his daughter.

That’s because it is true, Kenny insisted. Okay, I’ll tell you just how much we look alike. We both have dark brown hair—

—so do a million girls in the States, he interrupted, tongue in cheek.

We both have green eyes—

As with a million other girls, too, he cut in again laughingly, but added this time around, but I bet hers isn’t near as beautiful as yours.

We have the same tiny mole on our left cheek! Kenny said, totally ignoring his last remark.

Kennedy said the last with a bit of victory in her voice. And rightly so, too. Aric blamed himself for the gloating look on her face. He had spent the last eight years telling his daughter that the black mole on her left cheek was a unique feature that made the Simmons family beautiful. Now, the imp was using his own words against him.

That is one big coincidence, he said slowly.

Kennedy gave him a look that clearly said, I told you so.

Aric recognized a lost battle when he saw one. They were nearing her school already and he knew that Kennedy Leila Simmons was not going to get out of the car before she got a satisfactory answer from him. Aric thought quickly; he knew he couldn’t fob off just any answer on the smart little lady either. She could spot a lie ten miles off; moreover, they never told each other lies. He’d taught his honey bear not to lie and to detest lies right from the cradle.

About twenty minutes later, he parked the car. After switching off the engine, he turned to her with a serious look. Kenny stared at him gravely and he marveled again at how much she looked like him. His heart soared with love for her.

You know what, Kenny? he began, this time not using her pet name.

Her gaze turned expectant. Yes, daddy?

I will let you know if you can have that sleepover right after I have a talk with this Lyric’s mother.

Kenny released the seatbelt and in quick time she rushed at him, not mindful of the fact that he was still in the driver’s seat while she was in the back and grabbed him around his neck in a bear hug. Oh daddy, I love you sooooo much. She planted several wet  kisses on his neck, his face, his ears, damn near anywhere she could reach without choking him to death. Finally, she released him. I am sure Lyric’s mom is really cool. She is going to ask her mom to let me come over just like I am asking you. Now, I can tell her that you’d like to meet.

And before he could open his mouth to say a word, his daughter reached over and kissed his cheek, yet again. She, then, opened the car door and all but leapt outside. I love you, daddy, she said as she slammed the door.

I love you too, honey bear! he said right back at her, but he doubted she heard him.

With a smile and a rueful shake of his head, he watched her as she bounced right up to the front doors of the school. Always so full of energy, his Kennedy. He continued to stare at the doors long after Kennedy disappeared behind them. Many school children of different sizes, ages and ethnicities opened and closed them as they entered the school building. Many of them walked in pairs and small groups and chattered non-stop. He observed the scene as if from a distance, his mind wandering far away.

He was in an entirely new city, far away from the home he had known most of his life, the home where he had raised his daughter, too. But it was a necessary move. Back in New Orleans, he had left many bad memories – although there were some good ones too, he admitted.

The best of which was his Candy.

Aric shook his head at the name. Candace hated when he called her that. He smiled at the thought. It was a long time since they’d last seen each other, he wondered if he would ever see her again. It was if she’d literally dropped off the face of the earth after his marriage. He hadn’t tried to look for her either. Kennedy had come into his life and she became his number one priority. She remained his number one priority up to this day, which was the reason why, he reminded himself as he shook