Chapter 58: Julia In The City

Justin stayed quiet, not out of avoidance but because he found himself lost in the sight of her. She looked radiant, her bright eyes focused on him, her small body wrapped in a cute apron, holding a spatula in one hand.

Her hair was tied up in a loose bun, a few strands framing her face, and he couldn’t help but notice how effortlessly beautiful she looked. He had never taken the time to truly her like this before, and now it was hard to look away.

Just then, Albert’s voice called from the other room, breaking the moment. "Natalie, prepare breakfast for one more person. My friend Andrew is coming to have breakfast with us."

Natalie heard it and asked, "Will you be okay having breakfast with my grandpa’s friend? If not, I can quickly prepare something for you so you can leave before he arrives."

Justin glanced at the breakfast Natalie was preparing, and he knew he didn’t want to miss anything she cooked. But beyond the food, a part of him simply wanted to be around her for a little longer before he had to head to the office.

But at the same time, he didn’t want her to be so soft towards him, so he won’t lose his reasons for staying away from her. He needed to go back to how they were.

Deciding to stir the pot, he smirked and said, "Are you ashamed to show me to others as your husband? I bet Andrew will say you’re lucky to have me as your husband, rather than seeing that loser Ivan next to you."

Natalie, caught off guard by the sudden shift in his tone, felt her anger rising.

"Why are you so hung up on Ivan, huh?" she snapped, her gaze fiery. "I only asked if you’d be uncomfortable being seen because you love playing that mysterious CEO of Harper Group. Or... are you just jealous of Ivan for some reason?"

Justin felt a strange sense of relief seeing her angry.

He scoffed, his expression smug. "Jealous of a loser? Please. I could wipe out Ivan’s entire business with one move. I, Justin Harper, have no reason to feel jealous of anyone, in fact no one is deserving enough.

Natalie’s hand almost twitched, tempted to smack that spatula on his head to knock that narcissism out of his head. But instead, she sighed, and turned to focus on her work as it was not the right time to argue.

"If you’re done, take your narcissistic ass out of my kitchen. Grandpa’s friend will be here soon, and you’ll have to meet him as my husband."

"I bet he won’t be the only person I have to meet as your husband," he remarked, and stepped out of the kitchen with a satisfied smile on his lips.

Soon, Natalie arranged breakfast on the table while Justin stepped away to answer his phone. Seeing his grandma’s number, he retreated to the bedroom to take the call.

"Brat, where are you?" Julia’s sharp voice hit him before he could even greet her.

"Uh, I’m at my place?" he replied, uncertain.

"What place? I’m standing at the door of your hotel suite, ringing the bell. Why aren’t you answering?"

Justin felt as if the ground had slipped from beneath him. "Wait... Julia, are you in Imperial City?"

"Did you really think you could stop me from coming here?" she shot back. "Now open the door! I want to see what kind of woman you’ve invited into your room while you keep dodging the blind dates I set up for you!"

Helplessly, Justin pinched the bridge of his nose. His grandma had overheard Natalie’s voice during a recent call and clearly jumped to conclusions.

"Grandma, it’s not what you’re thinking. I’ve already explained—"

"Then why aren’t you opening the door?" she interrupted, her frustration growing.

"Because," he sighed, "I’m not in the suite."

"Then where are you?" she demanded.

"I’m at a friend’s place," he quickly replied, mentally justifying that Natalie could, indeed, be considered a friend. "I had dinner here and decided to stay the night."

"Are you telling me the truth?"

"Yes, Grandma," Justin assured her, trying to stay calm. "I’ll send Noah to take care of you until I can get back to the hotel, okay?"

There was a pause, then, "Fine."

As the call ended, Justin let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. "I need to get back to her. Fast."

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Natalie opened it, her expression curious. "Grandpa’s friend is here," she said.

Justin nodded, following her out of the bedroom. As they entered the living room, the sound of two old men chatting happily filled the space.

"I tell you, Andrew, my grandson-in-law is god-sent. When you meet him, you’ll know I’m not exaggerating," Albert was gushing, his pride evident.

Andrew chuckled, though there was a hint of nostalgia in his tone. "I still wish Natalie could have married my sister’s grandson. He’s quite the rare gem himself. But I suppose it wasn’t meant to be."

Albert waved it off with a smile. "No worries, my friend. I’m sure your grandson will find a wonderful woman too."

At that moment, Albert spotted Justin and Natalie entering the room. His eyes lit up. "Ah, here he is—my grandson-in-law, Aiden Handrix!"

Andrews who was facing the other way, turned to face Justin, only to have himself freeze in shock and disbelief.

Justin was no different as well. ’Grandpa Andrew... Julia’s brother?’ Justin was stunned, at a complete loss for words.

"Isn’t he handsome?" Albert’s proud voice filled the awkward silence, blissfully unaware of the shock passing between Justin and Andrew.

While Natalie noticed it and felt something was wrong between the two, and nervousness gripped her mind to think if her lie was going to be exposed finally.