Natalie awkwardly cleared her throat. "Mr. Harper, how about you get ready, and in the meantime, I’ll prepare breakfast for all of us?" free𝑤ebnovel.com
Justin looked at her, noticing how embarrassed she seemed. Deciding not to argue with her early in the morning and spoil his day, he simply stood up and headed toward the bedroom.
He could not feel but feel gross about himself that he could not shower or even change his clothes the previous night because one infuriating woman could not wait to kick him out of the room.
’What am I even doing here?’ Frustrated, he entered the room. ’If not for Mr. Ford, I would have already left.’
He stepped into the bathroom, deciding to take his time and enjoy a long, thorough shower.
Meanwhile, Natalie hurried to her grandpa’s room to quickly brush her teeth, then rushed back to the kitchen. ’I’ll quickly prepare breakfast, keep him busy eating, and maybe we can avoid talking,’ she thought, ’Men shower quickly, so I have to be faster.’
However, Justin wasn’t in any rush. He took his time in the shower, enjoying the warm water, and meticulously groomed himself afterward, even taking the time to dry his hair properly. When he finally emerged from the bathroom, he was wrapped in a white towel, his half-dried hair slightly tousled as he ran his fingers through it. He headed to the wardrobe to pick out his clothes.
Just as he grabbed his shirt, his cellphone rang. Carrying the shirt with him, he walked over to the work desk and picked up the phone, noticing a familiar name flashing on the screen.
He answered the call. "Good morning, Julia."
"Morning, my love," a cheerful woman’s voice responded. "How are you?"
"I’m good. How about you?" Justin’s deep voice resonated in the room as he stood by the window, looking out as he spoke.
"How can I be good until I get to meet my granddaughter?" Her tone shifted to one of longing. "You promised me you’d bring her home, and yet..."
"It’s only been a few days since I arrived here," his voice gentle but firm. "Things take time. She already has a lot going on in her life, and I can’t just drop another shocking news on her."
"Yes, I saw the news. How is she? Did you at least meet her?"
"I did."
"She must be an amazing girl, isn’t she? I could sense it when I saw her speaking to the reporter with such confidence. Trust me, she’s just like her mother—righteous and full of confidence."
Justin’s voice held a note of skepticism. "How can you be so sure she’s righteous, especially with all the negative news surrounding her?"
"This old woman has a knack for seeing through people," Julia replied with a touch of pride. "Besides, I trust Caryn’s blood."
Meanwhile, Natalie had almost finished preparing breakfast. ’It’s been more than half an hour; I should check on Grandpa and ask him to come back. Where’s my cellphone? It must be in the bedroom.’ She hurried to the bedroom, momentarily forgetting that someone else was in there. As she opened the door, she was caught off guard by the sound of a man’s voice.
All she could think in that moment was—Perfect.
Justin remained calm, his voice steady as he replied, "Just a hotel staff member who made a mistake and apologized."
"Hotel staff, early in the morning? What would they be doing in your room?" Julia’s tone was sharp, bordering on accusatory. "Tell me the truth."
"That is the truth, Julia."
Outside the room, Natalie leaned against the wall, trying to calm her racing heart. She could still hear fragments of Justin’s conversation through the door. ’
’Julia?’ She realised pondered over the way he talked, ’So soft, so gentlemanly. Definitely a woman he likes, a girlfriend maybe? Or a rude man like him wouldn’t speak so kindly otherwise.’ She sighed, ’And he had to lie to her because of me. It’s not good.’ She walked away, finding it rude to listen to the talk between a couple. ’But damn, he has an amazing body. No wonder narcism spills out whenever he opens his mouth to talk about himself.’
Inside the room, Justin continued his talk, his voice impatient, "Julia, there’s no need for you to come here. My home isn’t ready yet, and I won’t allow you to stay in a hotel. I’ll bring her home when the time is right."
Julia huffed in frustration. "You brat, you’re just like your father. Dictators, both of you!" With that, she hung up the call, clearly irritated.
Justin sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. He couldn’t afford to let Julia know he was pretending to be Natalie’s husband, let alone the reasons why.
He could feel another headache coming his way if Julia was to come to the city. Keeping up Natalie’s grandpa was already more than he could handle.
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