Chapter 18
“Justin? What are you doing here?” Alessia poked her head out of the room at the sound of voices, pausing in surprise when she saw him standing there.
“I heard from Cole, so I thought I’d swing by and check in.
Alessia nodded, waved the workers inside, and quickly explained the situation before stepping back out. She found Brendan trailing after Justin, surveying the house like a pair of detectives
“Is your old habit acting up again?” Alessia didn’t bother with pleasantries; she slapped Justin on the back, the sharp smack making Brendan jump. When she saw Justin wasn’t fazed, she relaxed.
“Dad, let me introduce you. This is my friend, Justin. He’s in construction.”
Her introduction was casual, as if Justin was just an everyday acquaintance. Justin seemed used to it, greeting Brendan politely with a “Good afternoon, sir“?
“In construction? Lessie, Mr. Keane isn’t just in construction. He’s the–well, he’s famous. They call him a genius architect… Brendan stuttered, glancing at Justin.
“You’ve heard of me, sir? Please, just call me Justin, Lessie and I go way back–no need for formalities.” Justin’s easy warmth left Brendan a little flustered, after all, he’d once witnessed Justin tear into a nouveau riche client without mercy.”
Back then, The Morton Group was negotiating a packaging design deal with the Keane Group. As luck would have it, Justin was the son of the company’s chairman and sole heir!
Brendan still remembered the scene–the sharp words, the creative insults, the way Justin’s voice carried right through two closed doors into the meeting room. Yet the man standing here now was all charm and good manners, making Brendan wonder if his memory was playing tricks on him.
But soon enough, Brendan realized he hadn’t made a mistake. He and Karen hovered by the door listening anxiously to the voices drifting from inside.
“You don’t think they’re fighting, do you? Maybe you should go in and check, Karen whispered.
“Sounds like they’re arguing about the layout. Brendan frowned, just about to step in when the voices abruptly died down and the door swung open.
“Mom, Dad: Both kids seemed startled to see their parents lurking.
“Lessie, if you have a problem, just talk it out. Don’t start a fight Karen said, clearly worried. Alessia couldn’t help laughing.
“Don’t worry, Mom. That’s just how he gets when he’s focused–he’s not yelling at anyone. Sometimes the construction site’s so loud, he forgets how loud he’s talking.” Alessia wasn’t about to tell her mother just how sharp Justin’s tongue could be when dealing with certain people.
“Really?”
“Really” Alessia threw the door wide, revealing a perfectly calm scene: Justin’deep in discussion with the foreman, only his tousled hair betraying any stress E
“Go on, start prepping the food. Carey and the others will be here soon, right?”
“Just don’t fight, okay? Take this tea in with you,” Karen fussed, pressing a cup into Alessia’s hands.
“Got it” Alessia took the tea and closed the door. Karen and Brendan exchanged a look, but finally headed back to the kitchen.
Inside, Justin swallowed and walked back to Alessia. The foreman just grinned–he’d seen this all before–and went off to direct the workers.
“Can’t you tone it down just a little?” Alessia said under her breath.
“Oh, come on!” Justin’s voice shot up before Alessia shot him a glare, at which he immediately hushed, now sounding slightly aggrieved. “Do you know how rare it is for someone to treat me like this? I mean, who else dares smack me around? And for the record, I don’t just yell at people for no reason. Some of these rich wannabes really think they can boss me around just because they’ve got money.”
He mimicked the whiny voice of a client on the phone: “Money’s no object. You know who I am? I’m the Tate family’s eldest daughter! Designing a room is nothing for you–you should be honored!“%
Justin’s sarcasm dripped from every word. “Please, like I need her millions. These people love to flatter themselves. And who the hell gave her my number in the first place? What a pain!”
While Justin ranted, Alessia’s attention snagged on something else. “Wait, ‘The Tate family’s eldest daughter‘?”
