Roman and Julienne's heart desire
Chapter 28: Bucket of lies

Chapter 28: Bucket of lies

"Sister-in-law," Azazel exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with excitement as he gazed at Julie like a small boy who had just spotted a delicious candy.

Julie smiled back at him, but her expression was tinged with a mix of amusement and slight discomfort, leaving her momentarily at a loss for words.

Roman, seated beside her, suddenly thundered, "Would you like to have a seat or do you want to be chased out, huh?" His voice was firm, but a hint of amusement danced in his eyes.

Azazel quickly took the hint and sat down beside Julie, his smile still plastered on his face.

"Brother, do the introduction, please," Azazel requested, his eyes sparkling with anticipation as he looked at Julie.

Roman’s expression remained stoic, but a faint glimmer of amusement flickered in his eyes as he watched his brother’s antics. He knew exactly what Azazel was after.

"This is my brother, Azazel," Roman said, his voice measured, as he glanced at Julie. She smiled warmly at Azazel and greeted him with a soft "Hi."

Azazel responded with an enthusiastic "Hello," his face lighting up with a broad smile.

When Roman turned to Azazel, a hint of a smirk played on his lips.

"This is Miss Wilson," he said, his introduction brief and lacking the warmth Azazel had expected. Azazel’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"What do you mean by ’Miss Wilson’?" Azazel asked, his curiosity piqued. "You should continue with the introduction because I know and feel this isn’t all.

You’ve never brought any woman to your house, not even close to it," Azazel probed, his eyes narrowing slightly as he studied Roman’s expression.

"Brother, I know you, and as a woman hater—," Azazel began, but Roman cut him off, his voice firm and decisive.

"There’s no need for further introductions since you’ve already guessed it from the start."

Azazel’s face lit up with a triumphant smile. "That means what I guessed was actually right, oh my!" he exclaimed, slapping his hand on his chest in a dramatic gesture.

In a swift motion, Azazel turned around and stretched out his hand, pulling Julie into a warm hug.

Roman’s eyes widened in surprise at his brother’s bold action, and Julie froze, caught off guard.

Before she could react, Roman’s hand circled her waist, and she was gently pulled back into his side.

"Are you alright?" Roman asked, his voice low and concerned as he twirled her around in his arms.

Julie’s heart skipped a beat as she met his gaze, her face inches from his chest. "Yes, I’m fine," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

Roman’s eyes flashed with a hint of possessiveness as he glanced at Azazel, his gaze sending a silent warning.

"What are you trying to do?" Roman asked, his voice low and even, his brow raised in query.

Azazel didn’t bother to respond; instead, he offered a sheepish apology. "Oops, I’ve done it again. I’m sorry, Sister," he said, his smile undiminished.

Julie looked at him, her head tilted slightly to the side, her expression questioning.

She didn’t quite understand why Azazel kept referring to her as "sister," and her discomfort was evident.

Seeming to sense her confusion, Azazel launched into an explanation.

"In short, Sister, my brother is known for his aversion to women," Azazel declared, his voice filled with drama. Roman’s face twisted in a grimace, his eyes rolling heavenward.

Before Roman could intervene, Azazel continued, "I promised myself that I’d hug my sister-in-law whenever he got married, and I’m just excited," he said, his face alight with enthusiasm.

Julie’s eyes widened, and she murmured an "Ohhh" of understanding, her mouth forming a round "O" as she took in Azazel’s words.

Azazel nodded, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Now you get it, right?" he asked, his head bobbing up and down.

He didn’t want Julie to have a bad impression of him, especially not on their first meeting.

"Yes, I get it," Julie said with a big smile on her face, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Come give me another hug, brother-in-law," she teased, her voice light and playful. Roman watched as the two hugged each other, both their faces lit up with big smiles.

"Where are the servants?" Roman asked, his voice breaking the warm atmosphere.

"They’re waiting for you outside," Azazel replied, still not letting go of Julie, who was starting to feel uncomfortable with the prolonged hug.

"Can you let go of me now?" Julie asked politely, trying to extricate herself from Azazel’s grasp.

"Oh, yeah, I’m sorry. I’m just so excited, you know," Azazel said, finally releasing her. He pulled up a chair and gestured for her to sit down.

Roman watched his brother with interest, a hint of amusement dancing in his eyes. But the sudden question Azazel asked next made him raise a brow.

"How did you manage to make my brother fall in love with you, sister?" Azazel asked, his eyes sparkling with curiosity as he shoveled rice into his mouth.

"Since he’s a woman hater, I should seriously salute you, sis," Azazel said, saluting Julie even though he was sitting down.

Julie’s head went blank for a moment before she started thinking again, trying to come up with a response.

"Hmm," she hummed, acting as if she hadn’t heard the question. Julie turned to look at Roman, who was sitting calmly, watching her with an expectant gaze, as if waiting for her to start talking without trying to help her or say something.

"How did you both fall in love?" Azazel asked again, his eyes fixed on the plate in front of him, oblivious to Julie’s expression, which was akin to a thief caught stealing. Julie sat quietly, thinking of what to say, her mind racing.

Their first encounter had been anything but romantic, but as she pondered, a mischievous smile spread across her face.

"The first time we met, he was about to hit me with his car, and after that, he rushed me to the hospital, thinking something had happened to me," Julie lied, looking Azazel straight in the eye as if what she was saying was the truth.

Azazel’s face lit up with excitement. "Okay, I believe that. Not all, though. Can you continue?" he asked, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Julie smiled, playing along. "Hmm, since you want to hear it till the end, of course," she said, her voice dripping with sweetness.

Roman, who had been listening to the exchange, knew that Julie would spin a web of lies, and his lips curled up to the side as he waited to hear what she would say next.

"You know it was love at first sight for me," Julie continued, "and seeing how gentle he was when he took me to the hospital, everything intensified."

Azazel’s face brightened, and he turned to look at Roman, his eyes shining with amusement.

"Oh my, sis, it’s getting serious. Please continue," he said, his voice filled with excitement.

"Okay," Julie said, requesting a favor from Azazel. "Can you please stop calling me sister? It feels uncomfortable, you know," she said, trying to sound polite. Azazel raised a brow, his expression incredulous.

"There’s no way you are my brother’s wife, so of course, I have to call you sister with respect, you know," Azazel explained, smiling and blinking his eyes rapidly, his face alight with happiness.

Julie smiled, charmed by Azazel’s antics, and picked up her chopsticks, thinking she could finally start eating and stop fabricating stories.

But her relief was short-lived. Azazel spoke up again, his question making her choke on the food in her mouth.

"So, how did you get married? You know we didn’t hear anything, so you have to fill me in on all the details I missed out," Azazel said, beaming with a smile as he chewed his food, eager to hear the story.

Julie’s eyes widened, and she glanced at Roman, who was watching her with a knowing glint in his eye, as if enjoying her predicament.

She took a deep breath and plunged into her fabricated tale, determined to keep up the charade.

As she spoke, Roman’s expression remained calm, but his eyes sparkled with amusement, his lips twitching into a smile.

He knew Julie was spinning a web of lies, and he was curious to see how far she would take it.

Roman’s gaze flicked to Azazel, who was hanging on Julie’s every word. ’ Azazel’s buying into this hook, line, and sinker,’ Roman thought with a hint of amusement.

As the conversation continued, Roman found himself observing Julie’s tactics and Azazel’s reactions with growing interest.

’Julie’s getting more confident with her lies,’ he thought. ’I’m impressed by her improvisational skills.’

Despite the absurdity of the situation, Roman couldn’t help but be drawn in by Julie’s storytelling.

He leaned forward, his eyes locked on hers, and a small smile played on his lips. ’ Let’s see how far she’ll take this,’ he thought, eager to find out what would happen next.