Brian's mansion stood at the heart of the city. One would hardly believe he was this wealthy in Los Angeles because he wasn't the flamboyant type. Julie smiled at what she saw, at least there was someone's house that beat her mother's hands down, and it was her cool boss. Couldn't they just end up because of her, perhaps she should add it to her wish list? A young man walked out of the mansion to welcome them, and Julie followed the man in suit. Brian glared at Julie, who was hopping behind the servant. She was lucky that they were having a get together with the family, or else he wouldn't have volunteered. Having anyone relating to miss Lucy provokes him mostly when it's her daughter, pretending to like the child wasn't helping after all he needed information from her which she wasn't providing in details. Julie ran towards him and pulled him by the wrist, so he could show her around. She smiled with ease as the world was hers and no fear if Brian would hurt her at all because she trusted him already to believe such. Her smile and giggling was innocent and enchanting because she could make someone talk until death just that she had some morals than miss Lucy.
“Wow…your gallery has beautiful family pictures…just that… you're missing” she mused gazing at the pictures in the gallery room which was large, Brian didn't reply her and just held his hands behind him while listening to her.
“Well back at home, only miss Lucy's pictures covers the whole gallery while mine are few, but I've outgrown that” she boasted sadly.
“How does she treat you at home?” He asked with a stern face. Why wasn't he friendly like he was? Possibly, he was feeling tired and needed rest.
“Well, she has mood swings, and occasionally I thought she was a devastated witch that got dessert by her lover…” Brian suddenly laughed at Julie's statement.
“Shh it's a secret between us though…if she finds out…she might lock me up for centuries to come” she joked, and he chuckled standing up.
“But you guys seem close, right?”
“Yeah when she's in a good mood” Julie replied running to the window, but Brian obstruct her by stretching a leg on her way that almost made her stumbled.
“My mistake, sorry” he apologized, pissed off by her act. He hated children running about in his place causing noise and distractions.
“It's okay…you look as if you're going to pass out soon, a little rest will do, hero!” She advised leaving the room.
“Hero?” He stated, scoffing and gazing at his time. Soon, his family would be here which meant more noise loading and this wasn't the perfect time. He placed his hands in his pockets and brought out an earring, it must have belonged to miss Lucy, he flipped it out through the window, and it landed on Julie. What? How did she get to the garden so soon when it wasn't even up to a minute? Julie looked up and met with Brian's terrified gaze, and she screamed loudly,
“Oh no… what's she doing?” He lamented, running through the stairs to meet her. Julie smiled naughtily and kept shouting as though she was injured, she needed attention now. Brian reached out to her as swift as he can and then hugged her since he couldn't detect where she got hurt.
“Are you okay?” He panicked, asking where she got hurt.
“Well in my chest” she replied, and he widened his eyes at her.
“How?” He asked, confused as he called on to the servant.
“Just joking…you looked so scared” she teased expecting him to laugh, rather he smirked at her
“Come on, you need rest anyway… please promise you would!” She proposed and he groaned silently. It seems the daughter was going to continue from where the mother stopped, which was ordering him at home.
“Yes” he said in between his teeth and terminated the hug
“You shouldn't lie though…so I would just follow you to see you're asleep”
“Why?” He snapped with a calm tone, but he was burning inside.
“You're just like my mom always claiming, right! It's a promise! Please now!” She pressured, and he nodded, walking into the house.
“I've got important things to do…”
“You adults are always busy that you never consider your health…wish I don't have to reach that stage…” She paused and frown at him.
“You keep yawning in the gallery, can't it wait besides you're the boss right” she pressed on as though to cry and Brian cursed silently and walked to his room without even taking a shower, he fell on the bed and dozed off. Indeed, he needed rest but hardly got time because there were a lot of things in his mind to reason about.
Julie sat patiently waiting to hear a car snort since it was getting late, she had communicated with her mother a little while ago. She kept rejecting miss Lucy's calls because it was becoming unbearable for the time being, it not like she was kidnapped. At last! What she waited for had come to pass, the family bus had arrived. She ran outside and stood by the door step. The first being that stepped out was a grandpa and then two kids smaller than her age and then three adults. The grandpa saw Julie gazing at them and smiled
“Seems like Brian finally settled down…come here child” he beckoned to Julie who walked timidly to huge him.
“I still have a bad feeling about this” mike mused, he was a juvenile and Brian's junior brother.
“Who won his heart because he's really selective” rose proclaimed, glancing at the mirror if her make-up was okay
“I wonder why it's Brian old man you chose to have the family hang out” the third adult affirmed packing down the luggage. He was Nicholas and Brian's cousin, the family wasn't complete yet, though. Julie watched them quietly as they just kept complaining while stepping inside the house.
"I doubt if the others would show up because it's Brian" rose said bluntly and it got Julie angry.
"What's wrong with him?" She questioned and all eyes fell on her.