At the dinner site, once Jules and Lucas arrived at the restaurant and stood outside the private room, Jules suddenly began to hyperventilate.
Her breathing grew shallow and rapid, and anxiety tightened her chest.
Lucas, noticing her distress, gently patted the back of her hand, grounding her.
Jules imdiately nodded, lowering her gaze to steady herself, and muttered softly, "I’m just... a little nervous."
Lucas let out a quiet laugh, warm and reassuring. But Jules, still tense, suddenly asked, "Did you... tell them about my background?"
Lucas nodded calmly.
"I didn’t want to hide anything from them. I thought it would be worse if they learned it unexpectedly." He paused, squeezing her hand.
"Whatever reaction they had, I planned to tell you everything. If they reacted negatively, I wouldn’t have brought you here at all. I would’ve just gone straight to register our marriage."
The aning settled into Jules slowly and surely. Her gaze drifted to the closed door. If the family had rejected her, she wouldn’t be standing here now. That ant... they had accepted her.
Her mood lifted instantly. Relief washed over her in waves, and an uncontrollable smile blood across her face.
Lucas smiled faintly. "Ready?"
She nodded, and they stepped inside.
The mont Jules entered, she froze. The first thing she noticed was how beautiful everyone was.
The entire family looked like they had been sculpted by the gods, except Adam, who had an average appearance in comparison. Mary, elegant and serene.
Olivia, sharp-eyed and stunning. Theodore, flamboyantly handso.
Aurora, with a beauty that was soft yet intimidating. Adriana, lively and glowing. And then Alex, tall, composed, and striking in a quiet way.
Jules felt her heart sink a little. ’Why are they all so good-looking?’ For a fleeting second, she beca painfully self-conscious.
As if sensing her unease, Adriana imdiately bounced forward, looping an arm around Jules with sparkling laughter.
"So this is the sister-in-law? Lucas has the nerve to undersell her! You’re gorgeous!"
Aurora raised her brow and chid in, "That’s because Lucas doesn’t know how to describe beautiful things properly."
Olivia nodded seriously. "That does sound like him."
Jules flushed, flustered yet amused. "You’re praising too much."
Aurora shook her head lightly. "No, we’re not. Lucas just speaks like a rock. Now that we’ve seen you, we know he actually did well for once."
Jules couldn’t help the genuine laugh that bubbled out this ti.
Her shoulders loosened, the tension lting away. Lucas exhaled a subtle sigh of relief and shot Aurora a grateful glance.
Theodore, not wanting the spotlight to shift away for too long, leaned back dramatically and asked,
"Are you just going to admire us from the doorway? Co in and appreciate properly. I’m a TV star, after all."
Olivia snorted. "A background actor. You had three seconds of screen ti."
Theodore clicked his tongue and ignored her. Fixing his hair, he turned to Jules, eyes gleaming.
"Tell , am I handso? Charming? Radiant? I once t a monk who said I’m destined to beco a shining star. Do you think so too?"
Jules nearly choked trying not to burst out laughing. This level of narcissism... astonishing. But she nodded, trying to be polite yet sincere.
After all, Theodore was indeed a star she had known. However, she was astonished at the fact that Theodore was Lucas’s brother!
Theodore glead triumphantly. Lucas rolled his eyes. "Stop teasing my wife."
The mont the word wife left his mouth, Jules’ eyes widened.
And instantly, Aurora gasped dramatically, Olivia squealed, Theodore wolf-whistled, Adriana clapped, and Alex let out a low amused hum.
"Ohhh!"
"He called her wife! Possessive huh?"
"Woooooow!"
Jules’ face turned bright red.
Mary finally waved her hand. "Enough, all of you. Let the girl breathe." She motioned to the seat beside her. "Co, sit here, dear."
Jules paused. A mother-in-law... calling for her with such warmth. The contrast struck sharply.
mories of her previous mother-in-law flashed, cold, disapproving, constantly belittling her, poking at her worth, telling her she wasn’t good enough for her son.
nd her ex-husband, who had only ever taken his sister’s side and made everything worse.
He had even tortured her because he thought she had killed her own sister...
’That is over. That is gone.’
She took a quiet breath. ’The future is right here,’ she reminded herself.
She had a bright future now, and good people waiting for her!
With a soft smile, she walked over and greeted Mary politely before sitting down. Lucas sat beside her.
Jules then glanced around the table and said gently, "Hello, everyone. I’m Jules... Lucas’ girlfriend."
One by one, they introduced themselves. When it ca to Alex, Aurora spoke instead, smiling proudly,
"This is Alex. He’s actually the eldest. Even though Lucas looks like the one carrying the eldest-child stress."
Alex blinked, offended. "Do I not look older? Should I get wrinkles?" He leaned toward the reflective tabletop, inspecting himself exaggeratedly.
Laughter rippled around the table.
Jules felt warmth in her chest. She could tell, they were intentionally keeping the atmosphere light for her sake.
She smiled gratefully. "Thank you. I really appreciate how you’re making feel at ho."
Olivia imdiately pointed at Lucas. "Thank him. He bribed us ten thousand dollars to act nicely."
Everyone burst out laughing. Even Jules. Lucas narrowed his eyes at Olivia.
"If you ask for money again, I will not give you a single cent."
Olivia stuck out her tongue. "I don’t need you. I have Aurora. I’ll retire at twenty while she pays for my lifestyle."
Aurora flicked Olivia’s forehead.
Mary leaned toward Jules with a gentle smile. "Dear, would you like to order sothing? Please eat comfortably."
Jules waved her hand quickly. "Oh, I’m not really hungry..."
What if her mother-in-law thinks that she was a gultton? Sigh! So even though she was hungry as heck, she decided to decline.
Lucas cut her off calmly, taking the nu. "She’s lying. She’s barely eaten since yesterday. She’s been surviving on water."
Between staying silent and letting his wife suffer, Lucas preferred to speak out the truth.
And he didn’t even understand why Jules was lying!
Jules’ face heated again as she glared at him. Lucas ignored her look and ordered a few of her favorite dishes.
Once the waiter left, Mary sighed softly. "It has been so long since one of my sons brought soone ho."
Jules blinked. "Has Lucas brought soone before?"
Mary shook her head. "Only Theodore brought girls ho. But none beca his girlfriend, let alone a wife. As for Lucas... I’ve started suspecting he and Theodore might like boys instead."
Jules laughed helplessly while Lucas groaned, slumping in his chair. "Mom, don’t say that."
Mary patted his shoulder. "My boy is shy." And with joy, she began recounting Lucas’ embarrassing childhood stories.
"You know, one ti, he peed his bed, and almost thought that it was a huge mistake. He hid the bedsheet for ten days! I almost thought that it was stolen!"
"There was another ti when he... oh, and he also..."
Lucas looked like he wanted to sink through the floor. He shot desperate pleading looks to his siblings, but each one ignored him with deep satisfaction.
He mouthed them, ’One day it will be your turn and I will not help too!’
Though Theodore had just seen the poisonous real face of Eleanor, he still knew that one day he might need the help of his big brother.
Theodore, sensing impending doom for himself later, quickly cut in.
"Okay, okay. That’s enough teasing. Jules, tell us if there are any conditions or things you dislike so we can avoid them in the future."
Jules paused, touched by the sincerity behind the question. She smiled softly. "As long as the food doesn’t contain mushrooms, I can eat almost anything."
Aurora leaned in. "Anything you dislike strongly?"
Jules nodded. "Pasta. And too much dairy."
The family nodded, accepting it with seriousness that made Jules’ heart warm.
Aurora clasped her hands. "Then what do you like?"
Jules’ eyes brightened slightly. "Strawberry desserts."
They nodded again. Then, as if by natural rhythm, each of them began sharing their likes and dislikes in return, creating familiarity, balance, conversation, and laughter flowing without effort.
At so point, Jules realized she was no longer nervous. She didn’t feel like she was eting strangers. She felt as if she was simply among friends, people who welcod her, not judged her.
Mary watched Jules laugh, and her heart softened. She gently thought to herself,
’If a person is broken, sotis healing cos from choosing to care for soone else.’
Maybe this ti... they could all heal together.
Just as they were having a good ti, a figure burst and in the next second, they heard a roar, "Jules, you b*tch! How dare you dream of good things after killing your sister! Who gave you a mutt like you, the right to dream of a bright future!"
Everyone was stunned by the unfamiliar voice and looked in the direction.
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