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Lies

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Chapter 49: Lies (Christian's POV)

Something was off the next morning, something had gone extremely wrong. 

Jules's alarm never rang. Because Jules was up and at it way before me. And if Jules is waking up early then you know something is off. 

I sat up, running a hand through my hair and taking a look around the dim room. "Jules?" I called out. When she didn't reply and I paid more attention, I could hear the shower water running. 

Oh, that's right. It's Alex's wedding day today. 

Dragging myself out of bed, I made it to the bathroom, leaning against the wall and knocking on the door before opening it just an inch. "Milaya." 

"You can come in!" she called out. 

I pushed the door open and stood in the doorway, my back against it as I watched her. The matte coating on the glass cabin hid everything below her shoulders as she wiped the water from her eyes and met my gaze, sending me a cute little wave. I chuckled, blinking slowly before stepping forward staying on this side of that glass door but now that I stood nearer, I was standing well above that barrier and could see her clearly. 

My gaze dropped lower but she scoffed, hitting a fist on the glass. "Don't look!" 

I lifted my eyes back to hers, slowly backing up and grabbing my toothbrush. "How come you're up early?" I questioned, watching her as I began brushing my teeth. 

"I have to get ready. The wedding is supposed to be at noon." 

"It's barely nine." 

She shot me a look while tying her hair into a low bun. "It's my brother's wedding." She grabbed some shower gel. "Do you need your suit ironed? We can go to the laundry room downstairs and do it ourselves or ask the hotel staff." 

"I can go," I said once I finished brushing my teeth. 

"Your dress needs to be ironed lightly, right?" 

She nodded. "Go a bit later," she grinned sheepishly, watching me. 

"Why?" I lifted a brow. "It's your brother's wedding," I mocked. 

She clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes at me. "Don't be annoying." 

"Don't get bratty." 

"Bratty?" She laughed humorlessly, "I can get brattier, want to see?" 

"No," I shook my head immediately. 

She glanced at my sweatpants. "Strip." 

"Excuse me? Ms. Declan, your brother is getting married in a few hours and you're asking for a strip tease?" 

A soft groan of annoyance escaped her before she turned her back on me and began rinsing off. 

Kicking my sweatpants off, I pulled the door open and joined her, tugging her hair out of the bun it was in. 

"That's unfair, I didn't get the strip tease I asked for," she said, smiling at me over her shoulder. 

"Well, do you want something better?" I offered, resting my hands on her hips, my fingers gliding down her thighs. 

"As much as I do," she chuckled, "we can't be late. You may not need three hours to get ready, but..." Jules turned around slowly to face me. "I think I—" 

I cut her off, leaning down and smashing my lips against hers, silencing her with a kiss. 

She took a step back, hitting the cold tile wall which led to a soft gasp escaping her as I slowly slipped a hand between her thighs while smirking against her lips. 

"I thought you didn't want to be late," I mumbled. 

"That's not what I want right now," she said breathlessly. 

"Then tell me what you want." 

"You," she gasped out. "In every fucking way." 

I wanted nothing more than to erase even the slightest distance that remained between us, to touch every inch of her body all over again without leaving out any spot unkissed. If I didn't stop now, I wouldn't be able to stop at all. Despite her annoyance and frustration, I pulled away, both of us breathing heavily. 

"Christian," she scolded through gritted teeth, my name a harsh plea on her tongue, desperate. 

"Sorry, Milaya." 

"Oh, are you?" she scoffed at me. 

"You have no idea how much," I smiled, kissing her again. "But it's an important day for you and your whole family. Let's not make room for error. Later." 

"But later is so far away," she whined, resting her arms around my neck. "I want you right now." 

"Not more than I want you," I reassured, my hands sliding from her waist, to her hips, to her ass. 

She bit back a laugh, she always did whenever I touched her ass. 

"But your brother will literally kill me." 

Jules sighed in defeat and rinsed herself off one last time, moving away and grabbing the towel, wrapping it around herself. "Have fun by yourself then," she smirked at me as she walked out of the shower and back out into the room. 

I closed my eyes, exhaled, and then turned the water to the coldest it could be. 

 »»————　➴　————««

"Ready to go?" I asked, walking to the bathroom and standing in the doorway, watching her as she pinned the last strand of her hair in place, holding a bobby pin between her teeth. 

Jules's fiery copper hair was pulled back into an elegant bun with loose curled strands framing her face. Her makeup was soft and neutral, champagne shimmer on her eyes and the high points of her cheek, and the tiniest smudged black wing lining her eyes with a soft pink glossing her lips. My eyes dipped to the back of her dress that was left undone. The back had a deep and low v-cut that went down to the dip in her spine at her lower back where three tiny rhinestone buttons sat in the same jade shade of her dress. 

She let out a breath, blowing the strands out of her face before grabbing her matching emerald earrings in the shape of small teardrops. "You don't have to stand and stare," she chuckled, "you can come in. And help me with the dress while you're at it, maybe?" 

"Maybe," I smirked, walking over and reaching for the dress as she put her other earring on. I did the three jeweled buttons before lifting my hand and tracing her spine, hearing her sharp intake of breath as I reached her lower back before retreating. "We should get going," I mused, meeting her gaze in the mirror. 

She spun around to face me and glanced down at my clothes, dusting off the black suit I wore with a matching black button-up underneath. "No tie?" 

I clicked my tongue, shaking my head once. "They take too long to take off." 

She smiled, "They take two seconds." 

"Two seconds too long," I shrugged, kissing her jaw faintly. "Your heels," I prompted. 

Her eyes fell to her flip-flops. "Right," she laughed, leading the way out and grabbing her silver heels, sitting at the foot of the bed. I swiped them out of her hand and kneeled on the floor as she sighed, "What a chivalrous fiancé." 

I winked at her. "That I am." 

She nudged me with her bare foot before I slipped her heels on and then took her small silver purse in my hands while she made sure she had everything she needed before we left. "I'm pretty sure Alex, Naomi, Mom, Dad, and Mr., and Mrs. Russo are already at The Dunes Wedding Venue," she said as we reached the lobby. 

"Why that location?" I questioned. 

"It's absolutely beautiful, Naomi is obsessed with that venue. It has the perfect all-around view of the sunset for the reception, outdoor garden space for dining, and Naomi made sure they brought out their best decorations and wedding arch." 

"It sounds a lot like Naomi's wedding and Alex is just... there." 

She laughed, hitting my arm as we walked out of the hotel. "Don't say that. Alex is bubbling with excitement and it's so obvious to everyone who knows their history. He pined after her for nearly a year before growing the balls to make a move." 

I opened the passenger door for her and she flashed me a grin before sitting down. I got in the driver's seat and headed off for the venue. 

"Where do you think we'll get married?" she asked nonchalantly. 

"I'm not sure," I paused. "Somewhere special to us," we said in sync. I watched her for a fleeting moment in awe, my heart stuttering. 

"Better yet," she sang, "when do you think we'll get married?" 

"This feels like a trick question." 

"There's no right answer. But we should be on the same page about things like this." 

I thought for a minute. "When it feels right, of course. But when I'm with you, every moment feels right. I would marry you right now if I could. We could elope." 

"Maybe we will." 

"I doubt it. You'd want your family there." 

"That is true, fair enough," she said, grabbing my hand as I rested it on her thigh. "I just want to ask you one thing for today. I said the same thing to Alex. Please don't argue today. No petty remarks, no snide comments. Just be pleasant. Please?" 

I let out a breath and nodded. "Sure." 

"Thank you." Then she added, "I would kiss your cheek but I have lipgloss on, Dusha Moya," she sighed.

My eyes snapped over to her as I looked at her so fast that the road momentarily became a blur. 

She laughed at my reaction before her eyes narrowed in hesitation. "Is that how you say it?" 

"Who taught you that?" 

"I asked Audrey." 

"For nicknames in Russian and she taught you how to say 'my soul'?" I mused. 

She hummed. "Plus, you have so many for me in Russian and English. Red." 

I chuckled softly. 

"Milaya," she continued, "love, darling. The occasional sweetheart." 

"And what's your favorite?" 

"Choosing feels like betrayal but if I have to..." She grinned at me. "Milaya." 

"Milaya," I repeated, slowing down to a stop. "We have arrived." 

Jules rolled her eyes, still smiling at me, and unhooked her seatbelt. I got the door for her again, taking her hand and helping her out until we got to where the actual ceremony would take place, and found it rather empty with people still preparing the final touches. 

"Isn't it a bit too hot and too bright out here for a wedding?" I mumbled. 

"The wedding isn't until later, don't worry." 

"What do you mean?" 

"We're Declan's, Christian. Everybody's going to be late. That probably includes the groom. When we say to our guests, be there by one o'clock, that means they'll still be filing in until the evening." 

I stared at her doubtfully. 

"Wait and see. The wedding won't happen any time before five." 

"And what are we supposed to do now for five hours?" 

"Sit inside in an air-conditioned dressing room and have sex," she replied. 

"Oh." I lifted a brow, my lips twitching. 

"Alex, hold on!" We both spun around as Callum shouted out and saw Alex making his way over, still not dressed for the wedding. 

Jules watched in confusion. "What is going on?" 

He stopped in front of me. "Is it true?" 

"What?" I questioned. 

"Alex," Jules warned. 

"Tell me, you asshole. Are you both faking this engagement?" 

I kept my hands tucked into my pockets, my jaw clenching. 

Reid, that asshole. My father. 

He faced Jules. "Is it true?" 

"Alex, come on, don't do this today, especially here. You're getting married," she sighed. 

"Just answer me for fuck's sake, Jules," he groaned. "Is it true? Did you or did you not break up a year ago? Is this engagement for show or not?" he asked sternly, each word coming out with a harsh bite. 

"Alex—" 

He completely ignored her and turned to me. "Answer me, you bastard." 

I sighed in defeat, resisting an eye roll. 

"Have you been feeding me and our entire family a load of bullshit? Nothing but lies?" 

"Alex, hear me out," I tried. 

He gave me a hard shove and I took a step back, hitting the chairs lined up behind me. 

"Alex, don't," Jules warned, taking a step forward. 

"Are they lies?" he pressed, giving me another shove. 

"Alex!" Jules exclaimed as multiple chairs fell out of line and clattered. 

"Did you fake this engagement?!" he snapped at me. 

I looked at Jules and she shook her head lightly. 

"Don't fucking look at her, answer me!" 

"Yes," I exhaled. 

Jules's shoulders dropped as she shot me a look of disbelief. 

Alex scoffed in ridicule at me. "You're using her, you son of a bitch." 

"What?" I asked, utterly lost. 

Before anybody could get a single word in, he swung at me but I caught his arm at the last fucking second, my breath getting caught as my body moved instinctively to defend myself. "Alex, hear me out," I huffed.

He gave me another hard shove, marching forward simultaneously, and sent me falling on the chairs behind me, collapsing and landing straight on my back on the concrete floor. The asshole he was, he kicked me when I was down, a solid blow straight to my ribs. 

"Alex, have you lost your mind?!" Jules screamed, giving him a push and catching her parents' attention. 

"You manipulative, selfish, lying bastard!" Alex shouted at me as I let out a puff of air and stood back up with a sigh, dusting off my clothes before I took Jules's arm, pulling her to the side. 

"Are you guys crazy? We're here for your wedding, Alex!" she yelled. 

"What is going on?" Luke asked, standing beside Alex. 

"Why don't you ask him?" he snickered, gesturing to me. "Your picture-perfect future son-in-law." He stepped closer again. "The same one who did the worst to Jules and left her a year ago." 

"It's not what he told you," I said, keeping my voice down. Everything I said immediately triggered the worst in him and it took everything in me to hold it together as I stumbled back from a blow, the coppery taste of blood hitting my tongue as my lip started bleeding from his punch. 

"Alex!" Luke scolded, grabbing him and dragging him back inside. 

"I swear to God, I'll fucking kill him," Jules ground out, glaring in his direction before rushing to me, reaching for my face. "Are you okay? Jesus Christ," she exhaled, panic settling into her as she saw my lip. 

"I'm okay," I reassured. 

"But—" 

"I'm okay, Jules. I promise," I nodded, holding her closer. 

She seemed just as lost as me, if not more. "What the hell is he talking about? How did he...?" She stared at me in confusion. 

"My father," I answered. "He told him."

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Chapter 49

this chapter is extra long cuz I got too into it and wrote like an entire extra page

So... I have decided that this book is going to be 52 chapters long, including the epilogue which means we only have 3 chapters left :(((

The ending won't be rushed, I promise and I hope you guys like it!

BUT

I also need help choosing a title for the next book hehe so here you go, do your voting thing

1. The First Draft
2. The Sweetest Addiction
3. Craving Oblivion

the book WILL BE a little bit of a dark romance and follows a similar vibe to the Twisted Series by Ana Huang. So like dark but still contemporary. Very Christian and Stella vibes <333