" 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 . 1/2 15:37 Chapter 18 " 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 . " 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 ' ? " 212