Juliette

Chapter 5- A New Start

Julie was confused looking at the smiling man sitting in front of her. His emerald green eyes reminded her of, her own eyes. Though they had never met earlier in her life, she felt an odd sense of calmness around him. His complete black attire, along with the roughed up look might have emitted a dangerous aura to others but for Julie, it was quite the opposite. She felt a sense of calmness and peace, as she gazed at him.

"Um...I apologise sir but are you... someone I should have been informed about earlier," she stuttered out hesitantly.

"Nope, it's completely alright. It is better this way," he replied again with an affectionate smile. And this time the smile reached his eyes. "I'm Vincent, your second eldest brother. Also, the one who would be accompanying you to our home". Though Julie recognised the warm look in his eyes, the mere concept of having brothers seemed unfathomable to her.

"Brother?" she asked with her head tilted towards the side in confusion.

"Yes. Brother! We are a family of five including you. So..." he paused dramatically as if explaining to a small child and enunciated. "You have three more brothers."

Julie instantly froze. Her face reverting to the blank guarded look.

'Four brothers...four males...I hate all men.' Flashes of trauma that she suffered at the hands of some cruel men repeated in her brain.

"I'm sorry, but I genuinely think... you are mistaken. I have been a single child, from the moment I was born...," she replied in a stiff tone. Slight tremors ran down her thin body. 'Mother always mentioned I was her only child. Was that a lie? It couldn't be...But what if...'

"You probably were never informed about our existence. We were equally surprised too, my dear sister. We never had knowledge of your existence till a few days ago. And I for sure regret not getting to know you earlier," he continued with a slight pause as his intent gaze concentrated on the petite girl. A flicker of worry passed through his eyes at the small shivers that ran down her frail body.  "Too much information might have startled you, I apologise for that. We can slowly get to know each other."

With a swift push, he quickly raised from the chair and offered a glass of water to his sister. In his thoughts, she seemed like an angel compared to him and the rest of their brothers. 

"I'm certain you still have your doubts. So, would you like to look at our DNA match test result?" he questioned her in a gentle tone, to not startle the little girl.

Julie directed her eyes down, unsure of how to reply. Deep inside her heart, she felt he was telling the truth. But her brain was scared to believe. She had been betrayed too many times in her life. All the people she believed in, ended up deceiving her.

Vincent placed a file in front of her softly.

"Though it might be hard to accept in the start. We are indeed your brothers and your family," he voiced out his true thoughts in a firm tone.

She realised, the person in front of her was different from all the other men who were present in her life. Though she was reluctant to accept the concept of having brothers, she wanted to give them a chance.

'Maybe, having brothers won't be a bad thing after all. Hopefully, the others are also as warm as him.'

With a slight tug on her sleeves, she soothed her heart and steeled her resolve.

"I am Juliette and, you can...call me Julie," she waved shyly and pushed back the bangs that covered her face. A mild smile adorned her face, which brought out a new feeling of happiness to the heart of the Ricci brother.

"AH! Just a wave? Won't you give this lovely new brother a hug?" he joked mildly winking at her. 

"I'm not so sure..," she whispered back.