Married To My Billionaire Stepbrother

Chapter 417: Wedding Invitation

"Is it really that hard to answer?" Julia teased. "You look absolutely baffled."

Natalie snapped out of her daze and replied, "Umm... maybe because... he’s very handsome..." She sighed in relief, thinking she’d gotten away with not having to explain further.

In response, Julia’s soft laughter echoed through the drawing room. Caryn subtly lowered her face and pressed her temple as if she was disappointed to hear that answer.

James looked at Caryn and smiled as he knew the exact reason of Caryn’s such reaction.

"You’re just like your mother," Julia chuckled.

Natalie glanced at Caryn, who looked more disappointed than anything else.

"What happened?" Natalie asked, genuinely confused.

Julia explained, "Back when James brought Caryn to our home in Bayford for the first time to meet me, I asked her the same question that why did she like my son? Her reaction was exactly like yours as if I asked the question that was out of syllabus. And then her answer was exactly the same as yours."

Natalie felt surprised to hear it about her mother who was always so meticulous with her replies.

Julia giggled again. "At the time, I thought, ’Well, maybe she’s as smart and capable as James, that means, his smartness was nothing special to her, so his good looks must have impressed her,’ so I let it pass. But now it seems you both—mother and daughter—have a thing for handsome faces."

Natalie turned to Caryn, slightly shocked. "Is that true?" She referred to Caryn’s answer to Julia’s question in the past.

Caryn looked at her and replied coldly, "When women are young, they tend to be deceived by a man’s good looks."

James, seated beside her, turned to look at her with interest. "Now you’re old. Do my good looks still deceive you after all these years?"

Without looking at him, Caryn answered in her usual stern tone, "When one is old and weak, they’re meant to be suppressed by someone stronger."

you, could suppress you. So why is it that I

dreaming. Was she really seeing James Harper flirt with a woman? The same ice-cold man was actually... flirting? And in front of

usual ordinary woman. How bold of him to

was the real James Harper only to be seen like this with his

slightly, putting more distance between them. "Behave. Mother and

to meet my mother, she saw us kissing. She didn’t mind at all—in fact, she asked the servants to clear

face flushed with

everyone had disappeared to since no one was around," James added smoothly. "That was

hands and muttered, "The older you get, the more

I assure you, that’s only going to get worse,"

you anymore," she said

her," Julia said to her son

better than strangers," James replied as he stood up, his eyes fixed on

as Caryn reached the staircase and began climbing—each step requiring visible effort—she was suddenly swept off the ground by a pair of

"James..." she exclaimed.

reach our room," he said as he carried her up effortlessly. "And I’m too impatient

she

sleeping there too, so it’s

go back

just let you have some alone

me

me next to you in

two women sitting downstairs

this—not even in my wildest

in his younger days," Julia replied, chuckling. "He was a

it, Grandma. And I totally believe you—after