Chapter 352: James’ Declaration

Julia was also surprised to see this latest piece of news.

James, who had returned home after being away for a while, after having a breakfast with her, decided to accompany his overly excited mother, even though all he did was work in his study.

The door of his study suddenly opened as Julia barged in, clearly shocked. "James, do you even know who your daughter’s husband is?"

James simply looked at her. If Natalie was with Justin, he had no reason to meddle in his daughter’s life. Knowing Justin well, he was sure Natalie would end up with him in the end.

Julia placed her mobile on his table and said, "Read the news."

James glanced at the screen and saw the title:

Then, as if it were nothing to be bothered about, his expression softened, and he looked back at his file.

"What?!" Julia exclaimed at his calmness. "Aren’t you going to say anything?" she asked in a confrontational tone. "If her husband is someone like this CEO, then..." she mumbled under her breath, barely audible, "...what will happen to my Justin?"

James gently set his file aside, stood up, and guided his mother to sit in the chair. Then he poured her a glass of water and handed it to her. "Have some water and calm down first. The doctor told you to stay calm, or your blood pressure might spike."

Julia obediently drank the water and took a few deep breaths to calm herself.

"Do you even know what kind of person this CEO is? There’s no information about him," Julia continued, still agitated, blurting out every anxious thought that came to mind. "He’s never shown himself, so there be something wrong with him. Maybe he’s ugly! Natalie is beautiful and now a princess. If he’s her husband and he’s not a good person, he might make it difficult for her to get a divorce."

"Why do you want her to divorce him?" James asked, settling back into his chair, his demeanor calm.

"We don’t know what kind of person he is," Julia said, her mind filled with worry for Justin. "We should make her marry someone we know and trust. A good man... someone close to us..."

"Who do you have in mind?" James asked.

"I don’t want to hand over my only granddaughter to some mysterious stranger. I just hope the man she’s with is someone who will protect and care for her," she added carefully. "Someone like you or... umm... someone like Justin would be right for her. No less than that."

"Then your wish is granted," James said.

"What do you mean?" Julia asked, her gaze sharp, trying to read her son’s expression.

"That CEO is none other than Justin," James said directly, only to hear his mother exclaim in another wave of shock, "What?!"

He hummed and casually resumed his work. "Justin is not my biological son. So it’s fine if he marries Natalie. I hope you don’t have any objections. Even if you do, you know Justin well—he does what he wants."

Julia slowly came out of her shock. "Why would I mind? In fact, I already knew they were together. I was just worried you wouldn’t approve. But it seems like I was overthinking."

James looked at his mother, shaking his head in disbelief. Here he was, worrying that she wouldn’t approve, but she looked more excited than anyone.

"James, after we bring Natalie home, she will officially be your daughter—a Harper. Since she’s already married to him, what about Justin?" Julia asked.

"It’s up to him to decide what he wants to do," James replied calmly.

"He would have to revoke the adoption," Julia said in an awkward tone. "They both can’t be Harpers; it would make them siblings."

Unbothered, James responded, "Justin never planned to be dependent on me or the Harper family. Let him do what he feels is right." After a brief pause, considering a few things, he added, "He’s probably going to fully assume his identity as the CEO of "

"What about his identity as Justin Harper? The entire business world is still anticipating his appearance," she pointed out.

"We’ll handle that when the time comes," James assured her. "There’s no one in this world who can question what the Harper family does. And neither do I care what other says."

"As long as we all agree and everyone’s happy, the name one chooses doesn’t matter," Julia commented thoughtfully. "Once I meet him, I’ll ask about everything—his other identity and his marriage to Natalie."

James hummed once more while Julia stared at her son for longer than she should.

Sensing her gaze, James looked up. "Anything else?"

"You met Caryn, didn’t you?" she asked, a playful smile tugging at her lips.

James simply hummed in response.

Julia chuckled. "No wonder all of a sudden you’re acting like a human—a human with some emotions, and one who actually knows how to talk." She sighed in relief and added, "Only I know how tired I was of that rock of a son."

James didn’t comment on that. He was simply worried about his mother and showing his care in his own way.

"But I am upset that Justin didn’t tell me he was the CEO of that company," Julia said, her tone turning sad.

"He didn’t tell me either," James replied.

"Then how do you know?"

"He grew up in my care. If I didn’t know what he was doing, I would be a failure as his guardian."

Julia smiled softly. "He kept it hidden for so long but revealed it for Natalie’s sake. We can see how much he cares for her." She decided aloud, "I’m going to It’s been a while since I’ve seen Natalie. I’ll also visit Caryn."

Just as she finished speaking, James interrupted, "You can’t meet Caryn yet. Don’t go to her."

"Why?"

"Because I’m telling you not to," James said in a firm, resolute tone. "When the time is right, you’ll meet her anyway."

James knew Caryn’s temper had worsened, and he didn’t want Julia to see her in that state.

Julia could only agree. "Ask Lucas to book my tickets."

James hummed in acknowledgment.