Chapter 477: The Wait’s Over

James had been away ever since he helped Caryn handle the matters in Belvorn. With Natalie not allowed to work, and Justin no longer affiliated with the Harpers—busy managing his own company and his other mysterious affairs—James had to shoulder more responsibilities.

Though Justin occasionally stepped in to handle matters on Natalie’s behalf, being already familiar with the Harper business, James didn’t feel it was right to keep him tied up with work when he should be focusing on Natalie.

That evening, Caryn was sitting quietly as usual while the other women were engaged in lively conversation, surrounding Natalie.

Julia cleared her throat and said in a teasing tone, singling out the silent one, "Seems like someone is missing her husband."

"So quiet these days," Catherine added with a knowing smile toward Julia.

Caryn looked at the two older women—her mother and mother-in-law. She knew exactly what they were trying to do but chose to stay silent.

"That reminds me," Natalie chimed in, "When is Dad returning?"

"You should ask him yourself," Caryn replied calmly.

"I don’t want to disturb him at work," Natalie said, "But I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if Mom messaged him instead."

"Yes, he actually waits for Caryn’s call or message like a love-struck idiot," Julia added with a chuckle, glancing at Catherine. "That’s the kind of effect your daughter has on my son."

Catherine cleared her throat playfully, "Julia, your son also has quite an effect on my daughter. I often find her dazed these days, missing him like a devoted wife."

"True," Julia agreed. "I’ve noticed it too—but she won’t admit it."

"As long as she admits it to her husband, that’s enough," Catherine said. "That alone is enough to make him come home faster."

"Are you three done," Caryn said dryly, finally looking at the two older women and the younger one, "or is there still more you want to say?"

"What did we do?" Natalie asked hesitantly. "I just happened to say I missed my dad."

"Then go call him," Caryn replied, a little annoyed.

"Okay... and I’ll tell him Mom misses him too—"

"No need. Just mind your own business," Caryn said, her tone sharp.

"You didn’t deny that you miss him," Natalie mumbled under her breath—only to receive a sharp glare from Caryn.

"If you miss him that much, just tell him," Julia chimed in. "No point sulking around like this all the time, my dear."

Caryn clearly heard it, but chose to ignore them. She stood up. "I’m heading home," she said, then turned to her mother, "Mother, you can stay here a little longer if you want." With that, she walked toward the exit.

Julia looked at Natalie and whispered, "James didn’t call her, did he?"

Natalie shook her head. "Dad’s been overwhelmed with work."

"Still... even if he had no time to breathe, he’d always find a second to call her. It’s not like him to stay this quiet," Julia remarked. Then she raised her voice—loud enough for Caryn to hear, "I wonder if someone else has caught my son’s attention. Even now, women are always trying to get close to him."

"That’s entirely possible," Natalie added, playing along. "Dad’s still so handsome. I saw plenty of women trying to flirt with him at every event we attended."

"That’s the charm of my son," Julia said proudly, then called out again toward the hallway, "Caryn, did you hear that? Call him—before he comes back with some other woman!"

Caryn didn’t respond and quietly left the house.

The three women barely managed to suppress their laughter.

"What do you think she’ll do now?" Julia asked.

"Hmm," Natalie thought for a moment and said, "She’s going to check her cell phone. If she doesn’t see any call or message from Dad, there’s a good chance she might fume and make a call. If not, then... we should wish good luck to Dad."

On the way, inside the car, Caryn checked her cellphone. It had been more than twenty-four hours, and not a single message was there from James—nor had he informed her about his whereabouts or when he would be returning.

As she entered the home, the butler greeted her and was about to say something, but Caryn had already walked past him to go upstairs to her room.

The butler noticed she looked displeased, so he didn’t stop her. Lost in her own world, she entered the room, the frown lines on her forehead deepening.

"That scoundrel..."

"Who managed to anger my wife?" a familiar voice reached her.

She turned to look at the man who had just stepped out of the bathroom, draped in a towel around his waist, one hand busy drying his hair.

She was quite taken aback by the perfectly tempting view but then got back to her senses and lashed out. "If you’re not going to be consistent with your actions, you better not make me get used to it."

James raised a brow and asked, "You mean you don’t want to get used to seeing me this way?"

Caryn glared at him, but he said, "I thought you weren’t home, so I was just carefree and came out like this."

She frowned inwardly. "Is that even relevant in the context of what I said?"

James suppressed the light smirk appearing on his lips and walked closer to her. "Then what was the context? Does it mean you missed me?"

Caryn stepped back. "You wish."

He continued to step ahead. "I wish for a lot of things, but it comes down to your consent."

Caryn knew what he meant but acted nonchalant and asked, "Have you lost your cellphone?"

He replied, gazing at her beautifully aged face, "No."

"Then have you hurt your hand or brain to not be able to use it for what it’s meant for?" she asked coldly, keeping her distance from him.

James wanted to laugh, as he knew the reason for her frustration really well, but then asked, "Do you really want to know?" His gaze observed her face.

She sighed at his playfulness and looked away, only to have him lean down toward her, closing the distance between their faces. "My brain is always full of your thoughts—so much that it deprives it of proper function. And my hands were busy with something else..." his voice dropped lower, "Since I only think about you, my hands..."

She quickly covered his mouth with her hand, flustered. "You shameless..." She felt his lips curve into a smile under her palm.