Substitute Marriage With the Illegitimate Son novel Chapter 887

Of course, Vivian's main objective was to secure the Turner family shares. That was the reason Jeremy had sent her there. She'd been worrying about how to bring the topic up naturally, but now Catherine had conveniently done it for her by revealing their plan to give her the shares anyway.

"It puts me in a bit of an awkward position, mom," she said. "There's really no need for you to give me the shares." Vivian spoke as though her priority was the Turner family. "If you give me the shares rashly, it might upset the shareholders," she said. "After all, I'm not even a blood relative. You and father are still young, and the Turner Group can't develop without you. Shares play no part in my staying here, anyway."

Vivian's flat-out refusal of the shares made her appear sincere.

She still didn't understand why Catherine had brought up the shares to begin with, though. Perhaps it had been a test, and Vivian had been too shrewd to fall for it.

After hearing Vivian say her piece, Luke seemed to relax a little.

"That's a very reasonable attitude, Vivian," he said. Luke's praise had a touch of parental affection.

Luke had been wary of Vivian, but her refusal of the shares quelled his suspicions.

Vivian was keenly aware of Luke's feelings. It had been easy for her to deceive Catherine, but deceiving Luke was far less simple. As a businessman, Luke was highly discerning.

Catherine and Luke shared a look, silently understanding one another, and signifying the end of the conversation.

"Then we'll talk about that later." Catherine smiled warmly and continued to fill Vivian's plate.

Halfway through the meal, Catherine turned to Luke. "Where's the destination?" she asked.

"Let's go to Hokkaido," Luke replied. "Wouldn't you like to see the snow? It's the snow season now. Anyway, if you like that idea, I'll ask my assistant to book the flights today."

Vivian was surprised. "Are you going on a trip?" she asked.

Catherine nodded. "I floated the idea past Luke before he went to hospital. We've had too much on our plates over the past six months. We need to unwind. Now that the company's workload has been reduced, we finally have time." At the mention of the past, Catherine's face grew weary. "We'll leave the villa to you then," she said.