Substitute Wife, Genius CEO novel Chapter 126

"Dad, can you really take me to beat him up together?"

"Of course I can."

The memory brought a faint smile to Summer's lips. She slowly lifted a finger, pointing directly at the security camera mounted in the corner of the private dining room. "Go ahead. Hit me. You can enjoy an all-expenses-paid trip to an Empire City jail cell. Free room and board."

"Don't think a camera is going to stop me!" Jared snarled, his fists cracking loudly at his sides.

"Oh, please do. I'd love to see how an ex-con manages to find a decent wife."

Summer then shifted her gaze to Jared's mother. "Don't worry, I'll make sure to personally advertise his criminal record throughout the entire village and the surrounding county."

"Summer!" Enraged, Jared raised his fist high, but before he could swing, his mother grabbed his arm, yanking him back.

Her face was a mask of thunder. "Are you trying to ruin your cousin's life? What kind of twisted heart do you have?"

"Twisted?" Summer fired back. "Who do you think paid for the new equipment at your farm? Who funded the bailout for my aunt's bankrupt factory? Jared's luxury car? Tiffany's face and her little acting gigs? I paid for all of it. You treated me like garbage when I was a child, and I repaid your cruelty with hard cash. So tell me, who has the twisted heart? Your lack of gratitude is one thing, but now you want to hit me? Let me ask you—what exactly are your intentions?"

"You're forbidding my divorce because you want to keep sinking your teeth into my marriage! You genuinely thought all that money came out of Xavier's pocket, didn't you? You really think you're important? Do you even know what you are? If you don't, go find a mirror. You're a bunch of leeches trying to feast on a swan, living in an absolute fantasy!"

"What do you mean, you paid?" Jared's mother shrieked. "That was all Xavier's money! Stop trying to claim credit for his wealth!"

Her aunt's face was equally twisted in a grotesque sneer. "Marrying a billionaire really gave you an ego, didn't it? Look at how sharp your tongue has gotten. You spout out insults like a professional. You ungrateful brat—if it weren't for the Vance family, you wouldn't be anywhere near where you are today!"

"Insults?" Summer laughed coldly. "Isn't that exactly how you were just speaking to me?"

"You heartless, cheap little tramp! How dare you speak to your elders like that?"

Julian arched an eyebrow, shooting Xavier a confused look. "Who the hell is this?"

Xavier's face remained impassive. Driven purely by his elite upbringing, he offered a curt nod. "Ma'am."

His tone was painfully distant, radiating the chilling authority of someone standing far above them. There was zero warmth.

Beulah definitely noticed the frostiness, but she maintained her obsequious, fawning smile. "We're all family here! There's no need for such formal titles. Just call me Grandma."

Julian's eyes went wide. "Grandma?!"

"Oh, yes!" Beulah eagerly leaned into her act, playing the sweet, harmless elder to perfection. "You're both such good boys! Don't just stand in the doorway, come in and sit down!"