Substitute Wife, Genius CEO novel Chapter 129

Seeing Yates, Julian's face twisted in pure revulsion. "What the hell are you doing here? Get the hell out!"

Yates's expression didn't shift in the slightest. "I saw Ms. Vance in here and thought I'd say hello. Is that a problem?"

Julian ground his teeth, his tone lethal. "Yes, it is! Do you have any idea who she is?"

In Julian's eyes, even if Xavier had discarded Summer, she was still lightyears out of reach for an illegitimate bastard like Yates.

Just looking at her was an insult to his brother!

"Who is she?" Yates asked innocently, shifting his gaze toward Summer.

With her radiant complexion, stunning curves, and the faint, striking redness around her eyes, she was the absolute picture of a fierce beauty.

He let out a low chuckle. "She looks like a beautiful woman who's being harassed."

Furious, Julian stepped forward. "You have a death wish, Yates. You really think you can hit on whoever you want?"

"Hit on her?" A cold amusement flickered in Yates's eyes. "I'm simply stating the facts. I suppose dirty minds see dirt everywhere."

Xavier finally shifted his gaze, staring at Yates with the hollow intensity of someone looking at a corpse.

"Yates."

Xavier's lips barely parted. His features were impassive, his voice a quiet drawl. But those who knew him understood the terrifying truth: the calmer and more controlled he appeared, the more ruthless his retaliation would be.

"Remember your place."

"Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Sterling," Yates replied with a polite smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I remember it perfectly. I could never forget."

Xavier stood up with meticulous elegance, casually adjusting his jacket. He didn't spare another glance as he called out to Julian. "Let's go."

Julian let out a loud scoff, jabbing a warning finger at Yates before following Xavier out of the room like an obedient hound.

With Xavier gone, the Vance family immediately shifted gears, looking to suck up to Yates instead.

Yates let out a derisive snort, his lips curling into a sneer of absolute contempt. "Don't you know what you are? You think you're fit to breathe the same air as me?"

Summer walked out of the hotel side by side with Yates.

With Yates present, Jared didn't dare make another move, and the rest of the family could only watch helplessly as they left.

Down in the underground parking garage, Yates broke the silence. "I apologize, Ms. Vance. I had my people switch the room plaques. You got caught in the crossfire, so I owe you a favor."

The moment Julian had stepped into the hotel, Yates's security had alerted him.

Knowing exactly why Julian was there, he had instructed his assistant to swap the signs on the two private rooms.

Even slipping cash to the nurses yielded nothing.

Xavier refused to see them, and they couldn't even get past the front doors of the Sterling Group.

The moment they loitered outside the corporate headquarters, security guards chased them off with threats of police involvement, terrified they would end up behind bars too, leaving no one to bail Jared out.

Now, their only option was to beg Summer for mercy.

Having a criminal record would completely destroy Jared's life. He would never find a decent job, his marriage prospects would vanish, and it would permanently ruin any chance of his future children pursuing military or government careers.

It was a death sentence for his future.

Inside the police station's mediation room.

"I can drop the charges against Jared. But on one condition."

Summer leaned back in her hard plastic chair, fixing Jared's parents with an icy stare.

She wasn't trying to completely ruin him.

Backing a rabid dog into a corner usually ended in a vicious bite.