Substitute Wife, Genius CEO novel Chapter 218

If she was going to enjoy the perks, she might as well start now!

Phoebe's eyes were full of contempt as she muttered under her breath, "What kind of Mrs. Sterling are you? You really think you're the master of this house."

Summer's gaze turned frosty. "Excuse me?"

"I didn't say anything," Phoebe offered a fake smile. "Mrs. Sterling, I really need to get back to dinner prep. If it's delayed, the Matriarch will be furious. And when she gets mad, you're the one who ends up getting punished. I'm just looking out for you. If you really want orange juice, you'll have to make it yourself. Self-reliance is a virtue."

"Heh..." Summer let out a cold, amused laugh.

Right on cue, Xavier walked in.

Phoebe immediately dropped what she was doing and rushed to brew a cup of tea, perfectly tailored to Xavier's exact preferences.

Summer smiled again as Xavier strode over, raising an eyebrow at her. "What are you smirking about?"

Summer slipped her documents back into her bag. "I asked Phoebe to make me some orange juice, and she told me she was too busy with dinner and to do it myself. She even gave me a heartfelt lecture about how self-reliance is a virtue."

She glanced down at Xavier's long, elegant hands. "I assumed you were missing a few limbs, considering she brewed your tea without you even having to ask."

Xavier's gaze swept over the table in front of Summer. No tea. No snacks. No fruit. Completely empty.

His dark, predatory eyes shifted, landing squarely on Phoebe.

He didn't have to say a word; simply standing there was enough to suffocate the room with his presence.

Carrying the tea, Phoebe's face flushed a deep crimson, and she practically folded herself in half. "Mrs. Sterling, I will make your orange juice right this second."

"Don't bother. I've lost my appetite for it," Summer said, snatching the teacup right out of Xavier's hand. She took a sip, immediately grimacing in disgust. "This is awful. What a waste of good tea leaves."

Phoebe's face burned even hotter from the humiliation, her lips pressed into a tight, trembling line.

Summer didn't even look at her. Instead, she turned to Xavier, her words sharp and merciless. "When is your mother going to send this staff to a proper hospitality course? Their skills are worse than mine. If you serve this garbage to guests, the entire Sterling family will be a laughingstock."

"Who's making the Sterling family a laughingstock?"

Nothing mattered more to Carlson Sterling than the family's reputation. He descended the stairs, followed closely by Arthur and Zelda.

Besides, whenever he was around, Zelda always restrained herself. Even when she punished Summer, it was just making her go to the courtyard, and she always made sure cushions were sent out, letting Summer back inside after a short while.

But he hadn't known what happened when he went on business trips. Zelda would summon Summer back to the estate, treating her like a maid, and dumping every single chore on her while the rest of the staff was given the day off.

She was forced to clean the massive mansion entirely by herself.

Scrubbing floors, doing laundry, cooking, cleaning up after the pets...

Growing up in the countryside, physical labor wasn't a problem for Summer. She worked quickly and efficiently, keeping everything spotless.

Yet Zelda would constantly pick her apart in front of the staff, yelling the most vicious, degrading insults imaginable.

And it hadn't stopped at just yelling. She would strike Summer with a cane and force her to stand outside in the freezing rain as punishment.

Summer had been made to stand stubbornly in the pouring rain for hours, deprived of food, water, and even bathroom breaks, regardless of whether it was a torrential downpour or a blistering heatwave.

He had been completely oblivious to all of this until Summer threw it in his face recently, which prompted him to privately interrogate the estate manager.