Substitute Wife, Genius CEO novel Chapter 26

"Aunt Tessa," Leo murmured weakly, opening his arms and melting into her embrace, letting her lift him out of the car.

"Good boy," Tessa said, pressing a kiss to his feverish forehead.

Summer locked the car. "Let me carry him. You've been working all day and you're still on shift."

"I've got him," Tessa insisted, dodging Summer's hands. "I want to hold my godson."

The group hurried toward the emergency room, completely unprepared to run into Lily and Xavier in the hallway.

Xavier was holding a four- or five-year-old boy in his arms—around the same age as Leo.

For a split second, time seemed to stand still. No one spoke.

Leo's dull, feverish eyes suddenly lit up. "Dad!" he called out, his weak voice trembling with surprise.

But the moment he noticed the boy in Xavier's arms, Leo's little brow furrowed. "Dad, who is that? Why are you holding him? Dad, I want you to hold me. I..."

Before Leo could finish, the boy in Xavier's arms began to wail hysterically. "It hurts! It hurts so much!"

Xavier dragged his gaze away from Leo and looked down at the boy in his arms, his voice softening as he patiently coaxed him.

If a stranger had walked past, they would have assumed it was his own son.

Summer's eyes flashed with pure disgust.

"Dad," Leo whimpered, his body aching all over. He just wanted his dad to hold him and tell him everything would be okay. Hurt, he tried again, "I also..."

Xavier cut him off without hesitation, completely ignoring what Leo was trying to say.

His tone was rushed and anxious. "Leo, this little boy is sick. Let Dad get him to a doctor first. We'll talk later."

The light in Leo's eyes died.

He had wanted to say: Dad, I'm hurting too. I'm sick.

If it was the latter, this was about to get highly entertaining.

Tessa raised an eyebrow, her gaze dripping with sarcasm. "I'm not talking out of turn. It's a perfectly reasonable guess. After all, what kind of man abandons his own sick child in the middle of the night to play daddy for another woman and her kid?"

Xavier finally caught the subtext of Tessa's words and frowned. "What's wrong with Leo?"

Only now did it occur to him to ask. Too little, too late.

Nobody wanted his pity now.

Tessa sneered. "Keep your worthless concern to yourself. Our Leo doesn't need it. Go play house with your little bastard."

Leo stared weakly at Xavier, not saying another word, and quietly let Tessa carry him into the examination room.

Only then did Xavier seem to realize how terrible Leo looked—lethargic, completely drained of energy, and burning with a severe flush.