Substitute Wife, Genius CEO novel Chapter 31

Xavier panicked. Ignoring everything else, he bent down, scooped Lily into his arms, and rushed out.

As he brushed past Summer, he didn't even glance at her. He even bumped into her while shoving the door open.

Summer's lower back was already injured. The impact sent her crashing to the floor, aggravating the wound. The pain was so sharp she didn't even dare to breathe too heavily.

Xavier, you absolute bastard!

Summer pounded her fists against the floor, cursing him fiercely in her mind.

The fire door in the stairwell swung open, then shut.

Xavier paused mid-step, caught off guard as he locked eyes with Leo.

Leo had insisted on finding Summer. He had overheard the argument from his hospital room and was worried about her.

Tessa couldn't talk him out of it. She also wanted to support his devotion to his mother—and let him see his deadbeat father's true colors while they were at it.

So, Tessa had found a wheelchair and brought him over, IV drip and all.

Seeing his father holding another woman with a look of panicked concern, while his own mother was nowhere to be found...

Leo's little face tightened. Radiating a freezing aura, he asked coldly, "Where is Mom? I thought I just heard her cry out."

Leo's icy glare felt like a knife plunging straight into Xavier's chest.

Xavier's heart skipped a beat. Only now did the echo of that pained gasp seem to register in his mind. He realized he might have knocked into Summer just a moment ago.

He wanted to turn back, to check on her.

"Xavier," Lily called out weakly, sensing his hesitation.

Her face grew a fraction paler. Tears pooled in her eyes as her long, pale fingers gripped the fabric over her stomach, looking as though she were enduring immense pain.

Panic seized Xavier once again. Pushing Summer and Leo to the back of his mind, he carried Lily away with hurried strides.

"Leo, Lily isn't feeling well. I need to get her to a doctor first."

Scumbags, both of them!

"My lower back. Just bumped it," Summer said, trying to keep her tone light.

Tessa left Leo in the care of a young nurse and took Summer for an X-ray. She only breathed a sigh of relief when the results confirmed there were no fractures or cracks in her lumbar vertebrae.

Summer's lower back was severely bruised and purple. The doctor advised cold compresses and strict bed rest for the first forty-eight hours.

Only after that could she use warm compresses to promote blood flow and reduce the bruising.

Meanwhile, Xavier stayed by Lily's side as she went through a battery of tests. The doctors couldn't find anything physically wrong, diagnosing it simply as shock and recommending plenty of rest.

Just then, Xavier received a call from The Sterling Estate.

Lily offered an understanding smile. "Go ahead, Xavier."

Xavier was hesitant to leave her. But at that exact moment, a man looking exhausted from travel pushed open the hospital room door.

It was Lily's older brother, Miles Sutton.

When Lily had gone abroad years ago, Miles had accompanied her. He was fiercely protective of his sister. Over the years, he had built a career in finance overseas, becoming a rising star on Wall Street.