Substitute Wife, Genius CEO novel Chapter 339

Seconds later, he tapped play on the video.

After watching the footage, a cold clarity washed over him. He thought back to how stiff Lilith's body had felt when he carried her to the car.

When a person genuinely faints, they don't lock up like a board.

"Are you going to keep pretending you're unconscious?"

Lilith's eyelashes fluttered before she slowly opened her eyes. Looking completely pitiful, she began to whimper, "Xavier, I had no idea Summer was so vile... wearing a hidden camera like that! That's a total invasion of privacy!"

Xavier took a deep, shuddering breath. He desperately wanted to ask how the brilliant little girl from his childhood had grown into someone so staggeringly foolish.

She had been so clever back then, constantly brimming with bright, mischievous ideas.

His mind inevitably drifted back to Summer. In his heart, the little girl he remembered was supposed to grow up to be exactly like Summer.

Brilliant, calculating, ruthless, decisive, enduring, and lethal when crossed.

Thinking of Summer made a heavy, suffocating weight settle over his chest. He cracked the car window open, letting the freezing wind whip through his hair.

"Honey," Lilith murmured, her panic rising at his silence. She clung to his arm, laying on the charm. "Are you mad at me? I didn't mean to do it. Summer just pushed me over the edge."

"You know how it is... ever since I got pregnant, my pregnancy hormones are completely out of whack. The slightest thing sets me off, and when I get emotional, all my logic just goes out the window."

"Now that I'm calm, I hate myself for it. I feel so disgusted with my own behavior. It's like I've turned into a completely different person. Xavier, it's torturing me too."

Silent tears spilled down Lilith's face as she nervously twisted her fingers through her hair, putting on the perfect performance of a woman utterly tormented by her own actions.

Xavier glanced at her, and his heart immediately softened. He reasoned that her excuse made perfect sense—it had to be the hormones, because the Lilith he knew would never act this way.

He told himself to stop overthinking, and more importantly, to stop thinking about Summer.

He and Summer were divorced. The woman sitting next to him was his wife, the very girl he had sworn to marry and protect for the rest of his life.

She was carrying his children and needed his support more than ever. He had no right to feel impatient, disgusted, or suspicious of her.

Burying his complicated emotions, Xavier pulled Lilith into a gentle embrace. "Lilith, it's my fault. I should be much more patient with you."

"Don't blame yourself, Xavier. I'm the one who messed up and let you down."

"Don't worry about the video Summer has. I'll take care of it."

Back at the restaurant, Summer and Vivian had returned to their private room to brew a fresh pot of tea.

Just as the tea finished steeping, Xavier called.

Summer answered, and Xavier's icy voice came through the speaker. "Summer, how do we settle this privately?"

"Since Lilith made such a huge scene about me stealing all her projects, I feel like I'd be doing her spectacular acting a disservice if I didn't actually take them. Don't you agree, Mr. Sterling?"

"Change your terms, Summer. How much money do you want?"

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