Substitute Wife, Genius CEO novel Chapter 349

After leaving the cemetery, Summer and Miles headed straight back to the Sutton family mansion.

Lydia seized the opportunity to aggressively pressure Summer into moving back in.

This actually played perfectly into Summer's hands. To catch a predator, you had to step into their den. She fully intended to make the Sutton family choke on their own toxic karma.

The newly renovated bedroom was massive, complete with a walk-in closet, a private study, and a cozy lounge area.

The closet was absolutely stuffed with the season's latest designer collections, perfectly paired with luxury bags and high-end jewelry.

On the surface, at least, Lydia was playing the perfect, loving matriarch.

After Summer offered a polite thanks, Lydia headed downstairs to oversee the New Year's Eve dinner preparations.

Summer stayed behind to unpack her luggage. Miles immediately locked the bedroom door behind them. "Summer, let me help you with your clothes."

As he spoke, Miles aggressively shook out his heavy coat, deliberately creating a loud rustling noise to mask their movements.

"Thanks, Miles," Summer replied, simultaneously pulling a highly advanced bug detector from her suitcase.

It was military-grade tech she had specifically requested from Harrison Banks—equipment entirely impossible to find on the civilian market.

Following the flashing red light, she meticulously swept the room, uncovering several hidden listening devices planted under the desk, beneath her mattress, and deep within the sofa cushions.

Miles' face darkened into a stormy, murderous scowl, though he kept his hands moving, maintaining the chaotic background noise.

Summer thoroughly scanned every remaining inch of the room. Thankfully, they had just enough decency to keep the bathroom bug-free.

Once the bugs were located, Summer packed away the detector and pulled out her own surveillance tech. Miles smoothly took them from her hands. "I'll handle this, Summer. Just sit down. Did you want a coffee, tea, or juice?"

Summer walked over to the water dispenser, making sure the splashing water was loud enough to be picked up. "Tea would be great, thanks."

While she provided the cover audio, Miles expertly planted her hidden cameras in the most strategic, untraceable blind spots across the room.

Once the setup was complete, Summer pulled out her phone to check the live feeds.

Perfect. The high-definition footage was crystal clear.

With the surveillance handled, Summer aggressively stripped the bed, replacing the sheets with the disposable, vacuum-sealed linens she had brought herself.

Next, she sliced off a tiny piece of the decorative aromatherapy candle, sealing it in a sterile sample bag with a custom label before ruthlessly tossing the remainder straight into the trash.

She then systematically collected tiny samples of everything consumable in the room—the bottled water, sodas, fresh fruit, and snacks. She planned to send them straight to a private lab for a full toxicology workup.

Leila had been practically sick with anxiety when she found out Summer was moving back in. Years ago, it was Lydia who had systematically poisoned Leila, slowly ravaging her nervous system with accumulating toxins.

The violent neurological damage, combined with the catastrophic shock of discovering the truth, was what ultimately triggered Leila's total emotional collapse, allowing them to falsely institutionalize her.

If Lydia planned to poison her, it would be a slow burn—either micro-dosing her meals or tainting the air she breathed.

Summer violently threw open the windows, letting the freezing winter wind sweep the lingering scent of the candle entirely out of the room.

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