Substitute Wife, Genius CEO novel Chapter 368

After making sure Vivian was safely in her car, Miles stood staring in the direction she had driven off. Suddenly, he spoke. "She used to never be afraid of the dark. She never had claustrophobia."

If she wasn't afraid before but was terrified now, it meant she had endured severe trauma that left psychological scars.

Summer didn't need to spell it out. Miles already knew.

It had to be whatever happened to her in prison.

But he had explicitly pulled strings, paying people off to ensure she was well taken care of, making sure she wouldn't suffer or be bullied inside.

If Vivian truly had been tortured in prison...

Miles couldn't bear to finish the thought. He feared the truth would break him.

His eyes suddenly burned red, and his breathing grew ragged. Every breath felt like a knife twisting in his chest.

His voice was hoarse. "Summer, I'm going to find out exactly what happened."

Summer felt a pang of sorrow but asked bluntly, "Is there even a point? You were the one who sent her there. You knew what kind of place a prison is, yet you still put her behind bars. Did you honestly think she wouldn't suffer in a place like that?"

"But I paid them off!" Tears blurred his vision as he broke down. "I specifically paid the guards to look after her, to make sure no one laid a finger on her."

Summer suddenly thought of a dark possibility. Her gaze turned sharp as she asked, "Could they have misunderstood your instructions?"

"No," Miles said with absolute certainty. "I made it perfectly clear. I told them she was the love of my life, and that I was going to marry her the moment she got out."

Summer stared at him.

She genuinely didn't know what to make of him.

He was cold-blooded and ruthless, yet he consistently performed these twisted acts of devotion.

She couldn't comprehend his logic. He was the one who sent Xenia to prison. What gave him the right to assume she would still marry him?

But now wasn't the time to dwell on that. It was pointless and wouldn't change the past.

Summer was focused on something far more sinister.

"It was Lilith," Summer said, her voice turning cold and resolute. "She stole Xenia's patent. She was terrified the truth would come out one day, and the best way to ensure that didn't happen was to make sure Xenia never spoke again. Dying in prison would have been her ideal outcome."

"Even if she couldn't get her killed, she needed to terrorize Xenia so deeply that she would be too paralyzed by fear to ever mention the patent again."

Before Summer even finished speaking, a murderous aura erupted from Miles. He left immediately, booking a flight to the US to investigate the matter personally.

That evening, Summer made up a random excuse to avoid returning to the Sutton residence.

Given what had happened that afternoon, Summer was worried Vivian might be plagued by traumatic memories.

So she booked a table at a restaurant and invited Vivian and Tessa Thorne out for dinner.

After the meal, Tessa suggested grabbing drinks, reasoning that a good buzz and a long sleep would wipe away the stress of the day.

The VIP lounge.

The moment they stepped inside the exclusive club, they ran into Xavier Sterling.

He was trailed by a group of executives in tailored suits, clearly finishing up a business dinner.

Xavier was about to pretend he hadn't seen them, but he stopped dead when he spotted Leo in his wheelchair.

He murmured an excuse to the executives behind him. Once they were gone, he marched straight toward Summer, his expression dark. "You brought Leo to a place like this?"

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