Substitute Wife, Genius CEO novel Chapter 397

Hearing Zelda demand a DNA test felt infinitely more humiliating to Lilith than the physical slaps.

It was a blatant, unapologetic degradation. She trembled with absolute rage, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

"Mom, this is incredibly insulting. If the Sterling family doesn't want to claim us, just say the word. There's no need to degrade me like this. I am perfectly capable of raising my children on my own. I wouldn't touch a single dime of the Sterling family's money."

Xavier felt a surge of both fury and protective ache. His voice dropped to a freezing register. "Mom! You are crossing the line! Landon and Logan do not need a DNA test. They are my sons!"

Elite families had always operated like this. Every new addition to the bloodline required a DNA test to ensure absolute purity.

Thanks to modern medicine, it was no longer like the dark ages where a child could be swapped at birth, leaving a family to pour their wealth and love into raising a stranger's heir.

Zelda glared at Lilith with utter disgust as the younger woman continued to weep. She snapped impatiently, "What are you crying for? That's all you ever do—cry, cry, cry. You look like you're mourning a corpse. You're a walking jinx. Any good fortune this family has is going to be washed away by your tears."

Fury simmered in Xavier's chest, his patience rapidly evaporating. He raised his voice in a heavy warning. "Mom!"

Zelda, profoundly displeased, fired back, "Don't you dare raise your voice at me!"

Xavier pinched the bridge of his nose, forcing his temper down. He softened his tone, trying his best to reason with her calmly.

"Mom, did you ever stop to think about Lilith's feelings before pulling a stunt like this? She carried these babies for ten grueling months and went through hell to bring them into the world. As her mother-in-law, fine, you didn't help her during her postpartum recovery. We have money, we can hire the best care nurses."

"But you absolutely should not have done this. How is this any different from publicly accusing her of sleeping around and being unfaithful?"

"If Grandma humiliated you like this, wouldn't you be heartbroken? Doing this is incredibly disrespectful! Besides, she's my woman. I know exactly what she's about."

Zelda scoffed dismissively. "Disrespectful? On the exact day Leo was born, I had a DNA test run on him. I didn't hear you complaining about 'disrespect' or me crossing a line back then!"

Xavier stared at her in genuine shock, completely unaware that such a thing had happened.

Seeing his clueless expression, Zelda let out a dramatic 'Oh', as if she had just remembered.

"When Summer was giving birth to Leo, you were halfway across the world in the US. She hemorrhaged severely and was rushed into the ICU. Did you not know about that either?"

Because Summer looked so much like Lily, the Sterling family despised her. Naturally, no one cared enough about her to inform Xavier that she had nearly bled to death on the delivery table.

When Leo was born, the entire family swarmed the baby. As for whether Summer lived or died, not a single person gave a damn.

When Summer finally woke up in the ICU, she didn't have a single family member by her side. It was profoundly pathetic.

Summer had to reach out to Tessa Thorne herself, and Tessa was the one who ultimately contacted Summer's parents.

Because of the delay, Maeve and Edward Vance didn't get the news until a full week later.

They had rushed over in such a panic that they didn't even pack their own bags. Instead, they had lugged massive bags stuffed full of homemade soups, fresh produce, organic vitamins, and comforting casseroles from the countryside.

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