Substitute Wife, Genius CEO novel Chapter 398

Xavier's gaze was infinitely gentle. "No regrets. If I had to do it all over again, I would still choose you. Stop overthinking this. Just focus on resting and getting your strength back. I've been starving for you for a year."

Lilith gave him a coy, playful shove. "You're so bad."

**

After a thorough investigation into the fire at the Sutton estate, the police officially ruled it an accident.

Lydia refused to believe it, but she didn't dare push the issue, terrified of dragging herself into a messy criminal web. Without an airtight plan, she wasn't going to strike blindly.

Yet the bitterness was choking her. She simply couldn't accept the reality that her face had been destroyed, turning her into a hideous monster.

A woman's beauty was her greatest weapon.

Even though she was over fifty, she had maintained a flawless, pampered lifestyle and exercised religiously. If she told people she was in her early thirties, most would easily believe her.

But the face she had always drawn so much pride from was now completely ruined.

Even with advanced reconstructive surgery, she would never regain her former glory.

How could Lydia not harbor a bone-deep hatred? How could she not completely mentally break down? How could she not go insane?

When she had first regained some mobility, she had smashed everything in her hospital room to pieces, screaming like a total lunatic.

While she wasn't having screaming fits every waking second anymore, and her mood had somewhat stabilized, there were still moments where she violently lost control.

Just like right now, after learning the police had deemed the fire an 'accident'!

Even though she had orchestrated the 'accident' herself, she refused to accept that outcome.

She knew, deep in her bones, that Summer was the one pulling the strings behind the scenes.

But the Sutton family was practically her empire. How the hell did Summer manage to pull something like this off?

The more she obsessed over it, the more suffocated by rage she felt. She hated Summer so viciously her teeth ground together; she wanted to tear the girl apart with her bare hands. Unable to contain it, she began smashing things again.

The hospital room echoed with the chaotic shattering of glass, turning into an absolute disaster zone.

Only when there was nothing left to break did her fury finally subside. Panting, she ordered her assistant to go fetch Beatrice.

Summer could never have pulled this off alone. Someone on the inside had to be helping her, and the most likely culprit was her most trusted confidante: Beatrice.

That treacherous old hag had bitten the hand that fed her. The moment she arrived, Lydia was going to make her suffer.

Lydia waited obsessively for Beatrice, but her assistant returned empty-handed.

Lydia's fragile control snapped yet again. Her ruined face contorted into a mask of pure wrath. Grabbing a water glass, she hurled it violently in the assistant's direction, screaming, "Where is she?!"

The assistant took a reflexive step back to avoid the impact, water splashing against his clothes. But considering the massive salary Lydia paid him—and factoring in the reality of her disfigurement—he knew volatile moods were part of the package.

His job was to act as her punching bag.

He just had to endure it. A little suffering now meant upgrading his lifestyle later. Endure a little more, and he'd be driving a luxury sports car.

The assistant quickly composed himself and answered, "Beatrice requested time off from Ms. Lilith, saying she needed to visit her newborn grandson back in her hometown. But on the drive back, her bus was hit by a mudslide and flipped over. Beatrice was killed on the spot."

Lydia lost her mind all over again, screaming hysterically. "A mudslide?! You think I believe a coincidence like that?! It has to be Summer, that little bitch! It was her!"

The assistant spoke with extreme caution. "Ms. Lydia, a mudslide is a natural disaster. I highly doubt Summer has the power to orchestrate something like that."

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