Substitute Wife, Genius CEO novel Chapter 404

Summer nodded.

Xander scrutinized Leo's face with intense focus. "He looks a bit like me."

Everyone in the room: "..."

Summer let out a soft laugh. "Leo is Xavier's son. You're his uncle, so it makes perfect sense that you'd share a resemblance."

Hearing this, Xander's eyes widened in genuine shock. Just moments ago, he had heard Xavier explicitly declare that Lilith was his wife.

Naturally, he assumed Xavier had married Lilith.

So where the hell did Summer's son come from?

He looked at Xavier, but Xavier was completely at a loss for words, looking like he wanted the floor to swallow him whole.

Xander then shifted his piercing gaze to Zelda. His look was incredibly resolute, making it perfectly clear he wasn't going to drop this until he got an explanation.

Zelda was absolutely losing her mind with stress, her only desire right now being to tear Lilith apart with her bare hands. But facing Xander, she forced herself to explain as gently as possible.

"Summer and your brother are legally divorced. Leo is indeed your brother's son."

A fleeting flash of profound regret and loss crossed Xander's eyes.

For a split second, he had desperately hoped that he had been mistaken all those years ago—that the woman in his bed that fateful night had actually been Summer, not Lily.

He had desperately hoped that the little boy sitting in the wheelchair was actually his own son.

But Zelda had confirmed it. The boy named Leo was undeniably his younger brother's child. There was absolutely zero possibility he belonged to him.

What was he even fantasizing about?

Xander offered a bitter, self-deprecating smile, shoving his chaotic emotions back down. He looked at Summer and asked, "Are you leaving right now? It looks like a massive storm is about to hit."

Through the massive windows of the medical wing, the sky had turned a bruising, apocalyptic gray. Thunder rolled like a stampede of wild horses, and in an instant, a torrential downpour violently lashed against the glass.

The entire estate was suddenly swallowed by a thick, suffocating wall of gray rain.

"I know you and Xavier are divorced," Xander continued smoothly, "but Leo is still a child of the Sterling bloodline. For his safety, you should wait out the storm here before heading home."

Summer had zero intention of getting dragged into the Sterling family's explosive crossfire, but the rain outside was genuinely biblical. Even with her windshield wipers at max speed, visibility on the highway would be practically zero.

Grateful for the out, Summer nodded. "Thank you."

The rest of the Sterling family completely dropped the topic of erasing Leo from the family ledger. Right now, dealing with Lilith was the only thing that mattered.

Because Xander had literally just woken from a seven-year coma, his stamina was nonexistent. Within minutes, exhaustion clearly washed over him, and the doctors immediately intervened, insisting he needed absolute rest.

Terrified of jeopardizing his fragile recovery, the Sterling family naturally refused to start a screaming match inside his quarters.

Instead, the family dragged Lilith back to the main estate's living room.

Summer and Leo temporarily sought refuge in the lounge of Xander's private wing. A maid quickly brought out an elegant spread of artisan pastries and hot tea.

Summer politely thanked her.

"Mr. Xander specifically requested it," the maid replied softly.

When Summer had originally joined the Sterling family, Xander was already trapped in his coma. Today was literally the first time she had ever spoken to him.

He seemed like a genuinely decent guy.

Just then, the doors opened, and Xander emerged, seated in a sleek wheelchair being pushed by a private nurse.

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