Substitute Wife, Genius CEO novel Chapter 42

A flash of toxic resentment crossed Lily's heart. She looked up at Xavier. "Xavier, I was just hoping to ease the tension between you two. After all, you still share a..."

Xavier cut her off, his voice gentle. "Lily, she isn't worth your effort. She doesn't deserve it."

Suppressing the surge of sweet delight in her chest, Lily nodded. "Okay. I understand, Xavier."

Soon, the entire company was buzzing with the news that their handsome, aristocratic CEO had a new girlfriend.

"I heard the boss's girlfriend is Miles Sutton's sister from Sutton Heights Capital. She's a genuine heiress in the finance world."

"No wonder she's so stunning and classy. When she smiles, it's like an angel descending from heaven. And she speaks so softly and politely—no snobby rich-girl attitude at all. Standing next to Mr. Sterling, one in black and one in white, they look absolutely perfect together!"

"Hey, how do you guys even know she's his girlfriend?"

"Think about who Mr. Sterling is. He always keeps his distance and stays at least three feet away from female employees. He's the poster boy for male propriety. But not only did Ms. Sutton ride in his passenger seat, he even carried her purse for her! When she stepped out of the elevator and accidentally twisted her ankle, the worry in his eyes practically overflowed. She's definitely his girlfriend!"

"If she's not his girlfriend, she's his wife. No doubt about it."

In the office, a few female employees at adjacent desks gossiped while they worked.

Summer overheard them as she walked past, yet she didn't feel a trace of sadness.

It was as if her love for Xavier belonged to another lifetime. Her heart was a sea of absolute calm.

Grabbing her laptop, she headed to the conference room for an impromptu senior management meeting.

By the time she arrived, the other executives were already discussing Lily.

Summer sat down calmly, listening in silence.

A moment later, the conference room doors swung open again. Xavier strode in, with Lily trailing closely behind him.

This was an internal meeting. What was Lily doing here?

Xavier's assistant, Paige Brooks, personally carried over a chair, placing it right next to his seat, and invited Lily to sit down.

Low murmurs rippled through the room.

"Why is Ms. Sutton here?"

"Yeah, even if she's the boss's girlfriend, this is an internal meeting."

After all, Summer was a powerhouse who had helped build Mr. Sterling's empire from the ground up. She had worked tirelessly for years, delivered outstanding results, and had a great personality to boot.

Getting ousted so abruptly was truly a shame.

Summer, however, suddenly smiled. She had actually been worried that abruptly processing her resignation would trigger Xavier's suspicion and put him on guard.

Furthermore, executive changes in a publicly traded company required an official announcement.

By law, it had to be disclosed within two business days of the resignation date. Today was the deadline. The company had to release the notice; failing to do so meant facing penalties.

So, there was no way to hide her departure from him, nor could she hide the fact that she had tricked him into signing her resignation letter.

If he came looking for answers, she would have had to invent another lie to string him along.

Well, this worked out perfectly. She could safely and boldly hand over her duties and walk away.

Seeing her smile, the others assumed she had snapped from the anger.

Lily looked at Summer with a sweet smile. "Director Vance, are you alright? If you can't bear to leave, you can talk to Mr. Sterling. He might consider keeping you on as the Deputy Manager of R&D. You are an industry veteran, after all. He wouldn't completely disregard your past contributions."