Substitute Wife, Genius CEO novel Chapter 43

Xavier's eyes were pitch-black and frosty. He stared impassively at Summer, his long fingers lightly tapping against the table.

His demeanor seemed to tacitly endorse Lily's words, waiting for Summer to speak up.

Or perhaps he was waiting to see if she would lose her mind and spew wild accusations, hurting his precious darling.

But Summer had enough self-awareness not to be foolish enough to clash head-on with him.

After all, you couldn't smash a rock with an egg.

If she dared to slap their marriage certificate on the table or say anything detrimental to Lily right now, Xavier wouldn't let her off the hook.

She knew this man's ruthless methods all too well.

No businessman was a saint.

Even though they were married and had a son together, he would turn on her in a heartbeat without an ounce of mercy.

When there was no one else around, she could run her mouth and hurl insults. Besides, earlier, Xavier had actually been trying to humor her.

Naturally, she couldn't waste such a golden opportunity. She hit him, cursed him, acted totally unhinged—venting her frustration however she could.

But things were different now. Xavier was clearly done trying to pacify her and had changed his tactics.

So she needed a new strategy of her own: endure.

Fortunately, she had grown up accustomed to enduring.

Back in the orphanage, the older kids used to bully her, steal her food, and leave her starving so badly she couldn't sleep at night. She had endured it.

Later, on her way home from school, she caught a few non-venomous snakes. Waiting until the dead of night when everyone was asleep, she woke the ringleader up and terrified her with them.

She threw all the snakes right under the girl's covers, scaring her half to death.

Their orphanage was in a remote area with terrible conditions and zero security cameras.

Since it was the middle of the night and everyone was asleep, there were no witnesses.

So even when the bully pointed the finger at Summer, it was useless.

Because Summer was as skinny as a bean sprout, generally very well-behaved, and had excellent grades. She never caused trouble or initiated fights with the other children.

The orphanage director concluded the older girl was lying to shift the blame, and ended up giving the bully a harsh scolding instead.

From that day on, the older kid never dared to bully Summer again.

So Summer was never afraid to bide her time.

Enduring meant lying in wait, preparing for the perfect moment to strike.

Summer flashed a brilliant smile. "Director Sutton, congratulations. When do we start the handover?"

If she had known Xavier was going to fire her, she should have just waited. Why did she have to be so proactive and efficient?

She could have scored a massive termination payout.

She had worked for Sterling Group for nearly seven years. Given her monthly salary, being suddenly let go meant she was entitled to a massive severance package based on her years of service.

She practically threw away a year's worth of earnings!

That would have equated to an extra year's salary, and she made millions of dollars a year!!!!

Now, she could only collect the standard non-compete compensation.

Watching a massive fortune fly out the window, how could her heart not bleed?

Summer furrowed her brows. Her heartache was entirely genuine, but to those who didn't know the truth, it looked like something else entirely.

Especially to Lily.

Lily's eyebrows shot up, her mood soaring. She practically glowed with triumph.

Naturally, she looked down on Summer even more, convinced that her earlier calmness, the congratulations, and the talk of handovers had all been a desperate act.

But even if Summer regretted it now and wanted to stay, it was too late. Xavier wouldn't forgive her so easily.