Substitute Wife, Genius CEO novel Chapter 66

Noticing Lily's gaze, Summer offered a nonchalant glance before calmly looking away.

Her casual indifference infuriated Lily even more. Stop acting so high and mighty, you fake.

But Lily quickly rationalized the situation.

Silas and Xavier were sworn enemies who opposed each other at every turn. Whatever one had, the other wanted to steal.

Silas must not have seen Sterling Group's termination announcement; otherwise, he never would have offered Summer a job.

Once he realized Summer was nothing but Xavier's discarded trash, he would definitely retract the offer.

Feeling smug once again, Lily feigned innocence and asked, "Did you see Sterling Group's announcement, Mr. Sinclair? Is that why you invited her to your company?"

As Xavier's close friend, Julian naturally shared his hatred for Silas and couldn't stand seeing him act so arrogant.

Hearing Lily's comment, Julian smirked. "Well, this is certainly a surprise. I didn't realize Mr. Sinclair enjoyed picking up other people's trash."

With one sentence, he insulted both of them.

He called Summer a piece of discarded trash, and branded Silas a garbage collector.

Julian, that absolute idiot. Insulting her was one thing—after all, she had no powerful backing—but he actually had the audacity to insult Silas Sinclair?

Did he think he was Xavier?

Did he really think he had the leverage to challenge a man like Silas?

This was going to be fun to watch.

Summer clutched Silas's jacket tighter around herself, her eyes gleaming with anticipation, the grief over her smashed car momentarily forgotten.

Silas leisurely adjusted his glasses with long, elegant fingers. His deep, unfathomable gaze slowly shifted toward Julian, and he asked indifferently, "And you are?"

There was no way Silas didn't know who Julian was; he was doing it entirely on purpose. Flustered, Julian snapped back, "Getting a little forgetful in your old age, Mr. Sinclair?"

Silas remained perfectly polite, utterly unbothered. "My apologies. I only remember exceptional people. Defective products don't earn a name in my book."

In a single breath, he validated Summer's worth and brutally completely destroyed Julian.

Classic Silas Sinclair. He never lost a battle, whether in the boardroom or in a war of words.

Furious, Julian glared at Summer and spat, "Are you blind? What's so exceptional about Summer? If you want to talk about exceptional, Lily is the real deal."

Julian's words acted like a shot of adrenaline for Lily. Her smile grew radiant, and she practically glowed, ensuring every inch of her exuded undeniable charm.

"And who is Lily?" Silas asked.

This time, Summer managed to hold back her laughter, but she couldn't suppress the massive grin spreading across her face.

Lily ground her teeth together, shooting Summer a venomous glare.

Keep gloating. You'll be crying soon enough.

A second later, Xavier let out a cold scoff. "If Mr. Sinclair wants to treat Sterling Group's discarded rejects like diamonds, be my guest."

Silas turned his head toward Summer, his previously indifferent tone softening. "Don't let it get to you, Summer. Everyone runs into a few toxic bosses in their lifetime. After all, not every executive is as considerate and gentlemanly as I am."

Whether Silas was doing this to strike back at Julian or simply fulfilling his duty as Xavier's ultimate nemesis—ensuring his rival was miserable at all times—it didn't matter.

The truth remained that on this freezing autumn night, he had stood up for her and offered her genuine comfort.

That was an undeniable fact.

Deeply grateful, Summer offered a warm smile and nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Sinclair. You're absolutely right. I'll remember that."

Xavier stared at Summer, his eyes dark and stormy, radiating an aura colder than the autumn rain.

But wrapped in Silas's oversized jacket, which hung down past her thighs, Summer felt incredibly warm. She was completely insulated from the freezing hostility radiating off Xavier.