Mr. CEO's Substitute Bride

As soon as they mentioned the younger uncle, that sentence rang in her ears all on its own:

This kiss is enough for Joseph to savor for a lifetime...

Violet Zimmerman used a smile to cover up her guilt, her gaze a bit evasive. "How would I know?"

"Sister-in-law, we’re all family, why are you being so formal! We’re just chatting anyway, and Second Brother isn’t here."

Without meaning to, the gentle face of her younger uncle Joseph Lancaster surfaced in her mind—smiling at her, sitting on the small bench at the foot of the bed, patiently and tenderly coaxing the baby...

Scene after scene felt carved into her heart, and Violet’s lips couldn’t help but curve up.

"Joseph’s temperament suits a woman with a mild temper. That rough, careless type just isn’t right..."

Behind them, Joseph’s own lips also lifted without him realizing.

He’d never fantasized about women before; only after that intimate contact with his eldest sister-in-law did he understand that the kind of woman he liked was exactly her type.

Mild in temperament, pretty in looks—not some fragile, sickly delicate thing, but someone a man would feel the urge to protect the moment he saw her.

"Exactly, my second brother’s so educated, there’s no way he’d pick that ugly freak!" Aurora Lancaster snorted disdainfully.

Violet Zimmerman...

The yearning and sweetness on her face froze. She stared blankly at her scornful little sister-in-law, suddenly realizing she’d been indirectly belittling her own cousin.

Violet slipped her arm out of Aurora’s hold, clearly uncomfortable. "Aurora, you go ahead. Robert’s probably hungry— I need to go back and feed him."

Aurora stayed where she was, watching Violet’s anxious back as she hurried off, muttering unhappily, "I really don’t know what the Zimmerman Family is thinking, trying to marry this brainless relative to my second brother. Total pipe dream!"

Behind her, Joseph also stopped in his tracks, watching from a distance as Violet jogged back. He let out a long sigh, and as he withdrew his gaze, his left hand unconsciously touched the pocket of his slacks. In there was the full-month gift he’d carefully prepared for the child.

He’d already decided not to bother them, but when he passed by his brother and sister-in-law’s place, Joseph still walked in.

"Second Young Master, how come you haven’t been over in ages!" The servant greeted him warmly.

Ever since Violet married in, the Lancaster Family’s second young master had practically come running here every day. This was the first time he’d gone more than ten days without coming.

Joseph’s lips bent slightly. "The company’s been busy lately, no time."

"Second Young Master, you don’t need to work that hard. We have the Family Head—even if you did nothing, he’d still manage the business just fine." The servant grabbed the slippers for him and spoke kindly out of turn.

Joseph changed into the slippers and asked, "Where’s Sister-in-law, upstairs?"

"Mm, Madam just came back from breakfast."

"I’ll go take a look." Joseph headed straight for the stairs.

"Hey, Second Young Master..." The servant stretched out a hand toward Joseph’s back, wanting to remind him that at this time Violet was probably breastfeeding. But Joseph had already turned into the hallway.

"Ay, Second Young Master’s temperament is still like a kid who hasn’t grown up!" The servant shook his head helplessly and turned to get on with his work.

It was her own home, her own room, so Violet had no misgivings. Her cardigan was fully open as she held the baby and nursed him.

Joseph gave the door a token knock and walked in. At the sound of the door opening, Violet instinctively looked up. Seeing the man in the doorway, she was so stunned she forgot to react.

Joseph also froze at the door. In his line of sight, the woman’s cardigan was gaping open, a soft white fullness facing him, one side latched onto by the little one.

𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

By reflex, Joseph swallowed, his sexy Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. For a long moment, he couldn’t look away.

Violet followed her younger uncle’s gaze downward, and only when she glanced down did she realize what he was staring at!

Her face burned as she yanked the cardigan closed, her ears reddening. "How can you be like this, coming in without knocking!"

Joseph closed the door behind him and came farther in, the corners of his lips lifting in a subconscious curve. "What’s there to be shy about? You’re a mom now."

It was the kind of thing a husband should say to his wife, yet Joseph said it with total ease.

Violet’s sweater was a front-opening style, and the shirt underneath was the same. Daxton had deliberately chosen this design to make it easier for her to nurse.

The more anxious she got, the less her fingers cooperated. One hand supported the baby’s head while the other fumbled with the buttons; she struggled for ages without managing to fasten even one.

Joseph came over and sat down beside her. For no reason she could name, Violet’s heart was pounding like crazy.

Just last night, because of him, Daxton had treated her that way. Deep down, she was terrified of Joseph coming closer.

"What are you panicking for? It’s not like I’m going to do anything to you." Joseph frowned and sighed. His slender fingers fell on Violet’s cardigan, unhurried and steady. Very quickly, he fastened the first button, then the second...

"Joseph," Violet suddenly spoke.

"Mm." Joseph kept helping her with the third button, his voice indifferent. Once he finished fastening it, he withdrew his hand. The lower part of the cardigan remained open, convenient for her to nurse.

His other hand rested naturally on Violet’s shoulder, while the one that had been doing the buttons moved to Robert’s little face, gently stroking the baby’s cheek, his brows and eyes filled with tenderness.

"Haven’t seen him for a few days, he’s grown a lot."

Violet turned her head slightly, bit her lip, and forced herself to say, "From now on... we should try not to see each other so much. Daxton won’t be happy."

Joseph’s hand froze on the baby’s cheek, and the one on Violet’s shoulder tightened along with it.

He hadn’t seen his eldest sister-in-law at all since that night. While she was in confinement, she’d been eating all her meals in her own room.

That night... he’d been worrying ever since, not knowing exactly where that slap from his brother had landed.

Deep down he knew that crisp sound had been the sound of a slap, he just refused to accept it.

A woman as soft and delicate as his sister-in-law, with such tender skin—his brother could really bring himself to hit her!

If she were his woman, he’d barely have enough time to cherish and pamper her, how could he ever bear to beat or scold her?

Forcing down the ache in his chest, Joseph went back to gently stroking the little guy’s face, and forced a faint smile as he pretended not to know anything. "Why, what did Big Brother say?"

"Nothing," Violet lied, not wanting the brothers to grow estranged because of her, so she took all the blame on herself. "This is just how I think it should be."

"Sister-in-law, we’re family. It’s impossible for us not to interact." Joseph stated the fact lightly, then sighed. "Robert’s so adorable—how could I not miss him?"

His own son, his own woman—even seeing them every day wouldn’t feel like enough.

Joseph pulled his hand back and slid it into his left pocket, taking out the toy he’d made himself for his son.

"Sister-in-law, it’s Robert’s full-month celebration, and as his second uncle I don’t have much to give. Toys and new clothes, the house isn’t short on those. So I carved this when I had time. I just hope you won’t look down on it."