Mr. CEO's Substitute Bride

"Violet, why is that relative of yours back again?" Lorelei Howard asked with displeasure, her attitude no different from when she was downstairs.

"Mom, you’re here." Violet Zimmerman stood up from the bench at the end of the bed and walked towards the sofa.

"Please sit, Robert just fell asleep."

"I’m asking you, why is that reckless relative of yours back again?" Lorelei Howard stood in the room, her face visibly displeased.

Violet Zimmerman pressed her lips together, "Mom, Lucy is still young and doesn’t understand much. My third aunt will come to pick her up in a few days."

Lorelei Howard said seriously, "Violet, it’s not that I’m unkind, the Lancaster Family isn’t short of an extra bowl of rice. Keep an eye on your relative, and don’t let her cause trouble everywhere."

"Got it, Mom. Daxton and I have agreed that while Lucy is here, she’ll eat in her own room and won’t disturb the family’s guests."

Violet Zimmerman lowered her head, looking timid, not having the confidence to argue because her cousin was misbehaving.

"Hmm," Lorelei Howard responded lightly and walked towards the crib.

Although Robert Lancaster was only a month old, there were already some toys in the crib, placed next to the pillow, plastic fruits, a rattle, and a small wooden horse carved by Joseph Lancaster himself.

"Where did this toy come from?" Lorelei Howard picked up the small wooden horse and looked at it from all sides, appearing not very satisfied.

"Why is there yarn on it, Violet?"

Lorelei Howard turned to call Violet Zimmerman, "Don’t give such toys to the child in the future. What if Robert eats the yarn and chokes? Throw it away!"

Violet Zimmerman took the pink small wooden horse and walked towards the bathroom, standing in front of the trash can for a long time, hesitating, but couldn’t bear to throw it away, so she secretly put it in her pants pocket.

Downstairs, Lucy Zimmerman held an apple, leaning on the sofa watching TV. She took a fierce bite out of the apple as if it had offended her, angrily muttering, "Old hag, so tricky, just wait till I marry Joseph, see how you like being taken care of in your old age!"

After coaxing her grandson for a while, Lorelei Howard left. When Lucy Zimmerman saw her coming down the stairs, she turned her face away angrily and deliberately snorted.

Lorelei Howard glanced at her with displeasure but didn’t respond.

"Madam, are you heading back?" Zhang Jie approached and greeted respectfully.

"Hmm," Lorelei Howard replied with a cold face, "Xiao Zhang, Violet recently had a baby and needs nourishment, and you’ve given all the apples to an unrelated person. What will my daughter-in-law eat in the future?"

Zhang Jie glanced at Lucy Zimmerman discreetly and nodded with her head down, "Yes, Madam."

"Old hag!" Lucy Zimmerman cursed again after Lorelei Howard walked out.

Even Zhang Jie couldn’t bear to watch such uncouth behavior.

"Miss Cousin, please don’t cause trouble for the Madam. You are a guest, but the Madam has to live here for a lifetime!"

"How did I cause trouble for my sister?" Lucy Zimmerman asked unhappily, "Didn’t you hear that old hag using insinuations just now? I’m visiting my sister’s house, not hers. What business is it of hers!"

Faced with such unreasonable and clueless behavior, Zhang Jie didn’t bother to argue, shaking her head helplessly and went on with her tasks.

The entire day, Lucy Zimmerman was relatively quiet, at least she didn’t cause any trouble outside. However, just as it was nearing time to make dinner, Zhang Jie frantically ran upstairs.

"Madam, Madam, something terrible has happened..."

"Zhang Jie, what is it, why are you so flustered? Don’t wake up Robert!" Violet Zimmerman opened the door and came out.

"Madam, something terrible has happened, Miss Cousin she..." Zhang Jie was anxiously patting her thigh, the more anxious she got, the less fluent her speech became.

Violet Zimmerman looked impatient, "What happened to Lucy?"

"Miss Cousin, she... killed the rabbit you were raising!"

Violet Zimmerman...

After realizing what happened, she rushed downstairs. Those little rabbits had been raised for over half a year; she had grown attached to them. When her husband Daxton Lancaster suggested stewing one to nourish her during pregnancy, she had refused.

"Madam, be careful, don’t fall..." Zhang Jie followed behind her and ran down the stairs.

"Sister, why are you in such a panic?" Lucy Zimmerman walked in holding a rabbit, its skin already peeled off.

Violet Zimmerman instinctively covered her lips, holding onto the stair railing with one hand.

"Lucy! Who told you to touch my rabbits!"

"Oh come on, Sis, I thought something major happened; you are making a fuss over nothing!" Lucy Zimmerman said indifferently, swinging the rabbit in Violet’s face.

"Look how fat this rabbit is. I’ll make a braised dish for you all tonight."

Lucy Zimmerman swaggered into the kitchen with the rabbit, and Zhang Jie, who had come to Violet’s side, confessed, "Madam, don’t be angry. It’s all my fault. I thought Miss Cousin, like you, would just feed the rabbits, so I didn’t watch. Who knew that when I went out to dump the trash, she had already slaughtered the rabbit."

Violet Zimmerman furiously descended the stairs, grabbed the telephone, and dialed the home number.

This time, her sister-in-law, Ivy Armstrong, answered. Hearing that it was Violet calling back, she warmly asked, "Violet, what made you think of calling home? Is everything okay?"

"Sister-in-law, where’s Mom?"

"Mom and Dad went out, and they won’t be back until later."

"Sister-in-law, when Mom gets back, please tell her to hurry up and take Lucy back!" If she doesn’t, I’m going to lose my mind!

Ivy Armstrong paused for a moment, agreeing, "Oh, okay, I understand."

"Sister, go back to the room and watch the baby for now. I’ll show you all what I’ve got in the kitchen tonight!"

Lucy Zimmerman’s voice came from the kitchen, accompanied by the clatter of pots and pans.

Violet Zimmerman glanced toward the kitchen, exasperated, and turned to walk back up the stairs.

The dinner tonight was lavish, with six dishes, five stir-fries, and a big bowl of braised rabbit meat.

Joseph Lancaster was also invited over, sitting at the dining table alongside his brother and sister-in-law, watching Lucy Zimmerman bustling around diligently.

"Brother-in-law, you’re the eldest, this bowl is for you first."

Lucy Zimmerman placed a bowl of rice in front of Daxton Lancaster, and when she served the second bowl, she gave it to Joseph Lancaster, "Brother Joseph, here’s yours. You’ve been working hard at the company all day, eat more later."

Joseph Lancaster nodded perfunctorily and reached out to take it.

Lucy Zimmerman filled another bowl of rice and then sat down, "Sister, serve yourself; I don’t know how much you eat."

Violet Zimmerman...

Her already unpleasant expression grew even more so!

She picked up the empty bowl in front of her and stood up, only to be stopped by Daxton Lancaster, "You eat, I’ll go."

"No!" Violet Zimmerman shook off Daxton Lancaster’s hand, obviously agitated.

Across the table, Joseph Lancaster took his bowl of rice and said, "You guys eat first, I’ll go."

After speaking, he took the empty bowl from Violet Zimmerman’s hand, which she didn’t refuse.

When the bowl of rice was placed in front of him, Daxton Lancaster slightly tightened his phoenix eyes, not saying a word.

"Brother-in-law, Brother Joseph, start eating quickly, taste my cooking skills!"

Lucy Zimmerman held a bowl of rice in one hand and pointed with chopsticks in the other, completely unaware of how impolite her behavior was.

The two brothers glanced at her almost simultaneously, then both reached with their chopsticks towards the bowl of meat.

Both men put the meat from their chopsticks into Violet Zimmerman’s bowl of rice.

Joseph Lancaster stopped halfway, seeing his brother Daxton Lancaster paused, he withdrew his chopsticks.

Almost as the piece of meat was about to reach the mouth, Violet Zimmerman’s voice abruptly rang out, "Don’t eat, that’s Little Ash!"

Joseph Lancaster...

Placed the piece of meat about to be eaten back down, took a while to react, then tossed it into the nearby trash can with a crisp sound.

"Brother Joseph, why did you throw away the meat!" Lucy Zimmerman exclaimed in surprise.

When Joseph Lancaster turned back, his expression became unpleasant.

No wonder Sister-in-law wasn’t happy, someone had touched her little rabbit.

Daxton Lancaster also withdrew his chopsticks, took the piece of meat to look at it, and sent it to Violet Zimmerman, "Not eating?"

Violet Zimmerman turned her face aside sulkily, "My cutest Little Ash, I won’t eat."

Daxton Lancaster unapologetically ate the piece of rabbit meat himself.

"Brother-in-law, how does it taste?" Lucy Zimmerman leaned in slightly.

Joseph Lancaster said while chewing, "Hm, tastes good."

"Of course, look whose cooking it is!" Lucy Zimmerman said proudly, also picking a piece of meat for herself.

"Don’t eat!" Violet Zimmerman suddenly turned her head back, "Spit it out, don’t eat my Little Ash!"

You could see Joseph’s face turn cold, while Daxton Lancaster smirked while chewing, "Brother Joseph mentioned when he brought it back that when the rabbit grew up, it’s for you to take care of yourself. Here, taste a piece, it’s quite good."

Daxton Lancaster picked up another piece of meat to pass over, but the meat flew out before it reached Violet Zimmerman’s bowl, swatted away by her.

"I don’t want it!"

Daxton Lancaster...

His chopsticks stayed suspended in the air, the curve of his lips disappeared, and his phoenix eyes squinted.

Everyone could see that something seemed about to erupt. Only Violet Zimmerman, that fool, hadn’t noticed the tension, placing her chopsticks on the table, and looked at Violet Zimmerman with an unhappy sigh.

"Sister, why are you so finicky? Didn’t see you being like this before marrying in, you’ve only been with brother-in-law for a few good days, and you’re being picky already!

This you don’t eat, that you don’t eat. If you don’t eat, then don’t eat, why stop brother-in-law and Brother Joseph? We all know you and brother-in-law are a couple, but if not for that, people would think you and Brother Joseph were a family!"

After Lucy Zimmerman spoke, the three faces at the table grew even darker.

The relationship among the three was clear to them.

If they were normal in-laws, Lucy Zimmerman’s words would at most make her seem thoughtless. But because it’s not normal, her words made people suspicious.

Daxton Lancaster subconsciously looked at his brother Joseph, his phoenix eyes slightly narrowed.

Even fools could see their relationship; perhaps they were overdoing it.

Meanwhile, Joseph Lancaster coldly looked at Lucy Zimmerman, his facial lines drawn tight.

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Didn’t your parents teach you to be respectful when you’re a guest in someone else’s home!"

Lucy Zimmerman was taken aback, not understanding why Joseph Lancaster would reprimand her.

Blinking twice, she asked, "Brother Joseph, why are you upset when I talk about my sister? If someone’s going to be upset, shouldn’t it be brother-in-law? Look at you now, with a sour face, it’s quite scary."