Mr. CEO's Substitute Bride

After Joseph Lancaster ran in, he didn’t go to the front of the dining table, but ran straight to Violet Zimmerman’s side and snatched away the teacup she was holding. The youth was dressed neatly in a black school uniform, which made his skin look even fairer.

Under everyone’s gaze, Joseph drained the cup of tea in one go, then put the empty cup onto the tray held by the servant standing behind Daxton Lancaster and his wife. Under the old master’s displeased stare, Joseph wiped his lips and said.

"I was dying of thirst—finally, I can stop feeling parched!"

Only after he finished speaking did the teenager seem to realize that his older brother and sister‑in‑law were kneeling.

Surprise flashed clearly in his phoenix‑shaped eyes. "Big brother, sister‑in‑law? Why are you kneeling? Did you do something wrong and get punished by Grandpa?"

Daemon Lancaster and his brothers all wore the expression of people watching a good show. The newlyweds offering tea to their elders had been messed up by this brash kid.

The Lancaster Family’s house rules were strict; this kind of disrespect toward elders was something the old master would never tolerate.

Bodhi Lancaster and his wife looked openly disapproving, glaring at their son in displeasure.

Eva Hayes also stopped pretending to be dizzy. One hand at her temple, she stared wide‑eyed at Joseph in astonishment.

Atlas Lancaster’s expression wasn’t exactly pleasant either. The tea his nephew’s wife was offering to his own wife had actually been snatched away by a junior. This not only violated the Lancaster Family’s rules, it was downright disrespectful to him as an elder.

Joseph acted as if he had no idea he’d done anything wrong. He reached a hand out toward the startled Violet. "Come on, get up, sister‑in‑law. You just married into the family—Even if you did something wrong, Grandpa wouldn’t blame you."

Still dazed, Violet was helped to her feet by her young brother‑in‑law Joseph. The teenager supported her over to the front of the dining table to sit down, still talking confidently.

"You’ve got big brother—he’s a man. Let him kneel for you."

The old master looked displeased as he watched his grandson settle his sister‑in‑law in a seat at the table. His face was ugly, but he didn’t step in to stop them.

Daxton Lancaster was no fool; no matter how muddleheaded his younger brother was, he couldn’t be so stupid as to not know what they were doing.

He also stood up, turned his head to look at his "impetuous" little brother, and said with a smile.

"You brat, are you still not sober from drinking?"

Joseph scratched his head in embarrassment. "Big brother, even if I am your own little brother, you can’t treat me like this. Yesterday was your and sister‑in‑law’s big day, but I’m the one who ended up drunk. Bro, when it’s my wedding, you’ve got to block the drinks for me too!"

"Deal."

Daxton walked to the front of the table and slapped his big hand down onto Joseph’s shoulder. "When you get married, big brother will drink in your place. But right now..."

"Right now what?" Joseph asked, pretending not to understand.

"Just now, what you drank was the tea your sister‑in‑law offered to Second Mom. Since you drank it, you can go and offer Second Mom a fresh cup yourself!"

Arthur Saunders...

Fiona Howard...

And everyone in the Lancaster Family all looked utterly baffled.

Big brother gets married, and the younger brother takes the place of the bride to offer tea—this kind of ridiculous breach of protocol was something they’d never even heard of before.

Although the old master’s expression had been displeased all along, when his eldest grandson Daxton said Joseph should offer tea in her stead, he quietly raised his brows, then reached out for the teacup beside him, lowered his gaze, gently peeled off the tea leaves floating on top, and took a sip.

Atlas Lancaster and his wife’s faces grew even darker when Daxton said his younger brother would offer the tea instead. Atlas was still holding it together, but Eva Hayes directly showed her displeasure with a sour face.

She braced her hands on her knees, gave a cold snort, and turned her face to the side.

"So big brother and sister‑in‑law were just offering tea?" Joseph said, suddenly enlightened. "No wonder. I was wondering why you two came running over to kneel in front of Grandpa first thing in the morning."

"Quit babbling and get moving!" Daxton gave his brother’s shoulder a push and sat down beside Violet.