From His Fake Wife to Billionaire Heiress Chapter 113: That Might Fall Through

"Or are you just deliberately ignoring everything I say?" he added.

Sophia's face changed. She quickly denied it.

"No, Lucas, I wasn't... I just saw that Riley seemed upset and wanted to comfort her. I really didn't mean anything else..." She bit her lower lip, looking wronged, and glanced at Anthea for help.

Anthea saw Sophia getting scolded and about to cry. Her protective instincts kicked in immediately.

She forgot Lucas' warning from just a moment ago, straightened up, and snapped at him, "Why are you yelling at Sophia? She's just being kind, trying to care about Riley. And you blame her? If anyone started it, it was me. I just can't stand Riley's attitude—like the whole world owes her something. I couldn't help saying a few things. She's the one who doesn't know how to respect her elders. And you're blaming us?"

"Couldn't help it?" Lucas' temples throbbed.

What I really want to say is—if you really can't help it, I'll arrange to send you to Arvella for a while. Get you out of here so you stop messing things up at the worst possible moment.

But he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Just then, the front door pushed open.

Julian walked in, looking exhausted.

He took off his suit jacket, draped it over his arm, and tugged at his tie—loosening it after a long day. His whole demeanor felt heavy.

Anthea immediately stopped arguing with Lucas and went to greet him. "Honey, you're back? Why do you look so upset? Did something happen at the company?"

Julian let out a deep sigh and walked over to the couch, sitting down heavily.

"Forget it," he said, waving a hand in frustration. "I met with Terrence for dinner tonight.

"Things were going okay at first. Then—before our food even came—Terrence got a phone call.

"I was sitting right across from him. I watched his face go from polite to pale with anger. He hung up, didn't even take a sip of water, and just slammed the table."

The three people in the living room held their breath, listening intently.

Julian continued, "I asked him what happened. He said his company had approached the Harper Group about a partnership—and got turned down flat. They wouldn't even give him a chance to discuss it.

"Their response? The Harper Group has standards when it comes to business partners. And the Hull family doesn't measure up."

"Doesn't measure up?" Anthea gasped. "The Harper Group sure has a lot of nerve! The Hull family is well-respected in Havenbrook—"

"What do you know?" Julian cut her off impatiently. "We're talking about the Harper Group from Nexopolis!

"Terrence asked me straight up—does Riley have some kind of connection to the Harper Group? Is she quietly getting back at him?"

Lucas and Sophia both looked shocked.

Anthea didn't even think before denying it. "That's impossible!

"Riley's an orphan with no known parents. She grew up in a welfare house. How could she have any connection to a top-tier family like the Harper Group? Sure, she'd love to have that kind of connection. Too bad she wasn't born into that kind of luck. Terrence is overthinking it."

Sophia forced a pale smile and quickly agreed, "Yeah, Dad. Mom's right. Riley's last name is Harper, sure—but that's probably just a coincidence.

"When she went to Nexopolis and brought back that deal, it was because of the Ashford family's reputation in Havenbrook—and Lucas' talent. It probably had nothing to do with Riley personally. She was just... the messenger."

Hearing Anthea and Sophia, Julian's furrowed brow relaxed a bit.

He thought it over.

It makes sense. If Riley really is connected to the Harper Group, how could she have grown up in a welfare house?

That just doesn't add up.

Terrence is probably just angry and grasping at straws—coming up with ridiculous theories.

"Yeah... you both make good points," Julian said, nodding, accepting the explanation.

He turned to Lucas, his expression serious. "Still, whether Riley has any connection to the Harper Group or not, we can't afford to offend Terrence. Listen to me, Lucas. Tomorrow night at the Quinn family's banquet, the Harper Group will definitely send someone.

"When you see them, keep a low profile. Go say something nice on Terrence's behalf. Feel them out—see if there's any way to salvage this. Otherwise, the project he verbally agreed to sign with us this afternoon? That might fall through."

Sophia stood nearby, her heart sinking when she heard that.

This project was the first big deal she'd worked on with Lucas. She'd been counting on it to solidify her position at Ashford Group—to show the board what she was capable of.

And now, before the contract was even signed, it was about to fall apart for some weird reason.

A wave of resentment and bitterness rose inside her.

Somehow, no matter what happens, it always comes back to Riley.

Upstairs in her room, Riley heard every word of the conversation in the living room below.