From His Fake Wife to Billionaire Heiress Chapter 119: No Big Deal

He emphasized the words "invited guest," making no effort to hide that he was basically telling her to leave.

Then he added, "Our hotel only serves real guests. So please take care of this yourself. Don't linger here and leave a bad impression on our guests."

The onlookers who had been watching the scene immediately turned to throw mocking, contemptuous looks at Riley.

"I knew it. I saw her standing there alone for ages. Turns out she was trying to sneak in."

"Dressed all fancy, but no invitation. How embarrassing."

"Girls these days will do anything to marry into wealth. Too bad about that dress—she ruined it."

"Talk about bad luck. Didn't even make it inside, and her outfit's already trashed. All that effort for nothing."

Riley stood at the center of everyone's attention. In that moment, she finally understood Sophia's scheme.

If she couldn't get in, Sophia would have Lucas all to herself for the entire banquet—mingling, making connections, getting her face out there.

And if she did manage to get in, wearing a dress stained with red wine, she'd be the laughingstock of the whole event. Not only would she embarrass herself—she'd embarrass Lucas, too.

Either way, she lost.

Who knew she'd be so desperate to cause trouble, even at a banquet?

Riley's face went completely cold.

She didn't look at the people pointing at her. She didn't bother arguing with the security guard either.

Riley looked up, her voice calm. "Thank you. I can handle it myself."

Then she turned and walked away from the entrance, her back straight.

Her composure and calm—such a stark contrast to how disheveled she looked—made some of the whispers die down on their own.

She found a quiet corner away from the crowd. The night wind blew, bringing a chill.

Riley took out her phone from her clutch and called Vincent.

"Ms. Harper?" Vincent's steady voice came through.

Riley gave a short, firm order. "Vincent, come to Birmingham Manor right now. Bring the Quinn family's invitation."

"Yes. I'll be there soon." Vincent didn't ask any questions. He just did it efficiently.

After hanging up, Riley looked down at her ruined fishtail dress and frowned.

An invitation alone wasn't enough. She couldn't go in looking like this.

She was about to text Vincent again—to ask him to bring a spare dress.

Then, soft but impossible to ignore, headlights cut through the darkness and stopped right in front of her.

A black extended Bentley slid silently to a halt before her—pure luxury and quiet refinement, with an almost suffocating aura.

Riley squinted instinctively.

Then, the dark-tinted rear window rolled down slowly—halfway.

Inside, dim light outlined Sebastian's strikingly handsome profile—his sharp nose, firm jawline, and deep eyes that felt bottomless even in the night.

He turned his head, his gaze landing on her. It traveled slowly from her wine-stained fishtail dress all the way up to her cool, defiant face.

Then he offered a faint, knowing smile.

"Looks like I showed up just in time again," he said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Don't you think so, my dear fiancée?"

Then the rear door opened. Sebastian's tall, commanding figure stepped out.

Without a word, he walked around the front of the car and opened the other rear door for her himself. He bent his arm slightly—an elegant, gentlemanly invitation.

His movements were unhurried, as if they weren't standing outside a hotel in the freezing wind.

His natural grace and sense of control were completely different from Lucas' habit of barking orders—quiet, but carrying an invisible weight.

Riley bent down and got in.

The warmth inside the car wrapped around her nearly frozen body.

Her pale face, chilled by the cold, slowly regained a hint of color under the heat.

Her tense nerves finally eased.

Sebastian got back in and sat beside her, keeping just the right amount of space between them.

He took a bottle of already-chilled champagne from the car's ice bucket and poured her a small glass.

"Drink this. Warm you up." He handed her the glass.

Riley took it. The cool glass against her warm fingertips made a strange contrast.

"How did you end up like this?" Sebastian looked at the ugly wine stain on her fishtail dress, frowning slightly.

Riley took a small sip.

"Nothing," she said, her voice cold and sharp, her eyes glittering with undisguised sharpness. "Just got set up. No big deal."

She didn't mention Lucas and didn't even bother saying Sophia's name.