From His Fake Wife to Billionaire Heiress Chapter 128: So Harsh?

Sebastian's brow lowered in clear displeasure.

He didn't return Aiden's greeting. His unreadable eyes just stared at him coldly. "Aiden, why didn't you knock?"

Aiden's smile flickered for a second. Then he spread his arms wide in an exaggerated shrug. "Knock? Come on, Sebastian. Don't forget—this is my place. I can go wherever I want. I don't need permission from anyone."

His eyes slid back to Riley.

"Besides," he added, drawing out his words with a nasty smirk, "you're reacting pretty hard. Getting all cold on me. What's the matter? You mad I interrupted something between you and Mrs. Ashford?"

He made a point of saying "Mrs. Ashford."

Clearly, Aiden had no idea about the upcoming marriage alliance between the Torres family and the Harper family. In his eyes, Riley was just Lucas' wife on paper.

And now here she was, sneaking around with Sebastian in a VIP room during a banquet.

That picture was enough to make anyone with half an imagination spin up all kinds of juicy, scandalous stories about the rich and powerful.

Riley's expression went ice cold. "Mr. Quinn, I respect that you're hosting this banquet. But that doesn't give you the right to accuse Mr. Torres and me of anything improper based on nothing but your imagination."

"I simply heard that Mr. Torres has great insight when it comes to investments," she went on, holding Aiden's gaze without flinching. Her tone was calm, unhurried. "So I came up here to ask for his advice—to see if there might be a chance for us to work together." She wrapped it all up neatly in business talk.

"Oh?" Aiden raised his eyebrows theatrically. "Look for a chance to work together?"

He clapped his hands once and smiled even more meaningfully, "Well, you two are quite a pair. One of you—your husband—was just downstairs, bending over backward to ask me to set up a meeting with Sebastian. And the other one—you—already beat him to it.

"Except... it looks like you were trying to keep it quiet. What's the matter, Mrs. Ashford? Trying to go around your husband and do your own thing?"

Riley pressed her lips together tightly for a second. Then she fired back, cool and collected. "Business is war, Mr. Quinn. All's fair. And besides, nothing's even close to being decided yet. Why would I announce it to the whole world?"

Aiden hadn't expected this seemingly delicate woman to be so quick with her tongue. She'd shut down his attack in just a couple of sentences.

He opened his mouth to say something else—to try and get the upper hand again—but before he could, Sebastian's tall frame stepped between him and Riley.

Those broad shoulders blocked Aiden's uncomfortable stare completely.

Riley blinked in surprise. She couldn't see Sebastian's face from behind him. But she could feel the cold, terrifying pressure rolling off him.

"Aiden." Sebastian turned his head slightly. The look in his eye was sharp, cutting across Aiden's frozen face. "I came to your banquet today out of respect for Aunt Regina. But that doesn't mean you get to act tough in front of me."

Those were words a superior used for someone beneath them.

Aiden's forced, cocky smile finally died on his lips.

What he hated most was exactly this—Sebastian always acting like he was above everyone else, like no one was good enough for him.

They were cousins. They shared the same blood. But ever since they were kids, Sebastian was the golden boy.

Everything came easily to him. School, taking over the family business—he was so good it made everyone else look like a joke.

And him? Aiden?

No matter how hard he tried to prove himself, next to Sebastian, he always looked like a clown jumping up and down, desperate for attention.

But Aiden had learned a thing or two over the years.

He didn't lose it just because Sebastian had humiliated him in front of Riley. Instead, he picked up on something interesting—Sebastian's uncharacteristic protectiveness toward her.

Aiden stepped back and put his smile back on. "Relax, Sebastian. Why so harsh? I just came up here to see if I could play matchmaker."

Riley knew right then she needed to leave. "I won't interrupt you two, then. Mr. Torres, I hope you'll give the project I mentioned some serious thought. I'll wait to hear from you."

She played her part well, as if she really had just come up here to ask Sebastian for a favor.

Sebastian gave her a nod and a simple reply. "Okay."

Riley then left.

After she was gone, the coldness radiating off Sebastian was almost unbearable. He shut down whatever Aiden had come to say.

"Just go," he said. "I'm not interested in the people you mentioned. I work with whoever has real ability. Not whoever has the right connections."

"So harsh?" Aiden sneered. "Or maybe... you'd rather work with Mrs. Ashford?

"From what I hear, though, that woman is no pushover.

"An orphan with no family background or connections. She managed to marry into the Ashford family—one of Havenbrook's most famous names. And she's done pretty well for herself at Ashford Group, too. Whether that's from talent or from playing games—hard to say. But..."