From His Fake Wife to Billionaire Heiress Chapter 152: A Child's Future at Stake

What did that even make her?

Just some single mom hanging around, waiting for him to throw her a bone and give her a ring?

"Absolutely not!

"How could you even suggest something like that?"

Sophia cut him off before he could say another word, her chest rising and falling heavily. "When Jeremy grows up, how is he supposed to face everyone looking at him differently?

"Everyone would know he was born before his parents were married—a child who can't even openly claim his own father. Even if... even if you and I end up together someday and he becomes an Ashford, this shadow would follow him for life.

"What kind of future would he have? How could he ever hold his head high in the Ashford family?"

By the time she finished speaking, all the pain she'd been holding back came flooding out.

She couldn't keep up the sweet, understanding act any longer. Covering her face with her hands, she broke down in tears.

"Lucas, you're so selfish. You haven't thought about Jeremy's future at all. You only care about yourself and your inheritance."

Her crying was starting to grate on his nerves.

"Enough!" Lucas snapped. He grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a sharp shake. "Get a hold of yourself, Sophia! Is this really the time to fall apart?"

His grip was so tight it dug into her collarbone.

Sophia had no choice but to stifle her sobs. She looked up at him through blurry eyes, his face twisted with anger and impatience.

"You think I wanted any of this?" Lucas' voice was tense, thick with frustration. "Riley's already picking up that something's off. What she said today was a warning. And the media won't stop watching us. On top of all that, my grandfather's due back any day now. Do you have any idea what that means?"

He nearly growled the next words. "If anyone—Riley or some damn reporter—gets ahold of one strand of Jeremy's hair and runs a DNA test against mine, everything we've worked for falls apart. Do you understand?"

The phrase "DNA test" exploded in Sophia's mind.

She fell completely silent. All the color drained from her face, leaving her pale and shaky, as full-blown panic set in.

"No, that can't happen..."

Lucas thought she was scared because their relationship and the truth about their son might get exposed.

But only Sophia knew the real reason.

Jeremy... could not take a DNA test.

Not ever. Because he wasn't Lucas' biological son.

Right then, Sophia's mind raced into overdrive.

She quickly wiped her tears, forcing herself to stay calm with whatever logic she had left, though her voice still trembled with resentment. "But Lucas, why is it always me and Jeremy who have to make the sacrifices?

"Couldn't we... use this chance to go public with Jeremy's identity first? We could spin it another way. Say I was just his guardian, that I was raising him for a friend, or something. Anything. At least let him be recognized as part of the Ashford family line first, let your grandfather accept him—then we can figure out the rest."

That was the only plan she could think of to get Jeremy into the Ashford family while perfectly sidestepping the ticking time bomb of a paternity test. If the Ashfords officially acknowledged Jeremy, then even if rumors started later, they could be shut down for good.

But Lucas shot it down without a second thought.

He rubbed his temples, frustration etched across his face, and finally released her shoulders. "You don't know my grandfather. He cares about the family's reputation more than anything. He can't stand messy family drama like this. If he found out I had a secret child before finalizing my divorce, forget the inheritance—he'd cut me out of the family himself."

By now, he sounded worn out too, and he couldn't help turning the blame toward her. "I told you from the beginning. I said to wait with Jeremy until I had everything settled on my end. But my parents... once they found out about him, they couldn't wait to bring you both into the picture. They made everything ten times more complicated.

"And now look where we are. We both underestimated Riley. She's not the pushover we thought she was."

"Especially you, Sophia. You moved too fast. You tried to use her to get into Aiden's project, to get her help from the inside. After everything that's gone down, do you really think she'd agree to any of that now?"

He looked at her pale, shaken face and added wearily, "Today, she brought up divorce."

There was a time when Sophia had dreamed of hearing those words.

But now, with Lucas actually saying them out loud, she felt sick to her stomach—like she'd swallowed something bitter and foul.

With trouble closing in from all sides, Riley asking for a divorce now was like having the floor pulled out from under them.

If Lucas lost his inheritance because his grandfather disowned him over a messy divorce scandal, would he still be that powerful heir to Ashford Group?

Everything he had would vanish overnight. And the title of Mrs. Ashford that she'd risked so much for wouldn't be worth a dime.

"So... what do we do now?" Sophia's voice came out thin, barely under control. "There has to be another way... doesn't there?"

Seeing all the color leave her face, watching her composure crumble, some of the irritation and anger in Lucas' eyes faded—just a little.