From His Fake Wife to Billionaire Heiress Chapter 154: A Quiet Resolution

Riley changed into a comfortable set of loungewear, towel-dried her damp hair, and settled into the small bed in her bedroom.

The room was simple—nothing like the lavish, over-the-top luxury of Ashford Manor. But in that simplicity, she felt a sense of calm she hadn't known in a long time.

There was a time, back when she first arrived in Havenbrook, when she was just an ordinary girl with little to her name, far from everything familiar.

Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine she'd marry into a family as prominent as the Ashfords.

After the wedding, it felt like she'd become a wind-up toy—constantly pushing herself to measure up to Lucas, to prove she belonged, and to avoid the judgmental looks.

She poured every bit of energy into playing the part of Mrs. Ashford, watching her every step, careful not to slip up.

Now, away from all that polished pretense, lying in her own quiet space, she finally breathed a kind of freedom she'd almost forgotten. Riley closed her eyes, drew a deep breath, and made a quiet decision: once things with Lucas were completely over, she'd take some real time off—somewhere peaceful, just to unwind.

The next morning, Riley arrived at the office right on time, as usual.

But the moment she stepped into the open workspace, she could feel the glances—subtle, lingering, loaded with unspoken questions.

She wasn't surprised. The scandal involving Lucas and Sophia from the previous night had been quickly contained—the Ashford family had thrown serious money at it, pulling news pieces and silencing online chatter—but in the digital age, once something got out, it was like trying to put spilled water back in the glass.

People had already been talking in private chats and small circles. Of course the office would know.

Riley acted as if she noticed nothing. She walked straight to her desk, posture relaxed, expression neutral.

Soon enough, a few coworkers she'd known for years drifted over. They wore concerned expressions, but curiosity gleamed in their eyes.

"Riley... are you doing okay?" one woman asked gently. "Is what's going around true? About Mr. Ashford and Ms. Myers... is it really like they're saying?"

A male colleague added, "I saw the updates last night. I couldn't believe it. How could he do that to you?"

Riley looked up and offered a small, calm smile—no strain, no unease.

It threw them off a little, that ease of hers.

"Don't believe everything you read out there," she said, her tone even.

"Use your judgment. And since it's work hours, maybe focus more on your tasks than the gossip. End of the month is coming—do I need to remind anyone about project deadlines?"

Her voice was soft but carried a quiet firmness.

The coworkers quickly nodded, dispersing back to their desks, suddenly very busy with their keyboards.

The murmurs in the office died down almost completely under Riley's steady demeanor. Everyone kept their heads down, not daring to stir the air again.

When the official workday began, Riley noticed Sophia's office was still empty. She figured Sophia was laying low at home, waiting for the storm to pass. After a scandal like that, lying low was the smart move—at least until the attention faded.

But not long after, a startled gasp broke the quiet.

"Oh my gosh—Riley, come look at this!"

It came from one of the younger interns. Her voice trembled, as if she could barely process what was on her screen.

Riley assumed it was a messed-up proposal—interns sometimes stumbled through their first big tasks.

She stood and walked over.

"What's the issue? Did something go wrong with the file?"

She leaned in to view the monitor, but instead of a document, it was open to a social media page—and right at the top was a fresh statement from Sophia, posted just minutes ago.

Riley read it slowly, line by line.

In the post, Sophia explained that Jeremy was her child from a first love—a man who had since passed away.

She wrote about how they had been deeply in love but life pulled them apart, and after he died young, she made the brave choice to raise their son alone, away from the public eye.

The reason she and Jeremy were staying with the Ashfords, she explained, was because Lucas' parents had shown them extraordinary kindness—treating Jeremy like their own grandson. Out of gratitude, she accepted their support.

Beyond family ties, she stressed, there was nothing unusual between her and Lucas.

Every sentence was crafted to paint a picture of resilience—a single mother doing her best, enduring in silence.

She pleaded with the public not to pry further, to let her son grow up in peace, and not to let an innocent child get caught in the crossfire.

What caught Riley off guard most was the closing part: Sophia announced she'd be scaling back her acting roles and public appearances, possibly stepping away from the spotlight for a while, to focus fully on family and raising her boy.