From His Fake Wife to Billionaire Heiress Chapter 168: Craving What She Can't Have

Deep down, Lucas had always carried this arrogant assumption that he was meant to be the most important man in Sophia's world.

Yet there she was, practically fawning over Sebastian right in front of him.

To Lucas, that felt even more humiliating than losing a major deal—it was downright unbearable.

Sure, by any measure, Sebastian outshone him.

"I..." Sophia's heart raced under his sharp gaze.

She forced herself to steady her nerves and replied in a thin, shaky voice, "Lucas, don't read into this. I'm just relieved we managed to save the project! Mr. Quinn said he'd still work with us as long as Riley shows up—you heard him, didn't you?"

But by then, Lucas was too blinded by anger to listen. Anything she said sounded like a weak excuse.

He scoffed, not bothering to hide the sarcasm in his tone. "So you still remember the project? I figured you were just thrilled to finally land someone better than me—ready to trade up, weren't you?"

With that, Lucas turned and stormed toward his office, his expression stormy. Sophia hurried after him.

"How could you say that to me!" she protested, following him into the president's suite.

"It's not like that!" She caught up and grabbed his arm from behind. "Lucas, in my heart, not one Sebastian—not ten or a hundred of him—could ever measure up to even your little finger!

"You're the only one for me. Think about it—over all these years, plenty of guys have tried to pursue me. Some had more money, more power than you. Why did I turn every one of them down? Why have I waited around all this time without any real commitment, even... even having Jeremy with you?"

Mentioning their son's name and laying her heart out like that visibly softened Lucas' tense posture.

His chest rose and fell heavily, but he didn't shake her off.

He turned around. His face was still stern, but the ice in his eyes had thawed a little.

"At least you haven't forgotten that much."

Lucas moved wearily behind his desk and sank into his chair. He tugged impatiently at his tie, then pressed his fingers against his throbbing temples.

Seeing his distress, Sophia stepped closer, placed her delicate hands on his shoulders, and began massaging his head gently.

Her touch was soft, and her voice turned tender as she carefully tested the waters. "Lucas... are you really planning to take Riley to that auction?"

Even though she'd just sworn Sebastian was nothing compared to him, the thought of Lucas escorting Riley to such an exclusive event still churned her stomach with jealousy.

Lucas kept his eyes closed, leaning into her touch, and responded with a cool, "Mm-hmm."

Sophia's hands stilled.

"Why!" Her voice shot up, sharp with bitterness. "Lucas, you've already given her so much—the penthouse, the luxury car... and now you want to parade her around at a place like that and throw money her way too?

"What's so special about Riley anyway? Why does everyone act like she's put some kind of spell on them? Even Aiden—he's barely met her, and he's demanding her by name!"

To Sophia, Riley was an unbreakable barrier—an insurmountable mountain standing in the way of her becoming Lucas' wife.

She'd always believed that with enough patience, understanding, and their son as her trump card, she'd eventually get everything she deserved.

But today, Riley's absence had somehow made her the center of attention instead. How could Sophia accept that?

Her complaints, though, hit Lucas right where it hurt.

He was already frustrated beyond words trying to track Riley down to clean up this mess. Sophia's whining only poured salt on the wound.

"Enough!"

Lucas brushed her hands away impatiently and cut her off sharply.

"If you had half her capability—if you could bring in the kind of business and close the deals for Ashford Group like she has—would Aiden be making these unreasonable demands today? Would I be standing here taking orders from them?"

Sophia's face went stiff.

She stared at him, completely thrown.

In that moment, his words cut deeper than any direct insult—because they dismissed her worth as a woman entirely.

Resentment burned hot in Sophia's chest.

Why, after all these years of patience and sacrifice, did none of it seem to matter next to Riley?

She bit down hard on her lower lip, fighting back tears.

"But..." Her voice trembled with self-pity. "But Lucas, you promised to let me lead this project."

Lucas let out a cold, humorless laugh at the sight of her.

"I said you could lead it...

"But only if you could actually close the deal! Wasn't it you who couldn't keep your cool and blurted out in front of Aiden that Riley would definitely be there?

"And now? We don't even have a signed contract! What do you expect me to do? Risk Ashford Group's reputation and future just to protect your pride?"