From His Fake Wife to Billionaire Heiress Chapter 169: A Hollow Promise

Lucas hardly ever used that kind of sharp, cutting tone with Sophia.

His outburst made her whole body flinch, and the tears she'd been holding back finally spilled over—rolling down her cheeks in heavy drops.

She sniffled, looking up at him with pitiful eyes. "Lucas... are you disappointed in me? Because I can't support you the way Riley does..."

That move always worked for her.

Playing the vulnerable card—it was one of the oldest tricks in the book, and still one of the most effective.

Sure enough, seeing her pale, tear-streaked face, some of the anger in Lucas' chest began to dissolve.

He let out a heavy sigh.

After all, he couldn't just forget—this was the woman who'd stood by him for years.

His voice softened.

"Alright, stop crying. Just go back to work for now."

Sophia's sobs paused. She watched his stiff, unyielding back, and her heart sank.

Then Lucas went on, "About the project—since they made their terms clear, we'll follow them for now. Once the contract is signed, we can work things out later."

He paused, as if weighing his words. "I know today was rough for you..."

After a moment of silence, he fell back on his usual way of smoothing over emotional tension.

"Here's what I'll do. At the charity gala next week, if you see anything you like, just tell me. I'll get it for you—consider it a thank-you."

That was exactly what Sophia had been waiting for.

The heavy cloud over her heart lifted instantly, though not a trace of it showed on her face.

She quickly wiped her tears, forced a frail, understanding smile, and shook her head.

"No, Lucas, you don't have to do that," she said, putting on her best modest act. "I'm not like Riley—I don't care about expensive things. All I've ever wanted is to be there for you. Just having your trust is enough for me."

But as soon as Sophia returned to her own office, she didn't even take a sip of water before sitting down at her computer, opening Google, and searching for "Havenbrook Charity Auction preview."

In moments, the dazzling online catalog from the event organizer's website filled her screen.

She scrolled page after page, her eyes lingering on glittering jewelry, limited-edition designer handbags, and prized artworks.

Those same eyes that had just declared she wasn't materialistic now shone with undisguised desire.

*****

Meanwhile, back at Harper Group, the afternoon light was gentle and warm.

Riley had just woken from a quiet nap on the plush office sofa.

She stretched, glanced at her watch—it was just past four.

Time to head back to Ashford Group.

She got up, took a sip of the now-cold coffee on the table, then slowly picked up her phone.

The screen lit up, showing a long list of missed call notifications.

Most were from Lucas, starting early in the afternoon—one call every half hour, each more impatient than the last.

And mixed in among them was a single call from Sebastian.

That man...

Riley still hadn't figured out what to say to him. Or rather, she didn't want to deal with him at all right now.

So she ignored Sebastian's call entirely, didn't bother returning Lucas' either, calmly gathered her things, and took a cab back to Ashford Group.

When she pushed open the door to the president's office, sure enough, Lucas was sitting behind his desk waiting—looking every bit like a resentful husband whose wife had stayed out too late.

The moment he saw Riley, the gloom on his face shifted into a complicated mix of urgency and irritation. He stood and strode toward her.

"Where were you? And why weren't you picking up?" His tone was accusatory, though he held himself back from saying more.

Riley didn't answer. She walked straight over to the sitting area, took a seat, and said flatly, "What do you need?"

All the words Lucas had prepared lodged in his throat.

He took a deep breath, pushed down his frustration, sat across from her, and got straight to the point.

"It's about Aiden's project. Aiden and Sebastian both came by today. They made it clear—you have to be the one leading this project, or there's no deal."

"Oh?" Riley let out a light, questioning sound, then looked up. "And are you sure that was Aiden's call... or someone else's?"

The question caught Lucas off guard.

He clearly hadn't considered there might be a difference.

"Of course it was his," Lucas replied matter-of-factly. "Sebastian was there, yes, but he barely spoke the whole time. His attitude was ice-cold. But you know Aiden is Sebastian's cousin. Whatever Aiden asks for has Sebastian's backing. It means they respect your work!"

Hearing that, Riley let out a silent, cold laugh inside.

Lucas had scrambled so hard, bending over backward to climb the Torres family ladder—even willing to throw her into the mix.

And yet, in the end, he didn't even realize that Sebastian and Aiden weren't exactly on good terms... and he'd still jumped right into the mess.

His cluelessness was beyond what she'd ever imagined.