From His Fake Wife to Billionaire Heiress Chapter 174: A Quiet Understanding

Riley's heart gave a quick, unsteady thump.

Under the heat of his gaze, the air itself seemed to grow thin.

She turned her face away, avoiding the directness of his stare, and murmured, "It's really... not that big of a deal anyway."

Her reply—so close to an admission—made the edges of Sebastian's mouth lift slightly.

"Good."

He turned, satisfaction clear in his posture, and even his retreating back looked lighter than when he'd arrived.

The door closed with a soft click.

Riley remained where she was, her pulse racing wildly.

She lifted a hand to her warm cheek, then slowly made her way back to her bedroom.

But once in bed, she tossed and turned, sleep elusive.

A thread of worry still tugged at her.

Then, about half an hour later, her phone screen glowed on the nightstand.

Just three short words, "Made it home."

Seeing them, the tightness in Riley's chest finally eased.

Without meaning to, a small smile touched her lips. Her fingertips tapped a light reply.

"Okay. Good night."

She set the phone aside, closed her eyes, and soon drifted into a deep, untroubled sleep.

*****

The next morning, when Riley arrived at the office, the weather outside had cleared into a bright, flawless day.

But inside, the atmosphere felt charged differently.

She'd barely reached her desk when she noticed coworkers huddled in small clusters, talking with lively, barely-contained excitement.

They didn't lower their voices when she passed.

Curious, Riley caught the attention of a colleague dropping off files and asked quietly, "Did something happen? Everyone seems so... buzzed."

The colleague's eyes lit up instantly. Leaning in with a gossip-ready grin, she said in a hushed, dramatic tone, "Riley, you were out yesterday—you missed all the drama! The legendary CEO of Torres Group pulled off a total hero move right here at Ashford Group."

"Hero move?" Riley repeated, confused.

"Yeah!" Encouraged by Riley's clueless look, the woman launched into the story. "Yesterday afternoon, Ms. Myers nearly took a fall right by the elevators. And out of nowhere, Mr. Torres caught her—steadied her just in time! It was like something out of a movie.

"And you know how people say he never lets women get within arm's length? Well, he didn't push her away at all. He held her until she got her balance, then told her to watch her step next time!

"The whole office is talking about it," the colleague finished, nodding emphatically. "Everyone's saying Mr. Torres only came here in person because of Ms. Myers—not for any business deal.

"I heard he was impressed by her at some charity gala a while back, and this time he specifically sought her out."

The colleague kept talking, but Riley's attention drifted.

It was strange—she understood every word, but the Sebastian being described felt like someone she didn't know at all.

She was still turning over how such an exaggerated rumor could even start when Sophia walked in.

The office chatter died down immediately. Everyone hurried back to their desks, pretending to be buried in work.

Normally, as the rumored center of the story—and working in a place as image-conscious as Ashford Group—Sophia would be expected to shut down the gossip quickly, especially before any misunderstandings reached Lucas.

But she didn't.

She walked through the office calmly, as though unaware of the whispers, her lips curved in a faint, unmissable smile—a look of quiet pleasure she wasn't even trying to hide.

That unusual reaction made Riley pause. Earlier she'd just found the rumor silly, but now... things felt more intriguing.

Could it be that Sophia actually enjoyed being linked to Sebastian?

Was she using him to make Lucas jealous?

Or... did she genuinely have feelings for him?

Riley had already picked up her phone, thumb hovering over her messages with Sebastian, ready to ask him what really happened with that "hero save."

But Sophia's demeanor made her hesitate.

Maybe she didn't need to rush for the truth just yet.

Maybe it was better to let things stir a little longer—to see what interesting twists might surface when the waters grew murkier.

Riley locked her phone, smoothed her expression into one of calm detachment, and dived into her work as if the rumors swirling around had nothing to do with her.

*****

Near the end of the day, just as she was packing up, Lucas called.

"Riley..." His voice came through eager, almost hurried. "There's a charity auction tomorrow evening. Will you come with me?"

Before she could respond, he rushed on, "It's hosted by one of Aiden's friends—kind of a networking thing for project partners. It would look appropriate if we showed up together."