From His Fake Wife to Billionaire Heiress Chapter 177: A Costly Performance

He handed over the item. "Here's your winning piece."

Riley took the box and opened it calmly.

She didn't even remove the champagne coupes. Under the bright ballroom lights, she simply ran her fingertip along the side of one—the glaze felt rough, and the design looked dull and lifeless.

Just as she'd guessed.

This charity auction was most likely a setup by Aiden and his circle, targeting wealthy out-of-town businessmen who knew little about collecting but were eager to climb the social ladder.

They were passing off low-quality items as treasures, exploiting both information gaps and people's vanity to drive prices way beyond their true worth.

As for Lucas—though he came from old money and had seen plenty of genuine pieces—he was currently relying on Aiden for a major business deal. Even if he spotted the scam, he wouldn't dare call it out publicly and embarrass the hosts.

Sure enough, Lucas took the box from Riley. One glance and his brow tightened almost against his will.

He leaned closer and muttered under his breath, "This... isn't even close to what we have back home."

His tone was clearly annoyed, yet laced with the frustration of having to swallow his words.

Just then, the auctioneer announced the next item.

"Up next—a pair of natural black pearl earrings. Perfectly round, exceptional luster, extremely rare. Opening bid: eight hundred thousand."

Almost at the same moment, Lucas' phone lit up on the table. A message popped up.

Out of the corner of her eye, Riley caught the familiar contact photo and the slightly coy text. "Lucas, those earrings are gorgeous. I want them!"

It was Sophia.

Even from afar, she was pulling the strings through the live stream.

Lucas' expression turned awkward. He got the hint, put his phone away, and did a complete shift from his dismissive attitude about the champagne coupes.

Turning to Riley, he said in a carefully measured tone, "You know, I think Mom might like these. Pearls are supposed to be good for the skin, right?"

Riley almost laughed at how forced he sounded.

She raised an eyebrow, glancing at the close-up of the earrings on the large display, and replied coolly, "The luster on those pearls is what—70% of market standard? They don't even meet basic quality. And you still want to bid?"

She'd nailed it.

Lucas looked even more uncomfortable. He'd already promised Sophia, and backing out now would mean dealing with her drama later.

Trapped, he tried to smooth things over, his voice tinged with guilt. "I think they look nice. You're just being too critical. Mom doesn't wear jewelry much anyway—it's the thought that counts, isn't it?"

Riley didn't stop him. She wasn't even in the mood to argue.

She just met Lucas' strained expression with a faint, knowing smile.

With a light gesture, she said, "Do whatever makes you happy."

Lucas raised his paddle. He'd assumed winning these would be as easy as the champagne coupes.

But he hadn't counted on one thing: many of the businessmen had brought along carefully dressed dates.

At events like this, dropping serious cash to impress a beautiful woman was a game some never grew tired of.

"One million!"

"One point two!"

"One point five!"

The bids quickly climbed to two million.

Lucas began to hesitate.

He did the math—two million could buy a far finer pearl necklace from a top-tier jeweler.

Spending that much on earrings with mediocre luster was just plain unwise.

He pulled out his phone and typed quickly to Sophia. "These really aren't your style. Let's wait and see what else comes up."

But Sophia's reply was instant—and firm. "I want these."

She remembered clearly how, at the last gala, Riley had worn a simple black dress with a pair of luminous pearl earrings that made Sophia's own glittery look seem tacky and overdone.

Tonight, she was determined to reclaim her pride with the very same kind of piece.

When Lucas didn't respond right away, she followed up with another message, dripping with fake innocence. "Lucas... is Riley telling you not to get them for me?"

Lucas didn't answer. He simply turned off his screen in irritation.

Truth was, from the start of the auction until now—aside from those sharp, accurate remarks early on—Riley hadn't offered any guidance at all.