From His Fake Wife to Billionaire Heiress Chapter 181: The Breakaway

Her eyes slowly swept over the auction items before finally landing on Sophia's face, which had paled slightly with guilt. Her tone shifted, turning oddly strained. "All of this... is for Sophia? Tell me you didn't spend even more on Riley."

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she held onto the thought that no matter how clueless her son could be, he would still look out for Riley. If he'd already dropped close to twenty million on Sophia, what he might have gotten for Riley didn't bear thinking about.

Lucas shook his head. "Riley didn't want anything."

The moment the words left his mouth, the atmosphere in the living room grew even more stifling.

Sophia squirmed under Anthea's gaze, finally understanding what was unfolding.

Her eyes welled up, and she hung her head, her voice cracking as if on the verge of tears. She put on a pitiful defense. "Mom... it's not my fault. Lucas promised me before that if I posted that clarification online to smooth things over, he'd make it up to me..."

That effectively shut Anthea up. She was left speechless, any further reproach stuck in her throat. After all, Lucas was the one who had made the promise in the first place, just to tidy up his public image.

In the end, her soft spot for Sophia—the girl she'd raised since childhood—won out. Anthea let out a heavy sigh. "Fine. What's done is done. At least Riley wasn't with you two. Otherwise, Lucas, you'd have made an even bigger fool of yourself."

Lucas opened his mouth to reply, but in the end, said nothing.

What he really wanted to say was that Riley was far more level-headed and shrewd than Sophia could ever be.

She'd seen right through the auction from the start and had even warned him nicely that he probably shouldn't buy anything.

Not like Sophia, who'd been all too happy to be used to drive up bids, treating him like a personal ATM she could drain whenever she pleased. All she cared about was that flashy, fake glitter, with absolutely no foresight.

But he couldn't voice any of that now.

Even though Anthea had scolded her a bit, Sophia was mostly pleased with her nearly twenty million dollars' worth of new treasures now spread across the coffee table.

She gathered the boxes like cherished possessions and followed closely behind Lucas. As he made his way toward the stairs, she struck what she thought was a seductive pose and cooed, "Lucas... why don't you stay in my room tonight?"

But Lucas simply brushed her arm aside as she tried to loop it through his. He offered an excuse. "I can't. I need to review Aiden's contract in the study. It's being signed tomorrow—I can't afford to mess this up."

Sophia knew how crucial this deal was to the Ashford Group. Reluctantly, she backed down. "Get some rest, then," she told him, heading back to her room but glancing over her shoulder every few steps.

Lucas went straight to the study.

He sank into the chair behind the large desk and rubbed his throbbing temples. Strangely, though, his mind began to drift back to Riley's modest apartment.

It was simple, far too simple for anyone with the Ashford name, but at least... it was quiet. Nothing like here, where the invisible pressure felt like it was drowning him.

He spread out the multi-billion-dollar contract but couldn't focus on a single word. He'd never felt so restless.

Finally, around one in the morning, Lucas closed the file, got into his car, and drove away from the villa in the dead of night.

He thought he was being discreet. He had no idea Sophia was still awake, having been listening through the crack in her door the entire time. The moment she heard the engine turn over, she guessed Lucas was going to see Riley.

Sophia quickly changed clothes, slipped quietly into her own car, and followed him.

Sure enough, Lucas' car came to a stop outside Riley's apartment building. He didn't get out—just sat there in the driver's seat in silence, then pulled out his phone.

Watching from a distance, Sophia saw the glow of his screen light up his face, then go dark. Clearly, his call hadn't gone through.

He stayed parked downstairs for nearly half an hour, doing nothing. In the end, he started the car again and drove off, looking utterly defeated.

As his taillights disappeared down the street, a sharp, venomous gleam flashed in Sophia's eyes.

She didn't leave right away. Instead, she pulled out her phone and made a call, her voice cold and deliberate. "Find out which unit Riley lives in... yes, in this building. I want the exact apartment number."

The next day, Aiden's contract cleared the Ashford Group's legal review without a hitch.

The signing ceremony was set to take place in the conference room at Quinn Group.

Lucas showed up with Riley in tow—along with Sophia, who had insisted on coming. The three of them walked into Quinn Group together.

The contract signing proceeded smoothly.

But just after Lucas and Aiden shook hands and the champagne was being poured, Riley's phone rang.

She stepped away to take the call. Within seconds, her expression changed completely.

Lucas noticed immediately. He walked over and asked quietly, "What's wrong?"

Riley's hand, still holding the phone, trembled slightly. She only managed a few words. "Something's happened at my apartment."

"I'll take you there," Lucas said without a moment's hesitation.

Riley looked at him. This time, she didn't refuse.

Seeing this, Sophia immediately followed and, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, slid into the back seat of Lucas' car.