From His Fake Wife to Billionaire Heiress Chapter 183: An Uneasy Dinner

Louvian Port was an expansive, quiet neighborhood—the kind of place you could escape to when you needed a breather.

He dropped the argument and told Riley, "Alright. I'll have my assistant bring over all the keys and key cards later."

Meanwhile, Sebastian caught wind of the vandalism at Riley's apartment.

His usually easygoing charm vanished, replaced by a stormy expression.

He called his assistant in. "Comb through Havenbrook. I want every lowlife, addict, and deadbeat questioned—one by one. Find out who did this."

The assistant rarely saw his boss look so dangerous, the anger in his eyes practically tangible.

A chill shot down his spine, and he gave a quick nod. "Right away, Mr. Torres."

Just as the assistant stepped out, Sebastian's phone buzzed softly.

A message from Riley.

Some of the tension around him eased.

He opened it. The text was brief. "Can't stay at the apartment. Moving to the villa in Louvian Port—Lucas transferred it to me recently as compensation."

Sebastian's fingers brushed absently over the address on the screen. Then it clicked.

He happened to own a place there too, one that had been sitting empty for years.

Riley had always been efficient. Within a day, she'd arranged the entire move.

Lucas, for once, was being considerate. He instructed his assistant to assist with whatever she needed.

Watching her cut ties so cleanly and settle into her new home left him with mixed feelings.

He knew this rift between Riley and the family couldn't go on forever—especially with his grandfather due back soon. If his grandfather found out what had been happening at home, there'd be hell to pay.

After some thought, Lucas decided to try and smooth things over himself.

Using the move as an excuse, he invited Julian, Anthea, along with Sophia and Jeremy, to join Riley for a housewarming dinner.

Naively, he believed one meal might be enough for everyone to set their issues aside—or at least keep things civil.

But he'd underestimated Sophia's scheming and his own mother's resentment.

On the drive from the Ashford estate, Sophia sat beside Anthea and casually brought up the villa.

She spun it dramatically—making it sound like Riley had schemed for it all along, like she'd extorted it from Lucas as some kind of leverage, a piece of the family fortune carved out for herself.

"You have no idea, Mom. That villa was my favorite. I'd hoped to... well, never mind." She let her eyes redden, looking every bit the wounded victim. "I just feel bad for Lucas. And for you and Dad. The way Riley's acting—it's like she's not even part of this family. First she refuses to stay at the estate, makes a scene about living separately, and now we see it was all a plan from the start..."

A few sentences like that were all it took. Anthea, already wary of Riley, now burned with jealousy.

How could she possibly sit through some "housewarming dinner" with a calm mind?

To her, this was Riley rubbing her victory in everyone's faces.

So when everyone gathered in the private dining room—decorated in understated, classic style—the battle began before a single piece of fine china was touched.

Lucas was still awkwardly trying to lighten the mood when Anthea finally snapped. She looked at Riley, who was calmly stirring her lemon water, and offered a thin, humorless smile.

"My, my. Look at you now, Ms. Harper. Moving up in the world, aren't we?

"Are you so sure Caleb is about to come back that you decided to cash in on the Ashford name? I thought you were just making a point by moving out of a perfectly good room at the estate. But no—you had your eye on that Louvian Port property all along, didn't you? Just biding your time."

The air in the room turned to ice.

Julian frowned but stayed silent.

Lucas' face tightened, his brow furrowing despite himself.

Riley swirled the lemon slice in her glass, letting the tart scent linger in the space between them.

After a moment, she looked up. She bypassed Anthea's glare entirely and fixed her eyes on Lucas.

"Lucas Ashford," she said, using his full name. "If you can't manage your parents' moods, then stop arranging these pointless dinners. They only make things messier between us."

Her words tore straight through the fragile peace Lucas had been clinging to.

He felt trapped—on one side, his mother's unreasonable anger; on the other, Riley's cold distance.

He drew a sharp breath and finally snapped, "Mom! How many times do I have to say it? I gave Riley that house because I wanted to. Look at everything she's done for Ashford Group over the years—she earned it. This has nothing to do with whether Grandpa's coming back or not!"