From His Fake Wife to Billionaire Heiress Chapter 197: Eyes in the Rearview

Anne was sociable and welcoming. Taking the lead, she said breezily, "Well, no sense in waiting around—shall we head out? It's about two hours from here to Cedar Creek, traffic permitting. Ms. Harper, would you mind if we rode with you?" Her gaze drifted naturally toward Harvey and the SUV.

Riley didn't object.

They all got back into the vehicle. Harvey took the wheel, Calvin rode shotgun, and Riley and Anne settled into the back.

Once they merged onto the interstate, Anne really opened up. She kept the conversation going, trying to strike a friendly rapport with Riley.

"Ms. Harper, I've heard so much about you. Mr. Quinn mentions you often—says you're one of the sharpest executives in the business and seriously talented.

"Wow, Ms. Harper, your skin is gorgeous! What's your skincare routine like? Any products you'd recommend?

"You've got your work cut out for you with this Cedar Creek trip. The locals there have a reputation for being tough. The last team we sent got chewed out and sent packing. But with you handling things, I'm sure it'll get sorted."

The steady stream of compliments left Riley vaguely uneasy. A low, undefinable irritation began to creep in.

Riley replied with a few polite, noncommittal words, then leaned back against the seat, closed her eyes, and said offhandedly, "Sorry, Anne, I get a little motion sickness. I'm going to try to rest for a while."

"Oh, of course! You get some rest. I'll keep it down," Anne replied, immediately lowering her voice in a considerate tone.

The cabin finally fell quiet again.

Roughly half an hour later, the SUV eased into a highway rest stop. Harvey pulled into a parking spot, then glanced back and said quietly, "Ms. Harper, Anne, we're going to step out for a quick smoke and restroom break."

"Sure thing," Anne replied right away.

Calvin, in the passenger seat, had already unbuckled and pushed the door open.

Harvey and Anne followed, one after the other. The three naturally drifted toward a designated smoking area nearby, huddling close and speaking in hushed tones. The glow of their cigarettes brightened and faded under the overcast sky.

Riley kept her eyes closed, appearing to be asleep, but her mind was fully alert.

Just then, her phone buzzed from her bag. It was Sebastian.

Riley brought the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Still on the road?"

"Yeah."

"Are you... heading to Cedar Creek to deal with that resort relocation issue?" Sebastian got straight to the point.

Riley was caught off guard. She instinctively straightened up, glancing through the window at the three figures talking not far off, and kept her voice low. "How did you know that?"

The decision had been made last-minute that morning. Aside from a few key people at her company and the Quinn Group side, nobody should have been aware.

Sebastian's voice deepened slightly as he explained, "Aiden stopped by to see me this afternoon. He told me."

So that was it. Riley understood.

"So..." She paused briefly, then asked anyway, "Are you coming too?"

The moment she said it, she regretted it. They weren't exactly at the stage where he'd drop everything for her.

Sebastian seemed to pick up on the uncertainty in her tone. He waited a couple of seconds before responding.

"Wish I could," he said, his voice low. "A few of the senior Torres Group board members from Nexopolis are in Havenbrook for a site visit. They specifically asked to review the new project portfolios. I have to be with them the whole time."

There was no arguing with that. The faint hope that had flickered in Riley's heart died down almost instantly.

She softened her tone, reverting to her usual calm demeanor. "It's fine. I was just wondering."

Of course she understood Sebastian's position. He might be the clear successor to the Torres Group, and his skills were top-tier among his peers, but the larger a family-held corporation was, the more complicated the internal dynamics became.

Those old-guard board members who had built the company alongside his father were like its foundation—but they could also be shifting sand, liable to move when you least expected it.

They held shares, and more importantly, they carried influence. At a critical juncture like this, if Sebastian brushed aside senior leadership to follow a woman to some remote town over a contract dispute, word would get around. Who knew how they'd spin it.

Labels like "distracted" or "unreliable" wouldn't do him any favors when it came to consolidating his leadership down the line.

On the other end of the line, Sebastian seemed to sense the slight shift in her mood. After a quiet moment, he pressed on, "Did you bring security along? Things could get tense with the locals. It might not be safe."

The concern in his voice was plain.

"Don't worry," Riley replied lightly. "Lucas arranged for a driver and a security guy. He looks pretty capable. Besides, think about it—we're just starting this partnership. There's no way Aiden would let anything happen to me on the first project. He'd never be able to explain it, right?"

"Right," Sebastian said. "Just be careful, okay? If you run into anything you can't handle, call me."