From His Fake Wife to Billionaire Heiress Chapter 201: Riley Steps In

Riley realized then that the worst of the crisis had passed.

The crowd was no longer a united front.

After a brief discussion, the middle-aged man stepped forward again.

"Alright," he said in a rough but calmer tone, showing the villagers had backed down. "We can send a few people to talk with you." Then he paused, his eyes narrowing slightly. "But you said you're not from Quinn Group—why would they listen to you anyway?"

Anne's heart jumped right back into her throat.

But Riley just offered a steady, calm smile.

She knew she'd be spending a lot of time in this town from now on, and these were people she'd have to work with.

Hiding things would only make it harder later—it was better to be straight with them from the start.

"I'm really not a Quinn Group employee," she said clearly. "I represent the construction contractor hired for this project."

Construction contractor?

The term sounded formal to most of the locals, but they quickly caught the important part—she and Quinn Group weren't on the same team.

Riley didn't leave them guessing long. She kept it simple. "Here's how it works: Quinn Group is the developer. They buy the land, draft the plans, and handle relocation. My company comes in once everything's settled on their end.

"You're all here waiting for a fair relocation deal. We're waiting for these issues to be resolved so we can break ground. When you look at it that way, our main goals actually line up."

So that was it.

Now the villagers got it.

This woman who seemed slight but carried herself with quiet strength wasn't their opponent.

The middle-aged man gave a small, somewhat awkward nod in Riley's direction, accepting her explanation.

"Okay," he said, voice a bit gruff but conceding. "We'll trust you on this."

Slowly, the crowd began to disperse.

Soon, only Riley and her team remained in the clearing, along with half a dozen representatives the villagers had chosen. The group followed Quinn Group staff into a nearby meeting room to wait.

Anne finally let out a long, slow breath. She felt completely drained.

She hurried over to Riley, her eyes wide with undisguised admiration.

"Riley," she said, already shifting to a more familiar address, "that was incredible! You scared me half to death earlier—I almost dialed 911 right then and there."

Riley smiled modestly. "It was nothing, really. I've dealt with plenty of dispute resolutions back at Ashford Group. Guess some of it stuck."

That casual remark stung Harvey's ears more than it should have.

A shadow of irritation passed behind his eyes.

Of course she gets to swoop in and save the day. Only because she took Sophia's spot.

He quickly masked his resentment and put on a concerned expression, stepping closer.

"Ms. Harper, are you alright? It got pretty rough back there. I saw a few people bump into you—did you get hurt?"

Riley's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Maybe it was just intuition, but something about Harvey's concern felt rehearsed, slick in a way that didn't sit right.

She tested her weight on her right foot and winced slightly.

"I think I might've twisted my ankle," she said quietly.

"What?" Anne gasped and immediately knelt to look. "How bad is it? Let me see—we should get you to an ER."

"No." Riley stopped her gently. "It's probably not serious. I just lost my balance when someone pushed past. Any urgent care or clinic will do. Going to the hospital now with all the waiting and paperwork would take too much time."

"Well... alright," Anne agreed, standing back up. "Then for the meeting—Riley, do you want to sit in? Just to guide us through?"

In Anne's mind, Riley had already become the steady hand she could rely on.

But Riley shook her head without hesitation.

"I shouldn't be in there. This is Quinn Group's internal matter. It happened because the relocation terms weren't fully settled, which let someone spread rumors and stir things up.

"What you need to do now is straightforward: show a sincere attitude, reassure the villagers who've already signed, and promise them complete fairness. Then find whoever started the rumor and make it clear there are consequences—that shows you're serious about fixing this.

"I'm an outside party. I only stepped in earlier because things were getting out of hand. If I go into that meeting now, it'll send the wrong message and complicate things. The less visible I am here, the better it'll be for our work down the road."

"Ms. Harper is right," Calvin agreed, his tone measured. "Our goal today was to deal with the toughest holdouts, not to debate with those who've already signed."

"And now," he added, "thanks to Ms. Harper keeping a cool head in a crisis, we've built some basic trust—and she's stayed neutral in the villagers' eyes. That actually helps us when we talk to the remaining holdouts later."