From His Fake Wife to Billionaire Heiress Chapter 203: Whispers and Concerns

That two-faced traitor!

Harvey was convinced he had just uncovered Riley's dirty secret.

Right then, the doctor finished mixing the topical ointment and said to Riley, "Miss, step into the back room. I'll apply this for you."

"Alright."

Riley nodded and followed the physician behind a curtain dividing the small clinic.

The moment she disappeared from view, Harvey grabbed his phone, hurried to the clinic entrance, and dialed Sophia.

"Hello? Harvey? How are things in Cedar Creek? Is Riley—"

"Sophia!" Harvey cut her off, his voice urgent. "Listen—Riley's already in touch with Aiden from Quinn Group behind your back and behind the company's back!"

Sophia had been dozing on the sofa in the hospital room. She bolted upright, her drowsiness gone in an instant.

"Explain. What happened?"

Harvey immediately launched into a dramatized account of everything he'd overheard.

"I heard it myself! Aiden called her personally, praised her for handling things well, and said he wants to recruit her—offering double what Ashford pays. She didn't agree outright, but who knows what she's really thinking? I'd bet she's just using Ashford as a stepping stone."

Sophia had sent Riley to clean up the Cedar Creek situation with two goals in mind.

First, it was a genuine mess, one she was sure Riley—a woman with no real connections—could never resolve.

But more importantly, she wanted Riley away from Lucas.

She knew how much Lucas cared about Jeremy. As long as Jeremy wasn't fully recovered, Lucas' attention would stay tied to the hospital, to her and their son.

Over time, she reasoned, whatever soft spot he had for Riley would fade—distance and doubt would see to that.

To Sophia, the plan seemed airtight.

But she never imagined Riley would use this exact opportunity to catch Aiden's attention.

After ending the call with Harvey, Sophia's expression darkened.

Even though Aiden was only Sebastian's cousin.

The Quinn family's influence didn't come close to the Ashfords'.

And Aiden himself had a shady, calculating reputation. He'd do whatever it took to get what he wanted, nothing like the more controlled, predictable Lucas. Sophia didn't think much of him either.

But that was exactly why she didn't want Riley getting close to him.

In Sophia's view, Riley's greatest strength was her professional skill, and her greatest weakness was being a nobody—an orphan with no family backing.

Yet that very professional skill had already drawn Caleb's sharp eye.

If she now allied herself with Aiden and gained a powerful supporter, even her "orphan" weakness would be neutralized.

A capable, well-connected Riley would become a serious threat.

Just as Sophia was turning over how to quietly snuff out this new problem, the hospital room door opened, pulling her from her thoughts.

Lucas walked in briskly, carrying an elegant insulated lunch bag.

The hardness in Sophia's eyes vanished instantly. She put on a weary, fragile look, pressing a hand to her forehead as she rose unsteadily from the sofa. "Lucas, you're here."

"Yeah." He nodded, handing her the bag. "The chef prepared this. You and Jeremy haven't eaten properly. Try to have a bit."

"I'm all right. It's Jeremy I'm worried about..." Sophia accepted the lunch bag. "Let me wake him and see if he'll eat something."

Lucas watched her, then glanced at his son, still asleep in the hospital bed.

He turned and walked out to the hallway window, pulling out his phone to call Riley.

"Riley... How's everything in Cedar Creek? All going smoothly?"

Back at the clinic, Riley was leaning back in the chair as the doctor gently worked medicated rub into her swollen ankle.

Hearing Lucas' hollow, routine question, she almost laughed at how pointless it felt.

"It's fine," she replied coolly, not mentioning her injury at all.

She knew even if she told him, he'd only offer a few empty pleasantries—or worse, think she was being dramatic. Lucas didn't seem interested in digging deeper anyway. He asked a couple more perfunctory questions. "Good. That area can be tricky. Be careful."

Then, he hung up quickly.

Listening to the dial tone, Lucas felt that strange, restless feeling inside him grow stronger.

He wasn't sure what he'd wanted to hear from Riley. Maybe some complaint, a request for help—but definitely not this icy distance that pushed him away.

What he didn't realize was that the information his careless call failed to gather would, within minutes, find its way through another channel straight to another man's phone.

Across town, inside an upscale private club in downtown Havenbrook, Sebastian sat at a large conference table.

Everyone seated around it was a senior figure from Torres Group—his great-uncles, elders, and key family stakeholders.