From His Fake Wife to Billionaire Heiress Chapter 216: Hidden Fears

Riley was about to tell Harvey to head back when she caught the look on his face the moment he spotted Brandon inside the car. He froze right in place, as if someone had put him under a spell.

All the color drained from his cheeks, and his eyes filled with raw, unmistakable terror.

That wasn't how someone reacted to a stranger.

Compared to Harvey's intense reaction, Brandon only glanced at him briefly from the car. There was a flicker of scrutiny in his eyes—like he was searching his memory—but then his expression went completely blank. It was clear he didn't recognize the man at all.

"Car's full," Brandon said, barely moving his lips. Three words, and that was all Harvey got.

"Don't worry, Ms. Harper. I'm not going to do anything to you. After all, I'm just a businessman who follows the rules."

Coming from him, it sounded almost ironic.

Riley studied Harvey's pale face, then turned her attention to Brandon, whose smile didn't quite reach his eyes. She made her decision.

"Go back," she told Harvey firmly. "I'll go on my own."

Then she ducked into the back seat of the Bentley.

The door closed. The car turned around and soon pulled away from the construction site, disappearing down the road.

Harvey stood there, rooted to the spot, staring after the Bentley until it was out of sight.

A few seconds later, he seemed to snap out of it. He hurried over to a quiet corner, pulled out his phone, and called Sophia.

"Sophia, we've got a problem. Riley... She just left with Brandon!"

"What did you say?" Sophia's voice turned sharp instantly.

As a former artist signed under Universal Corp, no one understood better than Sophia just how deep and guarded her rarely-seen boss, Brandon, really was.

Back when she first signed with the company and saw Brandon at an executive meeting, even she had been taken in by his almost unnaturally handsome looks.

In an industry full of wealthy guys who were often out of shape or losing their hair, Brandon stood out completely.

She figured with her looks and her charm, she might have a shot at catching his eye.

So she started arranging "accidental" run-ins. She wore her most daring dresses to events he might attend. She'd toast him with her most seductive smile. She dropped hint after hint.

But before she could make another move, Brandon called her into his office.

Sophia remembered that day perfectly.

The man was sitting behind his massive desk, one leg crossed over the other. He was smiling, but those flirtatious eyes of his held no warmth at all.

He didn't even ask her to sit. Just looked at her calmly and said in a clear, cold voice, "Ms. Myers, I really don't care for women who try to act clever but have nothing going on upstairs. If you want to climb the ladder, I won't stop you. But don't bring it to me. Go find someone dumb enough to fall for it."

A few sentences, and he'd laid bare every scheme she had. She was completely humiliated.

Then, just because her constant attempts to get close started to annoy him, Brandon didn't even show up himself. He said one word, and she was quietly blacklisted for six whole months.

During those six months, she got zero work. In Hollywood's fast-paced world, she became practically invisible—no one returned her calls, no one offered her roles.

That feeling of falling from the top, of seeing an opening only to have an invisible hand hold her down—it was the worst nightmare of her life.

Later, if she hadn't been willing to do whatever it took—reconnecting with Lucas, who still carried a torch for her, and throwing herself at investors and directors to land roles—she would never have made it to where she was now, an award-winning actress.

And Harvey, who worked as her part-time driver and security, had of course seen the elusive head of Universal Corp from a distance before.

But someone like Brandon wouldn't bother mingling with celebrities, let alone remember some actress' driver.

Even so, the news sent Sophia into a panic.

Why would Brandon go looking for Riley?

The question spun wildly in her head.

Brandon knew so many of her secrets.

All those guys she'd slept with to get ahead, all those shady industry parties—she might be able to keep those from Lucas, but not from Brandon, whose connections spread all over Havenbrook.

If... if Brandon told Riley any of it, and Riley went to Lucas...

Then her picture-perfect life with the Ashford family would fall apart overnight.

"No..." Sophia's face darkened. She spoke into the phone, her voice low and tense, "We can't let them spend too much time together. If they talk long enough... even Jeremy's real background could come out."

After all, when she'd secretly gone abroad to have Jeremy—keeping it from the Ashford family—the top-tier private hospital she stayed at had been arranged through Brandon's connections.

"So... what do we do now?" Harvey finally grasped how serious this was. His voice trembled slightly.