From His Fake Wife to Billionaire Heiress Chapter 244: The Spy

Riley hadn't been trying to hide anything—it just didn't feel like the right time or place to explain her situation with Sebastian to Anne.

Seeing her hesitation, Anne backed off, though a hint of guilt flashed across her face. She looked down and murmured, "Riley... I'm sorry. I should've watched my words earlier. I almost made things worse for you."

Riley gave Anne's shoulder a reassuring pat. "It's okay, really. You were just worried. Let's just focus on doing our jobs well from now on."

She understood Anne hadn't meant any harm—given everything that happened, it was natural to be concerned.

But just as they were talking, Harvey hurried over, limping noticeably.

"Ms. Harper, I'm so sorry!" he said, breathless. "I didn't mean what I said back there—I was just really worried about you!"

Anne quickly moved to support him and spoke up in his defense. "He's telling the truth, Riley. After he got us to safety last night, he took off on his own. None of us knew where he went. And look—he's hurt, too."

She lifted the edge of Harvey's shirt, revealing a nasty knife wound across his stomach.

The cut was long and deep, the skin raw and turned outward. It hadn't even been cleaned or bandaged, and it looked painfully severe.

"That bastard Devin," Anne muttered angrily. "He's vicious. Probably sent those guys to jump us so it'd look like a random attack—cover his own tracks in case we went to the cops."

Riley's eyes lingered coldly on Harvey's injury, but inwardly, she felt nothing.

As bad as it looked, to her it seemed almost too perfectly placed—like a carefully staged piece that matched a little too well with Harvey's innocent-sounding excuse earlier.

Last night, after she'd been drugged, she remembered calling 911.

That meant she'd still been conscious enough to try and escape.

But she hadn't gotten away. She'd blacked out and been taken—until Sebastian and the police found her.

Looking back now, that gap in time didn't add up. And Harvey was right in the middle of it.

Questions spun like a web in her mind, every thread pointing to one unsettling possibility.

Harvey had never been innocent. Not from the start.

Just as she was turning it over, a faint whiff of smoke drifted past on the breeze.

Riley paused.

She knew that smell.

Back when Jeremy had his second allergic reaction and was rushed to the hospital, she'd caught that same scent on Sophia.

Everything clicked into place.

Harvey wasn't some unlucky bystander who'd gotten hurt. He wasn't just a regular employee, either. He was a plant—Sophia's eyes and ears, placed right beside her.

Knowing the truth, Riley actually felt calmer.

She didn't let on. Instead, she looked away from Harvey's wound and put on a tone of polite concern.

"Let's just forget it. You got dragged into this because of me. But that injury looks serious—you need to go to the ER and get it treated properly. Don't wait around."

Harvey felt a wave of relief.

She bought it. So easy.

Outwardly, he shook his head and forced a brave smile. "It's nothing, Ms. Harper. Just a scratch. I'll be fine."

Anne, moved by his show of toughness, quickly waved over a few colleagues who hadn't left yet.

"Someone help him to a car—he needs to get to the hospital now! That cut's way too deep to ignore."

Soon, a couple of people came over to support Harvey as he limped away.

Watching him go, Riley allowed herself a cold, quiet smirk.

Sophia, since you had the nerve to plant a spy next to me and try to ruin me with your dirty tricks... don't blame me when I use your own move against you.

With Harvey finally gone, the whole messy scene came to a temporary close.

The sun was beginning to set, washing the old buildings of Cedar Creek in a soft golden glow. The air carried the clean, damp scent of rain-soaked soil, as if trying to wash away the noise and ugliness of the day.

That evening, Riley's phone buzzed. It was Aiden.

He'd clearly already heard about what happened.

"Riley, I got word about the trouble in Cedar Creek. Are you all right?" For once, his tone held what sounded like genuine concern.

"I'm fine. It's handled," Riley replied calmly.

"Good." Aiden let out a slow breath on the other end. "Listen, don't worry about Devin. I'll have people deal with him. He won't get another shot at you, and nothing from this will stick to your name."

Riley gave a faint, noncommittal acknowledgment, exchanged a few more polite words, and ended the call.

She tossed her phone onto the table, stared at the dark screen, and let her lips curl into an unrestrained, icy smile.