From His Fake Wife to Billionaire Heiress Chapter 249: Daddy

Anne tugged lightly on Riley's sleeve, her voice thick with genuine disappointment. "Riley, when are you coming back? We haven't worked together long, but I've already learned so much from you."

Riley met the younger woman's earnest gaze and felt her heart soften. She knew Anne—much like herself years ago—didn't come from money or connections. Everything she'd achieved was through sheer hustle and grit.

Even if office gossip sometimes whispered that landing the executive assistant role under Aiden must've involved some kind of shortcut, Riley had seen enough in their time together to know better. Anne approached her work with a sincerity and drive that felt real, not like someone looking for an easy ride.

Riley admired that kind of integrity.

She gave Anne's shoulder a warm, reassuring pat. "Probably not for a while," she said gently. "But you have my number. Don't hesitate to reach out if you hit a snag at work—I'll help however I can."

It was the most practical support she could offer a hardworking colleague still finding her footing.

While Riley was smoothly wrapping things up thanks to Sebastian's quiet backup, Lucas remained completely in the dark about everything that had gone down in Cedar Creek.

It wasn't that he didn't care—he just didn't have the bandwidth to keep up.

The day after Riley left Havenbrook, Jeremy was discharged from the hospital. Almost immediately, Sophia suggested Lucas help get him enrolled in a new preschool.

Her reasoning sounded perfectly logical. "With Riley away, let's get this sorted now. That way when she's back, there won't be any awkward questions about... you know, us."

Lucas didn't overthink it. From that point on, he was constantly shuttling between the office and the preschool, pulling strings and calling in favors until the paperwork was finally done.

But Jeremy struggled to adjust. On his very first day, he got into a scuffle with another kid, threw tearful tantrums asking for his mom and dad, and basically needed round-the-clock attention like a little shadow.

So when Lucas got a late-night call from a project lead saying the Cedar Creek standoff had been completely resolved, it caught him totally off guard.

After a brief moment of surprise, a quiet sense of inevitability settled in. Deep down, he'd always believed Riley could handle anything. Solving a tough project issue was just... what she did.

He offered a noncommittal "Got it," then hurried off the phone—Jeremy was crying again. He didn't even ask how it had all played out.

That same afternoon, Riley returned to Havenbrook.

Back in her quiet townhouse, she realized it had been a while since she'd seen Lydia. She picked up her phone and made dinner plans right away.

Lydia chose a seafood grill downtown, insisting on a proper welcome-back meal.

As evening fell, the two walked side by side along the softly carpeted hallway toward their private dining room. Lydia was in the middle of venting about a nightmare client she'd recently dealt with when they rounded a corner—and came face-to-face with a small crowd.

At the front was Lucas, holding Jeremy in his arms.

Behind him were Julian and Anthea, both wearing fond, doting smiles. And beside them... Sophia, looking sweet and composed.

They looked like a perfect, happy family.

The moment Lucas' eyes met Riley's, his expression locked up. A sharp pang of guilt made him instinctively lower Jeremy to the floor, as if putting some distance between them.

But Jeremy wasn't having it. He wrapped his arms tightly around Lucas' neck and whined, clear as day, "No! I don't wanna walk! I want Daddy to carry me!"

"Daddy."

Riley stopped walking. She didn't speak. She just watched Lucas, her gaze unsettlingly calm—like the still surface of the ocean before a storm rolls in.

Beside her, after a stunned beat, Lydia erupted.

She stepped squarely in front of Riley, fixing Lucas with a piercing, furious stare. Her voice rang out sharp and clear, charged with undisguised anger, echoing down the hushed hallway.

"Lucas. Your wife is standing right here. So why is that child calling you 'Daddy'?

"Is he your son?"

Lucas' face flushed, then paled. He looked exposed, humiliated—as if he'd been stripped bare in public.

Julian and Anthea's smiles vanished, replaced by shock and rising tension.

Only Sophia kept her gentle demeanor intact, though in her eyes, a faint flash of something like satisfaction flickered and was gone.

In the heavy silence that followed, Lucas awkwardly broke away from Lydia's accusing glare and turned instead toward Riley—who hadn't moved, hadn't raised her voice, and hadn't looked away.