From His Fake Wife to Billionaire Heiress Chapter 36: A Chance Encounter

Riley trailed a few paces behind him, keeping a relaxed distance.

Watching his retreating figure—which practically radiated "keep away"—she couldn't help but feel a little amused.

Then it suddenly dawned on her why he was acting that way.

Almost without thinking, she raised her voice, clear and carrying over the street noise. "Mr. Torres.

"That day at the jewelry boutique—when I took off so suddenly... are you still upset about that?"

She put it right out there.

This time, Sebastian finally came to a stop.

He turned slowly, his frame casting a long shadow across the busy sidewalk.

With the afternoon sun behind him, his expression remained hard to read.

"Do I really seem that petty?"

Riley's lips twitched slightly. In her head, she answered silently. Petty? You're practically giving a masterclass.

Of course, she didn't say that aloud.

"Not at all," she replied evenly, meeting his gaze. "It's just that, since the misunderstanding was on my end, I thought I owed you an explanation.

"The reason I left early was because Lucas had custom-ordered jewelry from that store under the name 'Mrs. Ashford'—but it wasn't for me. When the manager mistook me for her, he wanted to review the designs together.

"So I played along, and then, worried I might slip up if I stayed with you any longer, I made an excuse and left."

Sebastian went still for a moment.

His eyes stayed on Riley as she stood there, poised in her tailored blazer and light makeup, her posture straight and unshaken. She spoke about the humiliations of her marriage as though discussing the weather—calm on the surface, but it only made the storm beneath seem more profound.

His grip tightened unconsciously around the game cartridge in his hand.

After a pause, he said, "So you helped me out just to win me over?"

Riley's eyebrow lifted almost imperceptibly.

She hadn't expected him to put it that way.

Win him over?

The phrasing felt strangely personal, almost intimate, as if they were already past formalities. It instantly bridged the polite distance she'd been keeping.

She drew a slow breath, holding back the faint smile that threatened to surface. Looking up at him, a hint of playful challenge in her eyes, she said, "So Mr. Torres is the kind of man who can be won over with a video game?"

Sebastian held her gaze and, right there on the noisy street, gave a firm, serious nod.

"Yes."

The bluntness caught her off guard.

In that moment of hesitation, Sebastian's phone buzzed.

He glanced at the screen, frowned in clear annoyance, and answered with a terse, "What?"

On the other end, his assistant sounded close to panic. "Mr. Torres, I just got here—I'm outside the game store now. Where are you?"

"Forget it," Sebastian cut in flatly, his eyes drifting toward Riley's car parked nearby. "Just head back to the office and stay put."

He ended the call, strode directly to her passenger side, opened the door as if he'd done it a hundred times before, and slid into the seat.

Riley stared blankly for a second.

Then, looking at his tall frame now settled comfortably in her car, she finally let the corner of her mouth lift into a slow, amused curve.

The more she got to know Sebastian, the more he seemed... unpredictable, layered, with depths that weren't easily read.

But every now and then, he'd show this almost boyish stubbornness and startling directness that left her completely thrown.

Riley walked over and got behind the wheel.

She hadn't eaten since leaving Lydia's clinic, and her stomach was quietly reminding her it was empty.

Starting the engine, she glanced at the man beside her, now examining the game cartridge again. "Are you in a rush, Mr. Torres? If not, would you like to grab something to eat with me first?"

Sebastian tucked the cartridge away and looked over. "Sure."

Soon, Riley pulled up at an upscale private dining spot near Sebastian's office, located on the top floor of a modern high-rise with floor-to-ceiling windows offering a sweeping city view.

As they stepped out of the car, a strong gust of wind swept through, tossing Riley's hair and lifting the hem of her skirt.

Beside her, Sebastian instinctively tugged up the hood of his sweatshirt, covering most of his face so only his sharp jawline was visible.

Side by side, they walked toward the entrance—she, elegant and cool; he, solid and discreetly mysterious. From a distance, they moved with an unintentional sync that made them look curiously well-matched.

What they didn't notice was Sophia, seated across the street in a cozy coffee shop, smiling brightly as she chatted with a client over cappuccinos.

She happened to glance up just then, and her eyes landed on the pair.

When she recognized the woman as Riley, her smile stiffened.

She hadn't expected to see Riley out with another man—and one who clearly wasn't Lucas.

A calculated gleam flashed through Sophia's eyes. Turning slightly away from her client, she pulled out her phone, zoomed in discreetly, and captured a clear shot of the two walking side by side.

The meal itself was relatively quiet.

Riley was genuinely hungry, and Sebastian seemed content with the silence.

They ate without much conversation; when they did speak, it was only a brief remark about the food—nothing more, nothing less.