From His Fake Wife to Billionaire Heiress Chapter 45: Sophia's Incompetence

"I understand," Riley replied with a slight nod, choosing not to press the matter further.

She picked up her fork and resumed eating at a leisurely pace.

The tension around the table gradually eased, returning to a calm, almost ordinary atmosphere.

Satisfied that Riley had taken his words to heart, Lucas turned back to his father to continue discussing his ambitious plans for the company.

As a result, he failed to notice that Riley never touched the grilled shrimp he had placed on her plate.

The next day, at the Ashford Group headquarters.

In the top-floor conference room, floor-to-ceiling windows showcased the bustling skyline of Havenbrook, but inside, the mood was far from serene.

Lucas sat at the head of the long mahogany table, his expression composed but intent.

This was the company's quarterly departmental review—a meeting designed to assess last quarter's performance and outline objectives for the next.

Sophia sat to his right, dressed in a tailored pantsuit, her makeup applied with precision.

Once the meeting began, department heads took turns presenting their reports.

"Due to repeated delays in the marketing department's promotional timeline, our sales team has been unable to launch the Q3 campaigns on schedule. We're projecting a fifteen percent drop in performance."

"Without accurate consumer profiles or channel analysis from marketing, our new product rollout has been pushed back by three weeks. We've missed the optimal launch window entirely."

"Regarding the co-branding initiative, the marketing team's failure to finalize details with our partners has led to serious dissatisfaction. The collaboration is now at risk of being shelved."

Nearly every department reported setbacks, and in each case, the underlying issue traced back to the marketing team.

When the presentations concluded, all eyes shifted toward Sophia.

Lucas' brow furrowed. He looked directly at her, his tone carefully neutral. "Sophia, what's going on in your department?"

Sophia lowered her gaze, her voice softening into a defensive murmur. "Lucas... everyone, I've only recently stepped into this role. There's still so much I'm learning about our processes and ongoing projects. I just need a little more time to get up to speed."

Her helpless demeanor might have drawn sympathy at a casual social gathering, but here, in a room full of results-driven executives, it only came across as unprofessional.

Someone near the end of the table muttered under their breath, "When Ms. Harper first joined, she had everything under control within a couple of days..."

Sophia's cheeks flushed crimson.

She bit her lip and cast a pleading look toward Lucas, hoping to appeal to his protectiveness.

In front of the entire leadership team, playing the victim was her only available move.

Lucas' expression tightened.

He couldn't dismiss the team's concerns—they were valid.

But he also couldn't let the situation spiral, much less publicly admit he might have made a poor hiring decision.

After a pause, he spoke with deliberate authority, "I'll be stepping in to oversee the marketing department's operations personally for the time being. And let's remember—we're a team. Keep the feedback professional and avoid letting personal biases affect collaboration."

With Lucas openly shielding Sophia, the room fell into a reluctant silence. Any further objections were swallowed for now.

The meeting wrapped up shortly after, the air still thick with unspoken criticism.

"Sophia, come to my office," Lucas said as he stood to leave.

*****

"Explain," Lucas began without preamble, leaning against his desk. "What exactly has been taking up all your time? Why are so many projects stalled?"

Sophia's eyes welled up, and within seconds, tears began to roll down her cheeks.

"Lucas, I've been pouring all my energy into revising the proposal for the Harper Group deal!" she choked out between sobs. "It's not that I'm ignoring everything else, but Vincent—the lead on Harper's side—is impossibly difficult. His feedback is all over the place. I've rewritten the proposal eight times now, and he still isn't satisfied.

"This one project has consumed every bit of my focus lately."

Watching Sophia's teary, resentful face, Lucas couldn't help but think of Riley.

It was well known in the industry that Harper Group was a demanding client, notorious for its high standards.

But then again... why had Riley consistently managed to meet those standards?

Under similarly tough conditions, how had she flown to Nexopolis alone and secured such a major agreement?

A faint sense of disappointment settled in his chest.

"Send me the latest version of the proposal," Lucas said, impatience edging into his voice. "And you need to work on managing your priorities. The company has more than one project running at a time. As a department head, you're accountable to the entire organization."

Sniffling, Sophia pulled out her phone, located the most recent draft she had sent to Vincent, and forwarded it to Lucas.

He took the phone and scrolled through the document, his eyes narrowing almost immediately.

He hadn't even finished the first page before his frown deepened.

With each passing second, his displeasure became more evident.