From His Fake Wife to Billionaire Heiress Chapter 99: Being the Center of Attention

But he had no clue—none at all—that by handing Riley the toughest task, he'd just given her the perfect weapon to take Sophia down for good.

Riley waited in Lucas' office for less than ten minutes.

A knock came at the door. Then Sophia appeared in the doorway, looking a little flustered.

She'd clearly been walking fast. Small strands of hair near her temples were damp with sweat, and her breathing was a bit unsteady.

When she saw Riley sitting on the couch, her eyes darted away for a second. Then she turned to Lucas behind his desk and forced out a sweet smile. "Lucas, I'm here."

Lucas' gaze lingered on her messy hair for a moment, but then he looked away.

He said, "Good. Sophia, I've already discussed the work situation with Riley. Now, take her back to the marketing department and get her up to speed."

Sophia caught the real meaning behind the last sentence. That little bit of resentment she felt—about being outshone by Riley—vanished, replaced by a smug sense of satisfaction.

I am the marketing director.

So what if Riley is back?

I am still the one in charge.

"Of course, Lucas. Don't worry. I'll take good care of Riley," she said right away, then glanced at Riley with the look of someone who'd already won.

Riley acted like she didn't catch the challenge in Sophia's voice. She stood up from the couch.

She even gave Sophia a faint smile.

The two of them walked out of the executive office one after another and headed toward the elevator.

Sophia made sure to stay half a step ahead, back straight, trying hard to look like a leader on a tour of her domain.

The elevator doors opened. In the small space, it was just the two of them.

Riley looked at the damp strands of hair still stuck to Sophia's temple. Then, as if something suddenly crossed her mind, she asked with concern, "Hey, Sophia—you walked all the way from the corner. That's pretty far. Aren't you tired? Looks like you worked up a sweat."

Sophia's smile froze on her face.

She instinctively raised a hand and touched her slightly messy hair.

Then she said, "Not at all. It's rush hour. If Lucas drove all the way to the company entrance, he'd just get stuck in traffic. I got out early and walked a bit—it saves him time. Besides, if it's good for the company and good for the work, a little extra effort is totally worth it."

The words sounded so noble, like she was the model employee who always put the company and her boss first.

Riley listened, offering a faint smile. She said nothing.

Watching Sophia say all these pretty lies out loud, swallowing the bitterness and pretending she loves every second of it, this kind of mental torture is way more satisfying than a straight-up fight.

The elevator reached the marketing floor quickly.

As soon as the doors opened, Sophia pulled herself together, put on her director's attitude, and strode out first.

She cleared her throat and clapped her hands, her voice a few notches higher than usual. "Everyone, stop what you're doing and gather around. I have an announcement."

The employees in the office—some slacking off, some pretending to be busy—looked up and started crowding around.

Sophia loved being the center of attention.

She stood right in the middle of the department, cleared her throat again, and announced in a condescending tone, "Everyone, this is Riley. I'm sure the old-timers here remember her. She used to work in marketing, too. For the next little while, since we're busy with projects, we've asked Riley to come back and help out. Let's give her a warm welcome."

Sophia deliberately left out any mention of a title or specific responsibilities. She wanted everyone to know—loud and clear—that she, Sophia, was still the one in charge here.

As for Riley? She was just yesterday's news, brought in to take orders and help out.

After she finished speaking, a scattered round of applause followed.

The veteran employees clapped sincerely. The newer ones mostly did it out of politeness, putting in a half-hearted effort.

Sophia looked pleased with the result.

She turned to Riley with a fake smile. "So, Riley, where do you think you'd like to sit? My office is pretty big. How about... I clear it out for you?"

Then, as if the idea suddenly seemed wrong, she changed her tune. "Oh, wait, that won't work. I have so many files in there. Or—I'll ask admin to add another desk inside. We can split the space fifty-fifty. That way, it's easy to talk about work whenever we need to. What do you think?"

Riley watched her perform, her expression calm, unmoved.

"No, thanks," she said flatly, cutting Sophia's one-woman show short. "The office belongs to the director. I don't want to get in your way. Just find me a spot outside."

She didn't fight for anything—it made all the lines Sophia had carefully prepared completely useless.

Sophia's smile flickered. Then she pointed to the most out-of-the-way empty desk in the corner, in the worst spot. "Well... how about here?" she asked, pretending to hesitate. "This is where the interns used to sit. The lighting isn't great. Would that be too beneath you?"