From His Fake Wife to Billionaire Heiress (Riley and Lucas) novel Chapter 102

Chapter 102 Any Problem With That?

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“The same amount of work used to take our marketing department a day and a half tops. Now, considering we have new people who need to adjust, I’m giving two full days. That’s already the most lenient I can be.

“So, Ms. Myers–spare me the talk about being considerate.”

She cut off any excuse Sophia might have tried to make, “I’m not their boss anymore.

“If they’re too slow or lack the skills, and the work doesn’t get done on time, that’s your problem to handle as the director.

“And if you can’t handle them–or if you can’t handle it yourself…”

Riley lowered her voice slightly. Sophia’s heart skipped a beat.

With a smile, Riley added, “Then I’ll have no choice but to go to the CEO’s office and report directly to Mr. Ashford. I’ll tell him that even with my help, you still can’t manage this department or deliver the company’s most important project on time.”

The moment those words landed, almost everyone in the room was stunned–especially Sophia.

Her eyes went wide, full of disbelief,

She’d never expected Riley to be this aggressive, this ruthless.

But Riley didn’t give her a second to recover.

She picked up another folder from the desk already prepared–and handed it directly to Sophia.

“Ms. Myers, as department head, just giving orders all day won’t help you grow,” Riley said, her tone leaving no room for argument. “This is the part you’re responsible for.”

Sophia, instinctively intimidated by Riley’s presence, fumbled and took the folder.

She looked down. Inside were the deeper market research reports and competitor analysis for the Hollow Garden project, plus some cross–departmental resources she’d need to coordinate on her own.

Sophia looked up abruptly. “What about you? What will you be doing?”

“Me?” Riley repeated slowly. “I’ll be resting, drinking coffee, and waiting to see what you all come up with.”

She glanced at her watch. “After all, I came back to help you manage the department better. Not to be free labor.”

Those words hit Sophia like a slap in the face.

This isn’t helping. Riley is acting like the queen of the whole floor.

But the thing was no one could really argue with her. Because Riley’s position here wasn’t ordinary.

Sophia felt a fire burning in her chest.

Her authority as director had just been trampled into the dirt in front of all her subordinates

“That’s not okay!” The words flew out of her mouth. “This company doesn’t pay people to do nothing, Riley! You can’t just sit

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Chapter 102 Any Problem With That?

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around!”

Riley’s smile deepened.

She let out a soft laugh.

“Sophia, that’s where you’re wrong.” Riley looked at her, eyes sharp, and hit the key point. “Who’s paying me to be here? You?”

Riley wasn’t Sophia’s employee. Lucas had personally approved her return–probably through the president’s office itself.

Her pay and her position had nothing to do with Sophia.

Which meant Sophia had no authority over her at all.

Sophia was speechless. She finally realized she’d gotten it wrong from the start.

She’d thought Riley was just coming back to help–someone she could boss around.

But in reality, Riley was working with Lucas‘ full backing, operating outside the department structure entirely. She was here as an

overseer.

Sophia stood there, mouth open, her face pale.

Just as the two of them faced off, the office’s glass door swung open from the outside.

Lucas walked in, followed by his assistant, Trevor Iverson. He looked like he was in a hurry.

Sophia’s eyes lit up like she’d spotted a lifeline. She nearly ran over to him.

“Mr. Ashford! Thank God you’re here!” Her expression was pitiful. “You have no idea–Riley doesn’t care about my reputation at all. She’s been bossing everyone around and doing absolutely nothing herself. She just said she’s waiting for us to report our results to

her.”

She poured out her complaints, trying to make Riley look arrogant and irresponsible, hoping to win Lucas‘ sympathy.

Riley stayed where she was, her expression calm. She didn’t offer a single word in her defense.

Her gaze went right past Sophia and landed on Lucas‘ face.

“Mr. Ashford,” Riley said, her voice still cool but carrying a quiet, confident tone–nothing like Sophia’s frantic energy. “My plan gives everyone in this department something to do, with clear goals. Do you see… any problem with that?”

Lucas hadn’t expected to walk into this mess when he came down to find Riley.

A flicker of annoyance crossed his mind.

From the company’s perspective, did Riley’s plan have any issues?

No

Clear division of labor, responsibilities assigned to specific people, firm deadlines—this was exactly the kind of efficient workflow

Lucas admired most.

It could push a team to reach its full potential and get this nearly broken department running at full speed again.

7:44 pm

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Chapter 103 Bargaining Chips