From His Fake Wife to Billionaire Heiress (Riley and Lucas) novel Chapter 11

Chapter 11 Sophia’s Tears and Lies

Chapter 11 Sophia’s Tears and Lies

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Sophia’s tearful accusations made it sound like Riley had committed some kind of unforgivable crime.

Anthea jumped in from the sidelines. “Exactly! That video had to have been doctored. Face it, Riley–just because you can’t have kids doesn’t mean you get to take it out on a child!”

Riley’s expression froze.

No matter how hard she tried to push it down, the words still stung.

The only reason she hadn’t been able to get pregnant was that Lucas had been secretly slipping her birth control pills for the past five years.

She was the victim in all of this–and yet people kept throwing her infertility in her face like it was her fault.

As if five years of marriage meant nothing.

Her voice went cold. “If you’re so convinced the video’s fake, fine. Let’s send it to a professional lab for forensic analysis. We’ll have them check for any signs of editing. And while we’re at it, we’ll invite a few media outlets to document the whole thing.

“If the results show the video’s been tampered with, I’ll get on my knees in front of the cameras and apologize to Sophia and Jeremy. No excuses.”

The mention of the media made Lucas stiffen.

In his world, even a hint of scandal involving the Ashford name could land them in the gossip columns. The last thing he needed was this family mess playing out in public.

“Enough,” he cut in, finally breaking his silence with that polished, measured tone he always used. “Mom. Sophia. I’ve seen the footage. It’s real.”

Then he turned to Riley, attempting to smooth things over. “Riley, Mom and the others were just worried about Jeremy. They didn’t mean what they said. Try not to take it personally.”

Lucas had always been the type to handle things carefully, diplomatically.

Once upon a time, Riley had found that attractive.

Now she saw it for what it was–smoothing things over, brushing everything under the rug.

And somehow, his attempts at peace never seemed to work in her favor.

Sophia recovered quickly.

All traces of hostility vanished, replaced by a look of deep regret. She offered Riley a hollow apology. “I’m so sorry, Riley. I was wrong about you. Jeremy must’ve just really wanted those sweets and was too scared to tell the truth, so he…”

She slipped seamlessly into victim mode. “I’ve raised him mostly on my own since he was little. He’s insecure. More sensitive than other kids…”

Anthea’s face flickered with something almost like embarrassment, but she wasn’t about to admit fault. She waved a hand dismissively. “Well, it was a misunderstanding. Water under the bridge. We’re family–no need to make a federal case out of it.”

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1:11 pm

Chapter 11 Sophia’s Tears and Lies

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Not a word about how unfairly Riley had been treated.

Riley listened to their casual dismissal and felt a cold smile creep up inside her.

She let her own expression soften, matching their energy. “Sophia,” she said earnestly, “when a child starts lying this young, and you don’t correct it, it only gets harder as they grow up.”

She paused, letting her gaze drift meaningfully over Anthea and Lucas. “You’re part of this family now. Jeremy’s being raised under the Ashford name. People talk. And trust me, they’ll notice if the kids here aren’t being taught basic decency.”

Her voice stayed calm. “And building that kind of moral foundation–that’s something a father should be involved in too. Did Jeremy’s biological father just… show up long enough to father him and then disappear? Is that the extent of his involvement?”

The air in the room shifted. Lucas‘ jaw tightened. Anthea’s eyes went sharp.

Calling out the kid’s lack of discipline was one thing. Implying they’d all dropped the ball? That hit closer to home.

But Sophia seemed unwilling to touch the subject of Jeremy’s father. She stammered for a moment before finally managing, “I’ll….. I’ll do better from now on.”

Riley gave a slow, serious nod. “Good. I’m glad we cleared that up. I’m not the type to hold a grudge–even after being wrongly accused, I’m not about to demand anyone kneel or face some kind of family tribunal.”

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