From His Fake Wife to Billionaire Heiress (Riley and Lucas) novel Chapter 191

Chapter 191 The Proof

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Chapter 191 The Proof

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Sebastian reached over and took the present. His gaze lingered on her face a beat too long before he placed the neatly wrapped box on the console table by the entrance.

“What can I get you to drink?” He gestured toward the living room seating area, his tone casual.

“Anything’s fine.” Riley settled onto the sofa, posture slightly stiff. The buttery-soft leather seemed to envelop her.

Without another word, Sebastian moved to the wet bar and began preparing a pour-over coffee.

As the hot water met the grounds, a deep, roasted aroma bloomed in the air, its familiarity somehow steadying Riley’s restless thoughts.

He set a white ceramic mug on the coffee table in front of her, then took a seat in the armchair opposite, crossing one leg over the other with that familiar, effortless poise.

“Do you live here alone?” He lifted his own cup, took a slow sip, and asked offhandedly, “Or does Lucas stop by sometimes?”

Riley wrapped her hands around the warm mug and offered a thin smile. “He’d like to. But as long as he’s playing the perfect son and grandson for the Ashfords, Sophia has a hundred ways to keep him tied up over there so he can’t get away.”

Sebastian’s eyebrow lifted almost imperceptibly. A flicker of understanding passed through his eyes.

He didn’t remark on it, simply returning his cup to the table.

“Good timing, actually,” he said, his eyes resting on her. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to give you.”

With that, he stood and walked toward the nearby study.

A moment later, he returned with a sealed manila envelope and handed it to Riley.

The moment she saw it, her heart gave a hard thump.

She recognized it immediately.

It was the paternity test results for Lucas and Jeremy-the one she’d asked him to arrange, sent discreetly to an accredited lab overseas where Sophia wouldn’t catch wind of it.

Riley had thought she’d have to wait several more days. She hadn’t expected the results back so soon.

She took the envelope, steadied her breathing, and broke the seal.

Inside lay a stack of crisply printed pages.

Her pulse drummed in her ears as she flipped straight to the final page, her eyes scanning downward until they landed on the conclusion.

Her pupils shrank sharply, and her breath caught in her throat for a heartbeat.

There it was, in unambiguous black and white, “Based on the DNA analysis results, Lucas Ashford is excluded as the biological father of Jeremy Ashford…”

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Chapter 191 The Proof

Each word seemed to ignite behind her eyes before crashing into her mind with staggering force.

Excluded as the biological father.

What did that mean, really?

Riley’s breath hitched, then came rushing back, carrying with it a whirlwind of wild, half-formed thoughts.

So Lucas wasn’t Jeremy’s biological father at all?

Sophia had cheated on him, and he’d been completely in the dark-happily raising another man’s child as his own?

It was too absurd. And at the same time, painfully ironic.

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Riley’s fingers tightened around the report. She glanced at the cover, then hastily checked the middle pages, verifying the sample IDs and the laboratory’s credentials.

Yes. It was all legitimate.

It took her several long seconds to absorb the weight of this revelation-a secret that could unravel three generations of the Ashford family.

Then, a slow, incredulous numbness spread through her.

The corners of her mouth lifted unbidden.

She’d once believed Sophia’s cruelest act was framing her and letting her take the blame.

But now it seemed Sophia’s true masterpiece was this sleight of hand-sliding another man’s son into the Ashford lineage, letting Lucas pour all his devotion into a child who didn’t share his blood.

Lucas hadn’t just been a good father. He’d indulged Jeremy’s every whim, all but worshipped the boy.

If he ever found out-that the son he cherished wasn’t biologically his…

Riley pictured the scene, and a quiet, cold satisfaction settled in her chest.

“What is it?”

Sebastian’s low voice cut through her thoughts.

Riley blinked back to the present.

She realized her expression must have given her away, because the man across from her was watching her closely.

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