From His Fake Wife to Billionaire Heiress (Riley and Lucas) novel Chapter 434

Chapter 434 A Broke Relative

The receptionist rolled her eyes with exaggerated drama. “Look, lady, let’s get something straight. Mr. Raymond Harper has one sister, Ms. Elsie Harper. Where exactly did you pop up from? You one of those broke relatives from the sticks who bears the Harpers hit it big and figured you’d show up and milk the connection?”

Several curious stares landed on Riley.

She didn’t flinch. Not even a twitch. She just stood there, spine straight, expression, unreadable. If anything, she looked faintly amused.

So this was the Harper family’s image. This was what Melissa and Elsie had spent years cultivating Raymond had one sister. And she, the real one, was being called a broke relative.

Riley stood still, her cool, steady gaze fixed on the arrogant receptionist.

She’d seen this play out a hundred times at work: suck up to the rich, step on the poor, judge everyone by their clothes. It didn’t even stir anything in her anymore.

She held the receptionist’s gaze, calm and unwavering. The receptionist started to squirm, her mouth opening to call security.

That was when the executive elevator at the far end of the lobby chimed.

The doors slid open, and Raymond strode out.

His expression had been tense, but the second his eyes landed on the slim, striking figure in the middle of the lobby, his face lit up with undisguised delight.

“Riley!” His voice carried across the marble floor before he’d even reached her.

The receptionist’s sneer froze on her face. She turned, disbelieving, and watched the usually stern, intimidating Raymond walk straight toward the woman she’d just insulted.

Raymond halted before Riley, his eyes sweeping over her. She looked well, steady. He exhaled in relief.

A warm smile tugged at his lips. “You’re early. I was upstairs setting up your new office. I figured I’d time it to come down and meet you, but you beat me to it.”

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Riley raised an eyebrow. The cool distance she wore around strangers softened a little. “I don’t make a habit of being late to work. If I’m starting at Harper Group, I’d rather not hand my new boss ammunition on day one.”

He shook his head, laughing. “You and your work ethic.”

The receptionist’s brain had gone completely blank. A string of panicked expressions flashed across her face. She forced herself to speak, her voice trembling, “Mr. Raymond Harper, may I ask who this is?”

Raymond’s smile vanished the moment he turned toward her. What replaced it was pure boardroom authority.

He rested a hand on Riley’s shoulder with natural ease. His sharp gaze swept over the receptionist and the employees pretending not to watch from the corners.

“Let’s be clear. This is my sister, Riley Harper. As of today, she’s also the new director of the marketing department ”

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The receptionist’s ears rang.

The woman she’d sneered at and written off for not wearing designer labels was Raymond’s own sister–not some distant cousin, but the real one. She was the person he’d come downstairs to escort personally, and the new marketing director.

She thought about the words that had just come out of her mouth, and her knees nearly buckled. Insulting the boss‘ daughter was

a career ender.

“I’m so sorry! Ms. Harper!” She bent at the waist, her voice cracking into a near–sob. “I was completely out of line!”

The other employees sucked in sharp breaths and edged backward, desperate to avoid the fallout.

Riley watched the receptionist trembling before her. Her words had been nasty, that much was true. But she understood office politics. The higher one climbed, the more petty obstacles one faced.

It was her first day at Harper Group. If she made a scene and fired a low–level employee over a few sharp words, she’d brand herself as a tyrant before she even got started. She’d make enemies she didn’t need.

She let her gaze settle on the woman. “Next time, think three times before you open your mouth. Not everyone will give you a second chance.”

She turned to Raymond, “Let’s go up.”

Raymond raised an eyebrow. He’d expected Riley, who didn’t tolerate nonsense, to make an example out of the clueless receptionist. Instead, she’d handled it with a light touch–firm enough to command respect, generous enough to show class.

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