From His Fake Wife to Billionaire Heiress (Riley and Lucas) novel Chapter 440

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Chapter 440 l Handle This Project Personally

Chapter 440 I’ll Handle This Project Personally

“Mason,” Riley said: “You’re the project lead. Tell me. What’s so difficult that it can’t be solved?”

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Mason Green felt the sweat bead at his temples. He forced his voice to stay steady and went on, Ms. Harper, the project does have some… difficulties. It’s mainly the other side, the Wharfbrook team. Their demands are excessive, and they’re aggressive about it They keep adding new requirements. Communication hasn’t been smooth.”

It was a textbook deflection–polished yet hollow. Blame the outsiders, shirk responsibility. Every manager in the room had run this exact play at some point.

Riley had done her research long before she walked into this room.

The Wharfbrook project was one of Harper Group’s key projects for H2, with sky–high margins and an eye–watering bonus pool

Everyone across the department saw this as a coveted prize worth grabbing. A few had padded the team with warm bodies- friends, allies, anyone looking to cash in. They called it a “collective effort,” but it was just a mob scrambling for credit while the

real work went untouched.

Riley understood all of it. She didn’t let it show.

“I see.” She tapped her fingers against the desk, slow and thoughtful. Then she shifted gears and dropped a decision no one saw coming. “Since communication is so difficult, I’ll handle this project personally going forward. Mason, distribute the backlog of small projects you’ve been sitting on. Get them done. I want results within a week.”

The room went cold. She was taking the department’s richest project. The one everyone had been milking. She was cutting off their money.

They could swallow a power play. They could not swallow her taking food off their plates.

A guy in his late twenties, one of the louder voices in the department, couldn’t hold back. He’d been around long enough to feel untouchable. He shot to his feet and threw his challenge straight at her.

“Ms. Harper! What’s the point of this? You’re a Harper. You don’t need the bonus money. We’ve been grinding on this project for months!”

His words hit a nerve. A chorus of muttering rose behind him.

“Yeah, Ms. Harper, this isn’t how things work,” someone grumbled.

“We’ve been on this forever. You can’t just take it,” another added.

Riley let a faint smile tug at the corner of her mouth.

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“Who walks away from money? Bigger bonus, better life.” She shrugged, letting the admission land. Then her voice snapped sharp. “But there’s something I forgot to mention. Starting today, the performance rules in this department are changing. The era of getting paid for showing up is over. No more bonuses just for existing. No more coasting without consequences.”

She turned the laptop screen to face the room. The data she’d pulled up glowed in clean, damning lines.

“According to this report, given the resources we’ve allocated and standard industry timelines, the Wharfbrook project should have reached its initial design lock within two weeks. Maximum.

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Chapter 440 TL Handle This Project Personally

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ayou’ve had over a month. You still don’t have a final proposal. So let me ask the colleague who just claimed he’s been working so hard. Where exactly is the work? in doubling out costs and burning our time?

“From now on, any project that faus below industry efficiency benchmarks gets hit. No bonuses. Not a cent. And I’ll deduct from your base pay based on how badly you’ve dragged it out.”

The room froze. She wasn’t bluffing. Every word was backed by numbers they couldn’t argue with. They’d thought she was a figurehead they could work around. She was the complète opposite–sharp, prepared, and unmovable.

Riley let her gaze settle back on the man still standing. “I’m taking over this project now. Do you have a problem with that?”

His mouth opened and closed. Nothing came out. Her presence pressed down on him, and whatever fife he’d had was gone. He dropped back into his seat, his jaw tight.

One example was all it took.

The meeting ended in total victory for Riley.

Less than thirty minutes after it wrapped, Vincent knocked on her office door. He stepped inside and transferred five freshly signed resignation letters to her computer.