From His Fake Wife to Billionaire Heiress (Riley and Lucas) novel Chapter 454

Chapter 454 Stephen’s Company Was bleeding Cash

Chapter 454 Stephen’s Company Was Bleeding Cash

Stephen was practically glowing, taiking like he and Sebastian were old friends.

Then he shifted gears and dragged his eyes up and down Riley with a pitying shake of his head.

“Honestly, Ms. Harper, you’re beautiful. With your looks, you could clean up anywhere else,” he said.

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He paused and let out an exaggerated sigh. “Too bad everyone knows Mr. Torres never falls for that sort of charm. He’s ice cold. He never so much as glances at any woman. Still, with looks like yours, if you can get him to notice you, you’ll be set for life Top projects, big deals, key partnerships-all yours, just like that. That’s one serious shortcut!”

He said it with total sincerity, as he pitied her, like his little speech was some generous gift of wisdom.

Riley nearly laughed out loud. She struggled to hold back her smile. She schooled her features into polite regret and said softly, “Oh. I see.”

Yeah, such a shame. That famously ice-cold,

iding Sebastian just happens to be the man I’m lecersymmet

She let Stephen bask in his condescending advice

traced idly across the cool tabletop.

She had no intention of

ng more time on this

or

face holding steady at just the right shade of disappointment. Her fingers

playing along with his games.

She pulled the project proposal from her bag, her movements crisp and efficient. The cold, detached aura she carried cut straight

through the stale ene room.

“Mr. Baker, I think we’ve chatted long enough.” She pushed the documents to the center of the table and met his eyes with a calm, steady gaze. “Before the food arrives, let’s go over the core project details. Time is valuable for both of us,” she said.

Stephen was mid-brag when she cut him off, and his face twitched. He grumbled internally about her being tactless and putting on airs. Still, he forced his smile back on and flipped through the documents with a show of attention.

“Naturally, Ms. Harper. You’re a real go-getter. Very driven. I’ll play along, absolutely,” he said.

But after just a few key questions, Riley’s brow creased, almost too subtle to catch.

She’d figured Stephen, for all his sleaze and incompetence, might at least have some basic professional knowledge. The deeper the conversation went, the clearer it became that he understood almost nothing about the project. Every answer was shallow, and he dodged every question about core profit splits and technical pathways.

Worse, Vincent’s quiet investigation had turned up the fact that Stephen’s company was bleeding cash. Their liquidity couldn’t possibly support a cross-border collaboration of this scale.

A man on the edge of bankruptcy had swaggered into this project. He was dragging it out with zero consequences, and no one at headquarters had held him accountable.

The implications made Riley’s eyes go cold. Someone upstairs had to be covering for him, or a mess like this would’ve collapsed ages ago. His connection to Logan clearly ran deeper than she’d first guessed.

At the same moment, the door to the neighboring room swung open.

Sebastian walked in with his people behind him.

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12:28 pm ppp

Chapter 454 Stephen’s Company Was Biceding Cash

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wit had assumed Riley would come along. Booking two connecting rooms was an obvious play. When he stopped inside and found the coom, set up for two, sitting empty, his face looked confused.

“Mr. Torres, I thought Ms. Harper was joining us?” he asked.

Sebastian unbuttoned his jacket slowly and turned a cold gaze to the shared wall. “She’s next door taking care of business. Shwit be over soon,” he said.

David paused, then something clicked. His expression shifted, and he dropped his voice. “Mr. Torres, forgive me for overstepping heard Ms. Harper is meeting Stephen Baker today. He has a poor reputation and usda dirty tactics. He’s known for cornering women at dinners. You should call Ms. Harper over. Leaving them alone worries me she could get trapped.”

At the words “corner women,” Sebastian lifted an eyebrow. A cold, sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and the rooff’s atmosphere turned icy in an instant.

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