From His Fake Wife to Billionaire Heiress (Riley and Lucas) novel Chapter 460

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Chapter 460 A Public Ploy to Trap Riley

Chapter 460 A Public Ploy to Trap Riley

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Her hand stopped mid–motion over the page. She frowned and corrected him without thinking, “My family’s place? You mean yours. But your parents are still out of town. Didn’t you say they’re back next week? Did their plans change?”

“I meant yours,” Sebastian spoke in a calm yet loaded tone. “Your mother dropped by my office this morning. She said you hadn’t been home for quite some time, that the whole family missed you, and asked me to see that you come home for a family dinner.”

The smile on Riley’s face vanished. Her eyes went cold. “She went to your office?”

“Yeah.” His voice dropped a little. “But I had a cross–border meeting and couldn’t step away. By the time I got out, I heard she’d already left.”

Riley forced herself to breathe through the irritation coiling in her chest. “Got it. Pick me up after work. We’ll go together.”

She hung up, and her face darkened.

Melissa could have asked Zavier or sent Raymond to deliver the message if she truly wanted her back home. Instead, she went straight to Sebastian–the most drastic choice she could make.

She was simply putting on an act for him. She wanted to frame Riley as cold and uncaring, a daughter whose mother had to beg her husband just for a chance to visit.

Riley was still stewing when the office door swung open.

Raymond walked in looking grim. He’d clearly heard something. The second he saw her displeased face, he frowned.

“Riley, you look awful. What’s going on?” He pulled out the chair across from her and sat. “I heard you just ordered the Wharfbrook contract terminated. What happened?”

Riley packed away her anger at Melissa in an instant, shoving it down and switching back to the cool, professional mask.

She didn’t launch into a rant about Stephen’s disgusting behavior the night before. Instead, she pulled out the evaluation report she’d already prepared and slid it across the desk.

“Raymond, read this first. Shareholders will definitely question the call to scap the Wharfbrook project, but I’ve made my decision for good reason.” She spoke in a purely business tone, “Our full review confirms Stephen’s firm isn’t qualified for a project this large. The initial vetting was clearly flawed. Pushing ahead will only leave us dealing with far worse problems later on.

“And their internal management is chaos. Passing the buck, dragging their feet–their efficiency doesn’t come close to my standards. I’d rather cut our losses now than try to patch things up after they fall apart.”

Raymond took the report and flipped through it page by page. The more he read, the darker his expression got. The data and field assessments painted a clear picture: the company was a hollow shell with a shiny coat of paint.

He was quiet for a long moment, then let out a hard exhale. “I didn’t personally oversee this one when the contract was signed had no idea the team dropped the ball this badly. Bringing in a company at this level is a joke.”

He looked up at Riley with open approval. “You made the right call. If the qualifications are bad, stopping now is the smart play. Don’t worry about the shareholders. I’ll handle that myself.”

The business was settled, but Raymond didn’t leave. He glanced at his watch like it was nothing. “Sothear you and Sebastian are going to the house for dinner tonight?”

1/2

11:57 am P PPT.

Chapter–460 A Public Ploy to Trap Riley

+20 Free Coins

Riley’s expression flattened a little. “Yeah. She went to Torres Group in person to track down Sebastian. Told him I hadn’t been home, and the whole family misses me. Guess have to go be a good daughter now.”

An awkward, apologetic look crossed Raymond’s face. They both knew Melissa had gone too far. Turning up at Sebastian’s office was nothing but a public ploy to trap Riley.

But she was still their mother, and whatever words he might have said died in his throat. He just sighed.

That evening, Sebastian’s car pulled into the Harper Group underground lot half an hour early.

Riley had already told Zavier and Raymond not to wait for her.

She slid into the back seat and noticed the space beside her was stacked with elegantly wrapped gifts.

She raised an eyebrow at Sebastian, who had one hand draped over the steering wheel. “Why so much? It’s not your first time.”

He caught her eye in the rearview mirror. His expression was even. “It’s about respect. Your mother extended the invitation personally. Basic courtesy still applies.”