The True Heiress Reborn And Slays (Alicia Delaney) novel Chapter 330

Chapter 330 A Choice to Make

Caleb shut his eyes briefly when they reopened, his gaze had turned sharp and detached.

“Here’s the situation–you have two women in front of you now. You‘!! have to let one of them go.

“Riley or Sophia. Your call.

“If you pick Riley, Sophia still holds the marriage license, and she’s got the media wrapped around her finger. She could seriou tank your reputation and leave you with nothing. The Ashford name can’t afford that kind of scandal.

“But if you go with Sophia and publicly recognize her as your wife, you can keep her quiet for now and get this mess under co As for the future…” A cold, calculating gleam flashed in Caleb’s eyes. “You know as well as I do–being Mrs. Ashford has never t a walk in the park.”

Lucas felt the color drain from his face.

f he’d been asked to make this choice just a little while ago, he might’ve chosen Sophia without a second thought.

After all, she was the one he’d cared about since they were kids–the one he always thought he’d end up with.

But now…

The image he’d held of Sophia had completely shattered.

She was tainted–not just in body, but in spint, driven by ambition and greed.

Choosing her would be like inviting a snake into his bed–one that could turn and strike him at any moment.

He shook his head violently, almost blurting out, “No, Grandpa/I can’t give up Riley!

‘I don’t want Sophia! I don’t want some scheming, manipulative woman sleeping next to me!”

But Caleb only stared back at him, unmoved.

‘Lucas,” he said slowly, “this isn’t really up to you anymore.

‘The moment you walked in here and dropped this disaster in my–tap, you handed me the decision.

(

‘And I’m choosing Sophia.

‘The engagement announcement in a few days will proceed as scheduled. But in front of all the cameras and every guest, you will make it clear that you and Riley were never engaged, and certainly never legally married. Sophia is your lawful wife—the one you’ve been married to in private. She is Jeremy’s biological mother. She is the rightful Mrs. Ashford”

Lucas looked as though he’d been struck by lightning. He staggered back a step, staring at his grandfather in disbelief.

“You can’t be serious… How could you do this to Riley? It’s beyond unfair she’ll hate me for the rest of her life!”

“Hate you?” Caleb’s voice was laced with the cold, dismissive tone of someone who’d wielded power for decades “Riley might cefuse to accept it. She might walk away. But let’s be real–she’s a woman with no family name and no connections. If she leaves you, leaves the Ashfords behind, where exactly does she think she’ll go?

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“averbrook in’t that big if you decide you want her back later, it won’t be hard to find her.

“You need to understand something, Lucas,” Caleb said finally, placing a heavy hand on his shoulder. The weight of it nearly ma Lucas buckle. “No matter how Capable or proud Riley might be, in this world, she won find a better match than the Ashford na A little heartbreak now in exchange for a lifetime of security and comfort–she isn’t foolish enough to pass that up.”

In that moment, Lucas was hit by a wave of bitter irbay.

How ridiculous this all was.

Not long ago, his heart had belonged to Sophia–the girl he’d loved since childhood. But to secure his position as the Ashford h and to get his grandfather off his back, he’d chosen Riley–sharp, competent, but without the right pedigree–as his public decc his marital shield.

He’d used her, pushed her into the public eye, while keeping Sophia hidden in the shadows.

Now that Sophia had bared her fangs and flipped the board over, his grandfather was doing the exact opposite–forcing him to choose Sophia and cement her status.

And yet, without even realizing it, his heart had already shifted toward Riley–the woman he once saw as little more than a meal

o an end.

Sacrifice Riley to save himself? Demote her from the nightful Mrs. Ashford to some hidden secret, some shadow in the backgrour

No. It wasn’t just unfair.

t would completely trample over everything that had grown between them.

But…

Lucas dug his nails hard into his palms. The sharp, physical pain cut through the fog in his mind, bringing a moment of cold clarit

f he didn’t go along with this, he stood to lose everything.

His position as the Ashford heir. His role as CEO. His standing as one of Havenbrook’s most eligible bachelors…

He’d been born into all of this–the tailored suits, the fine dining, the constant admiration. He’d never known a single day of real struggle. He couldn’t even picture what it would be like to lose it all

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