The True Heiress Reborn And Slays (Alicia Delaney) novel Chapter 331

Chapter 331 First Memory

Chapter 331 First Memory

There was a weariness in Caleb’s voice, nothing like the usual vigor he carried.

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“Seems like the men in our family have a knack for complicating things when it comes to love/We getj tangled up in all the wrong details and lose sight of what’s important. So I’ll leave you with a choice. Spend some time in here and figure out what it is you really want.”

Having said that, Caleb held his gaze for a long moment, then turned and made his way slowly out of the study.

Ever since that last serious illness, he hadn’t been the same. His shoulders seemed to carry a slight slump

now.

Lucas watched his grandfather go, feeling another layer of weight settle over his chest.

He wondered how much longer that oak–the one that had sheltered Ashford Group and stood as its unwavering authority–could remain standing.

The heavy door to the study was pulled quietly shut from the outside by the butler.

Everything fell silent, save for the steady ticking of the antique wall clock, matching the frantic, disordered rhythm of his own heartbeat.

Lucas sank back into the leather couch, allowing the shadows from the drawn curtains to envelop him completely.

The darkness wrapped around him, but it did nothing to quiet the storm raging in his mind.

Memories rushed in, one after another, until finally they rested on the very first time he had ever seen Riley.

When was it again?

Oh, right–it was at a family get–together.

He’d overheard a couple of his uncles talking about how Grandpa had recently moved some woman into a mid–level management role. They said she was sharp, got results, and Caleb was clearly impressed.

Since they also mentioned she was easy on the eyes and carried herself well, Lucas–barely twenty at the time–chimed in with his older, idle relatives and tossed out a few crude assumptions. He figured maybe Caleb was getting sentimental, and this ambitious woman had somehow charmed her way into his good graces.

After all, his grandmother had been gone for more than ten years.

And in a place like Havenbrook, you saw that kind of pairing all the time–some wealthy guy in his seventies with a woman half his age on his arm. Nobody even batted an eye anymore.

But back then, Riley hadn’t really been on his radar.

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Chapter 331 First Memory

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He was young, cocky, full of himself. His attention belonged solely to Sophia, the girl he’d known since they were kids. Every other woman was just background noise, not worth a second glance.

It wasn’t long before Riley’s name came up again. Only this time, it wasn’t through gossip or hearsay–it was in the company’s internal reports.

Over the following few months, this woman from out of town led her team at a breakneck pace and secured several projects that initially, nobody had given much chance of success.

These were ventures that seasoned managers at Ashford Group had passed on, deeming them too risky with too little return.

But Riley, with her keen instincts and no–nonsense style, turned every one of them into solid wins, pulling in serious revenue for the company.

Whatever her real motives were–whether she was desperate to prove herself or genuinely passionate about the work–her competence was undeniable.

Lucas sat in his office, flipping through Riley’s quarterly reviews, his mouth drawn into a tight line.

Somewhere deep down, he felt the first real flicker of curiosity about the person behind the name.

But at that time, Sophia was still the central storyline of his life.

Then Caleb found out about Lucas and Sophia.

He hit the roof, made sure Sophia was cut off from the family circle, and laid down the law to Lucas: he was to have nothing further to do with her.

Faced with his grandfather’s heavy–handed approach, Lucas mostly felt a stubborn, rebellious sense of loyalty.

He truly believed what he felt for Sophia was real. His heart, he thought, was already full—no space left for anyone else, least of all some society match Caleb had in mind.

Even so, when Caleb offhandedly asked if Lucas wanted to join him for the major bid presentation on Riley’s latest project, Lucas found himself clearing a few less–important commitments and agreeing to go.

He told himself he was just humoring his grandpa–plus, he was curious to see what the buzz around this | highly capable woman was really about.

The conference hall was buzzing, packed with people.

Lucas sat in the VIP section, his eyes cutting through the crowd until they landed on the figure standing at the podium.

Under the bright lights, Riley stood tall and composed in a taupe pantsuit.

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