Chapter 296: His Real Motive!

Meanwhile, in a vehicle heading toward Sterling Group, Riley sat in the back seat, absentmindedly fiddling with his cell phone.

His confidence had grown after the presentation when he got a call from one of their military insiders, who told him the higher-ups had favored their presentation.

’It’s about time, Riley,’ he told himself with satisfaction. ’It’s about time you win this and prove to everyone that you’re capable of leading Sterling Tech.’

Now, he couldn’t stop himself from wanting to share the good news with his father. Winning the project would be an important step for him.

He turned toward the window to check how far they were from Sterling Group, only to realize that they were still about ten minutes away.

Riley sighed and relaxed against the seat, already imagining his father’s joyful and proud reaction when he told him the news.

A few moments later, his cell phone vibrated. A smile immediately appeared on his face because he assumed it was his father calling him. However, when he looked at the screen, his expression changed slightly.

’Huh? Why did Sister Jess call me?’

For a moment, he simply stared at her name before finally answering the call.

"Sister—"

"Riley..." Jessica Simmons cut him off before he could finish. Her voice sounded frantic. "Why didn’t you stop me?"

A faint smile played on Riley’s lips. He knew exactly what she meant, but he decided to pretend he had no idea.

"What do you mean, Sis?"

"I visited her cafe and found out that they’re already married!"

"I’ve told you, but you ignored it," Riley said with a small chuckle. "You should’ve believed me the first time, but you didn’t."

Jessica fell silent. Riley could still hear her breathing through the phone, and then there was a loud crash on the other end, as if something had been thrown or dropped.

Riley raised an eyebrow but didn’t ask what had broken.

After a moment, Jessica spoke again, her voice filled with frustration.

"Damn it, Riley! You should have at least stopped me. Do you know what happened when I met that woman?"

Riley rubbed his eyebrow and asked casually, "Did she throw water on your face, or slap you again?"

"What the heck? Of course not!" Jessica’s voice rose sharply, forcing Riley to pull the phone away from his ear for a moment. The sudden volume made his ear ache.

"Huh? She didn’t do either of those things?"

"It was worse than that," Jessica replied angrily. "She called Zach and put the call on speakerphone. Damn it, that girl is really vicious."

Riley’s smile widened slightly when he heard Jessica curse Sienna. This was exactly what he wanted to hear. He wanted Jessica to become frustrated enough to keep pursuing Zachary, because as long as she stayed focused on his uncle, he could continue using her for his own plans.

"I already helped you approach my uncle again, but you’re too slow, Sister Jess," Riley teased.

Jessica didn’t answer immediately, but Riley knew she was still listening.

"Are you giving up on pursuing my uncle?" he asked carefully.

"Of course not!" Jessica answered without hesitation. "I believe Zach still loves me; that’s why he hasn’t yet announced his marriage. I just need to meet him again and remind him of what we had."

"Hahaha, that’s the spirit I wanted to hear." Riley leaned back comfortably, a satisfied smile appearing on his face. "You still have a chance, and I’ll support you in getting them separated, Sister."

Jessica laughed, sounding much more cheerful than she had a few moments earlier.

"Ugh, Riley, can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Why do you seem so happy that I’m back with Zach?"

Riley’s hand tightened around his cell phone at the question.

For a moment, he said nothing.

The real answer was simple. He also still wanted Sienna. He had never given up on the idea of having her. If Zachary and Sienna were separated, Riley believed he would finally have an opportunity to pursue her. That was why Jessica was so useful to him.

No one knew he had secretly convinced Jessica to return to the country. He had also arranged for her to get close to his grandmother and provided her with information about Zachary. More importantly, he had encouraged Jessica to meet Sienna today.

Riley had expected Sienna to become jealous when she saw Jessica. He had imagined that she would feel threatened by Zachary’s former girlfriend and that the situation would create tension between her and his uncle.

Instead, Sienna had completely surprised him.

She hadn’t shown the jealousy he had expected. In fact, she had remained calm and had even called Zachary in front of Jessica. He had underestimated her, and that realization made him more cautious.

Still, there was no way he could reveal his true motive to Jessica.

"Of course it’s because I like you, Sister," Riley replied smoothly. "You’ve always been kind to me, and I just want to return the favor."

"Riley, you’re the best!" Jessica’s voice immediately brightened.

Riley smiled to himself. "So, what’s your plan now?"

His voice became more serious as he asked the question. He needed to know what Jessica intended to do next so he could decide how much assistance she would need.

"I still haven’t decided yet," Jessica admitted. "But I do have a grand plan to meet him."

"Wow. A grand plan, huh? Share it with me. I might be able to help you make it work," Riley said, sounding genuinely excited.

Jessica began explaining her plan. Riley listened carefully, occasionally nodding even though she couldn’t see him. A small smile remained on his lips as he considered each part of what she told him.

From time to time, he offered additional suggestions, and Jessica happily accepted them.

The conversation continued until the car finally arrived at Sterling Group. Riley glanced through the window and realized they had reached their destination without him noticing how quickly the time had passed.

"Well, Sister, I need to end the call now. Good luck."

"Hahaha, stop calling me Sister. I will be your aunt. Soon."

Riley laughed softly. "Well, you’re too young for me to call you Aunt. Sister is more appropriate."

"Hahaha, all right. I’ll end the call now. Bye!"

"Bye—"