The True Heiress Reborn And Slays (Alicia Delaney) novel Chapter 623

Chapter 623 A Stalling Tactic

The second the door clicked shut behind them, Miranda lost her composure. She gripped Riley’s hand tightly, her voice shaking with urgency. “Riley, what on earth… what are you really thinking? What did you mean just now? You’re not actually going to cave and let that Teresa into our lives, are you? You can’t be that naive!”

Seeing Miranda’s eyes well up with anxious tears, Riley patted her hand reassuringly. All the hurt and helplessness she’d shown earlier were gone–only a faint, mocking glint stayed in her eyes.

She let out a soft, dry chuckle. “Miranda, where’s your head? Tantrums and emotional blackmail don’t work on me. That was just a stalling tactic to buy time.”

Miranda froze, the meaning of the words not sinking in immediately.

Riley let go of her hand and walked to the window, staring out at the dark night. Her voice was clear, steady, and full of quiet calculation. “Let me ask you something. Since Wilson has two wives, do you have the first wife’s contact info? His original spouse?”

“The first wife?” Miranda’s confusion grew, and she answered almost automatically. “I have her number. We still catch up on holidays… but Riley, why on earth are you asking about her?”

A mysterious smile tugged at Riley’s lips. She turned around, her eyes sharp with intelligence under the room’s warm light. “Miranda, think, The whole dramatic act Wilson and Marina pulled today–crying, threatening to hurt themselves–they’ve used that trick on this family before. And it must have worked, or they wouldn’t be so good at it now.

“They’re counting on the fact that old money families like ours care about their reputation and hate scandals. They think if they play the victim or threaten their lives, we’ll fold easily.”

She paused, letting the thought sink in before guiding Miranda further. “But these cheap tricks–whether we fall for them or not- who do you think would hold a lifelong grudge against them for using them?”

Miranda wasn’t stupid. With just that small nudge from Riley, the pieces clicked into place instantly.

Her eyes lit up with realization.

“You’re talking about… the first wife?”

“Exactly.” Riley nodded, pressing her point home. “Think about it. If they get their way today and Teresa ends up with Seb, what does that mean for us?

“It means the second wife’s branch will have latched onto the Torres family’s newest heir. Their social status will jump–they’ll go from being an afterthought to a major player in our circle. Do you really think the first wife, who was forced to accept her husband’s infidelity and the second wife’s addition with those same tactics back then, will swallow that?

“Especially since they’re using such a tacky, low–class method. It’s a slap in the face to the first wife’s side–telling every relative who knows the family history that they fell for the same trick twice!”

Miranda’s breathing quickened. She fully agreed with Riley’s logic now, and her mind raced ahead to the next steps.

“So if we leak this news to the first wife’s camp right now, what will they do? As long as they step in and fix this mass for us, we’ll owe them a favor. They’ll never pass up a chance to take down their rivals and put the main family in their debt at the same time

“Brilliant!” Miranda clapped her hands together, all the gloom and anxiety vanishing from her face in an instant.

She let out a relieved sigh and said with genuine admiration, “Riley, you’re so quick–witted! I was just stuck on how to stand our ground and make our position clear I never thought about using others‘ strength to fight back!”

Miranda turned to Riley, her eyes bright with eagerness. “So… what do we do next? Go out there and keep up the act with them?”

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