Divorced CEO's Forgotten Wife Strikes Back (Riley and Bryce) novel Chapter 113

**TITLE: Dreams Refuse Gravity by Leo Arden Knox**
**Chapter 113: Sparks and Missteps**

In that striking photograph, Riley and Sebastian were locked in an intense gaze, their eyes meeting with an unspoken connection. For once, Sebastian’s usually frosty demeanor melted away, revealing a softness that was almost disarming. It was a rare sight, a glimpse of vulnerability that contrasted sharply with his typical aloofness, and it sent ripples of excitement through the comments section below.

[Wow, is this really Washington’s most powerful man? No way he’s fallen for a divorced woman!]
[What’s so special about her? But… He looks even more attractive that way!]
[If he confessed to me, I’d say yes in a heartbeat!]
[That gaze could drown me! A stoic guy like him turning gentle? It’s lethal!]

Riley scrolled through the comments, her emotions a mix of amusement and irritation. Just as she was about to set her phone down, Lara’s voice erupted from the speaker, cutting through her thoughts like a knife. “Hey, come on, are you and Sebastian actually dating or what?”

“Absolutely not,” Riley shot back, her voice firm. “Do you genuinely believe I’d leap into a new relationship right on the heels of a divorce?”

“Don’t tell me you’re still hung up on that jerk Bryce!” Lara exclaimed, her tone laced with incredulity.

“Not even close, but I’m not looking to date Sebastian either,” Riley asserted, her conviction unwavering.

Lara gasped dramatically, “He literally confessed to you, and you’re not even a little tempted? The guy was literally voted ‘Most Likely to Make Women Weak in the Knees’ in some magazine!”

Riley felt heat rise to her cheeks, a wave of embarrassment washing over her. She had left her phone on speaker, and Lara’s booming voice echoed throughout the room, filling the space with an awkward energy.

Most Likely to Make Women Weak in the Knees? What kind of absurd magazine even publishes that?

But tempted?

A fleeting memory of Sebastian’s fingertip brushed against her lips, leaving a tingling sensation that she couldn’t quite shake off.

“Nope,” she declared, though a flicker of doubt crept into her voice, betraying her true feelings.

After hanging up with Lara, Riley took a moment to collect herself before freshening up and making her way downstairs to join Sebastian for breakfast. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and sizzling eggs wafted through the air, but her stomach was already in knots. She was only halfway through her oatmeal when Sebastian’s voice sliced through the morning calm, casual yet pointed. “So, I don’t make your knees go weak?”

Riley froze, her spoon suspended mid-air, the once-appealing oatmeal now feeling like a lead weight in her bowl.

“What… what did you just say?” she stammered, convinced she must have misheard him.

“Don’t I make your knees go weak?” he repeated, his expression utterly serious, as if he were discussing the weather rather than a matter of the heart.

Felix, who had been standing nearby, stared wide-eyed, unable to process the fact that Sebastian had just uttered those words. This was a side of Sebastian he had never witnessed before.

Riley blinked, her mind racing to catch up. She hadn’t misheard at all. Just that morning, Lara had rambled on about some magazine crowning Sebastian as the man who made women weak in the knees, and now here he was, bringing it up himself.

“Did you eavesdrop on my phone call this morning?” she asked incredulously, her brow furrowing in disbelief.

“Your call was so loud, I could hear it from the next room, even if I tried not to,” Sebastian replied, his demeanor unfazed.

“Nah, I’ll grab a cab,” she replied, trying to keep the mood light.

“Alright,” he said, though a hint of disappointment lingered in his voice.

She finished her breakfast quickly, eager to escape the tension, and headed out, blissfully unaware of Sebastian’s gaze lingering on her until she disappeared from view.

“How do I get closer to her?” Sebastian murmured to himself, the question hanging in the air like a challenge.

Felix, standing nearby, straightened his posture, choosing his words with care. “Maybe Ms. Anderson is still reeling from her divorce. Give her time to warm up to you, and I bet she’ll come around.”

Felix could see it clearly now. Sebastian was serious about Riley, and it was evident to him that this was more than just a casual flirtation.

Sebastian pressed his lips into a thin line, frustration simmering beneath the surface. She spent most of her days with him, often right by his side, yet he still felt a chasm separating them, a barrier he couldn’t quite breach.

“Do you think I’m the funny, lively type?” he asked, his voice low, almost defeated.

Felix hesitated, unsure how to respond. He couldn’t deny that Sebastian’s cool, calculated nature was the polar opposite of “funny and lively.”

Sebastian looked down, his eyelashes casting shadows on his cheeks. If she wasn’t into him, perhaps he needed to keep those “funny, lively” guys away from her completely, to create a space where he could be the one to capture her attention.