The Coldest Man in the Room Melted Only for Me novel Chapter 141

This was the man she had once envisioned spending the rest of her life with.

Now, he was backing her into a corner with a cruelty that felt like hands wrapped tight around her throat.

Riley stared blankly at Pierce. A suffocating wave of despair washed over her, and tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, a lump forming in her throat.

Seeing the redness in Riley's eyes and how desperately she fought back tears, Pierce's heart immediately softened. The icy edge in his gaze melted away. "Riley, I just want us to be okay. Stay with me, and we can go back to how things used to be. Please?"

She blinked, unable to hold back the moisture burning her eyes, and a single tear slipped down her cheek. She wiped it away instantly. Looking at him with a chilling, resolute glare, she enunciated every word, "Never. Going. To. Happen."

Pierce’s grip on his cigarette tightened, a dark, predatory shadow falling over his features. "You think you can get this divorce if I don't agree to it?"

"Then I'll see you in court!"

"Quinn is your only lifeline. If she loses her license to practice law, who else can you turn to?"

Riley looked at him in sheer disbelief. Not only did he want to destroy Quinn's client base, but he also wanted to ruin her career completely. "Pierce Landon, don't you dare!"

Pierce’s face was obscured by the swirling gray smoke, making him look utterly ruthless. "If you have the nerve to leave me, what makes you think there's anything I wouldn't dare do?"

Riley's pale features hardened like ice. "You're forcing me to hate you."

"If you refuse to love me anymore, then hate is fine. As long as I'm still on your mind."

"You lunatic!" The insult tore from her lips right as her hand swung forward, landing a hard slap across his cheek.

Pierce froze for a second before letting out a low chuckle, his tongue pressing against the inside of his stinging cheek. "How do you plan on explaining this when we go back inside?"

Riley had expected him to fly into a rage. She hadn't anticipated that question.

She felt like Pierce was rewriting the very definition of shamelessness. "Let me go!"

Just then, a maid approached them. "Mr. Landon, Mrs. Landon, Grandpa Arthur asked you both to join him for dinner."

Taking advantage of the interruption, Pierce released her and nodded at the maid. "Got it. We'll be right there."

The maid turned and walked away.

"Don't push me, Pierce, or I'll leak the news of your affair to the press!" Dropping the threat, Riley pivoted and marched toward the villa.

He stared at her uncompromising silhouette for a few seconds before following her inside.

When they entered the living room, Beatrice immediately instructed the staff to serve dinner. Turning around, she gasped at the red mark on her son's face. "Pierce, what happened to your cheek?"