The Coldest Man in the Room Melted Only for Me novel Chapter 180

"I know things have been hard for you, and I didn't want to burden you. I've already started contacting other orphanages. Don't worry, I'll make sure the kids are placed somewhere safe."

Riley recalled when she was five years old. A developer had set his sights on the orphanage's land to build a shopping mall, and it nearly shut down then, too. Penelope had been preparing to split the children up among different facilities.

She still vividly remembered the scene of everyone huddling together and crying when they heard the news.

Orphans inherently lacked a sense of security. They had finally bonded, accepted one another, and become a family. Tearing them apart abruptly—the agony of separation and the terror of a completely foreign environment—would leave permanent emotional scars. It would feel like being abandoned all over again.

Back then, the developer had eventually found a better plot of land, and the orphanage had survived.

Riley knew exactly how that felt, and she refused to let these kids go through it again.

The kids had been so happy just moments ago; Penelope clearly hadn't broken the news to them yet.

"Don't shut it down. Let me figure something out."

Penelope shook her head. "There's no need. You've done more than enough for us over the years. Maybe this is just fate."

"I don't believe in fate." Riley locked eyes with her, her gaze fiercely determined. "I went from being a nameless orphan to a Doctor of Medicine through pure sheer will. As long as we don't give up, we will find a way."

"But..."

"No 'buts'. Wait for my call." Riley stood up and strode out.

Leaving the orphanage, Riley headed straight to the hospital to find Dr. Jenson. She remembered a colleague mentioning recently that he had a friend who ran a nursing home and was looking to hire nurses for a newly built facility.

After signing the purchase agreement for the nursing home and wiring the funds, she was left with less than a hundred thousand dollars from her divorce settlement. She then hired contractors to estimate the renovation costs.

To update the aging infrastructure, upgrade fire safety, add accessibility features, repair the elevator, and overhaul the plumbing and electricity, the estimate was over a hundred thousand dollars.

Between her remaining settlement and her own meager savings, the renovation costs would wipe her out completely. She was officially broke.

When Quinn found out, she groaned dramatically, clutching her chest in mock agony. "I thought you were going to be a rich socialite! I figured if I ever went broke, I could just leech off you. Now look at you—you don't even have two pennies to rub together."

Riley smiled softly. "I was originally planning on walking away with nothing. All of this money was an unexpected windfall. Being able to use it to rebuild the orphanage makes me truly happy."

"How are you still smiling?" Quinn looked like she was about to cry for her. "You are completely broke. How are you going to afford food, housing, and transportation in Statenbury?"