The Coldest Man in the Room Melted Only for Me novel Chapter 229

Sebastian's voice was gentle and relentlessly patient. "Based strictly on the hand we had, you made the right move. But if you look at what's been played on the table, it was a dangerous tile to discard."

He then explained how the game wasn't just about building your own hand, but reading the board to anticipate what the others needed.

After a few more hands, Sebastian's phone rang. He looked at Riley. "Play for me. I need to take this."

Instant panic seized her. "But I barely know what I'm doing!"

"You'll be fine. Trial by fire is the fastest way to learn." He grabbed his phone and stepped out onto the balcony.

Thrown entirely into the deep end, Riley was a nervous wreck. She couldn't even organize the tiles properly, leaving them in a chaotic, crooked line.

Lawrence smiled kindly. "Take your time. No rush. Just think it through."

"Okay."

At first, Riley kept glancing at the balcony every five seconds, praying for Sebastian to rescue her. But seeing him locked in a long conversation, and realizing the other guys weren't rushing her at all, she finally settled into the rhythm. She actually found it fascinating and slowly started grasping the deeper strategies.

Unfortunately, against seasoned sharks like Lawrence and the crew, her newly acquired skills were completely useless. If she wasn't handing them the exact tiles they needed, they were pulling winning hands on their own.

Within minutes, she had incinerated half the massive pile of chips Sebastian had accumulated on his side cart.

She had no idea what the stakes were.

She started to panic.

Noticing her distress, Zach leaned in. "Don't sweat it, Dr. Vance. Sebastian cleans us out nine times out of ten. He's up an insane amount anyway. Plus, we're barely playing for pennies. It's just for fun."

Trusting him, she kept playing. It wasn't until much, much later that she discovered she had lost roughly a quarter of a million dollars of Sebastian's money in that single session.

When Sebastian finally returned, there were exactly two chips left on the cart.

"I lost so much. You need to take over," Riley blurted, practically jumping out of the chair.

"It's fine." Sebastian checked his watch. It was ten o'clock. "You have to work tomorrow. I'll take you home."

And earlier at dinner, he had pulled out her chair for her.

He didn't have to do any of this.

Why was he treating her so exceptionally well?

Ever since she moved to Statenbury, he had treated her entirely differently.

She suddenly remembered the night Pierce and Sebastian got drunk, when Pierce had practically begged Sebastian to look out for her and Alora. Was he doing all this just to honor Pierce's drunken request?

Rumor painted Sebastian as a cold-blooded sociopath. That was a complete lie. He was clearly a deeply loyal man who honored his promises.

Spending time with him had proven he was a genuinely good person. Rumors were truly toxic.

"Sebastian, honestly..." You don't have to go out of your way for me.

"Change how you address me," he interrupted smoothly.