The Coldest Man in the Room Melted Only for Me novel Chapter 289

"She's almost certainly involved, but she covered her tracks flawlessly. I can't find any hard evidence directly linking her to this." Franklin paused before adding, "However, I did find out that Seraphina met with Beatrice last night."

A ruthless, icy glare surfaced in Sebastian's eyes. "Bring them both in."

Franklin hesitated. The Suttons and the Landons were the two most powerful families in Riverport. Offending both of them simultaneously was risky, especially since this wasn't their home turf in Statenbury. "Would it be a bad idea to grab them without solid proof?"

Sebastian's voice was low and freezing. "I know exactly what I'm doing."

"Understood."

Back in the hospital room.

Pierce had come in and started showering her with concern, but Riley simply didn't have the energy for him. Her mind was entirely consumed by everything Sebastian had just said. After giving Pierce a few polite, generic replies, she told him she was exhausted and wanted to rest.

Pierce could sense she was completely checked out. He assumed the horrific trauma was simply catching up with her. "To protect your reputation, I've locked down all information about this, so we can't go to the police. But don't worry, I will absolutely find out who ordered this. I will make them pay for every single thing they did to you."

Riley also wanted to know who hated her enough to use such despicable methods to destroy her.

But she knew that with her own resources, tracking down the mastermind was nearly impossible.

She genuinely needed Pierce's help for this. "Thank you for taking care of it."

Pierce was thrilled that Riley wasn't rejecting his help and was willing to accept his favor. "Get some rest. I'll leave you to it."

"Okay."

After Pierce left, Riley stared blankly at the ceiling, Sebastian's words playing on a loop in her head.

He said he came to Riverport for her.

How could he possibly have feelings for her?

She couldn't even bring herself to use the word "like." Putting those words next to Sebastian's name felt completely inappropriate. Honestly, misinterpreting his care for her as romantic affection felt like a desecration of his character.

In her eyes, he had always been this untouchable, enigmatic figure. He was as pristine and cold as fresh snow, the absolute apex predator that everyone else could only look up to—handsome, powerful, god-like.

Yet this man, who lived on a pedestal, was treating her differently. It all felt like a surreal, absurd dream.

But when he spoke those words, it hadn't felt jarring or out of character. Maybe, subconsciously, during all their interactions, she had sensed his unique treatment. She just never dared to entertain the thought.

Now, he was forcing her to confront it, waiting for her final verdict.

But it was all so sudden. Riley felt like a multi-million dollar jackpot had just been dropped on her head, leaving her completely stunned and dizzy.