The Coldest Man in the Room Melted Only for Me novel Chapter 302

Riley nodded, rubbed her face, and took a few sips of water. Feeling much more awake, she grabbed her carry-on and exited the plane. Near the cabin door, she bumped into a woman in a red dress with a stunning figure who greeted her warmly.

"Why are you alone?"

Riley thought the woman looked familiar. It took her a couple of seconds to realize this was the passenger who had been sitting next to her earlier. But wait, why had she just walked out of first class?

Had she gone looking for someone?

Riley replied politely, "Yeah, just me."

"Where's your boyfriend?"

Riley felt the woman was being a bit too familiar. Even though they had shared a flight, Riley had slept the whole time and they hadn't exchanged a single word. Asking such a personal question felt wildly inappropriate.

But since she asked, Riley figured she had to answer. "I don't have a boyfriend."

The woman looked shocked. "You two aren't officially dating yet?"

Riley was bewildered. "Huh?"

The woman smiled knowingly. "You better hold on to him. Good men like that are hard to find. Next time I run into him, I won't give up so easily." With that, she turned and walked away.

Riley was left standing there, utterly confused. What on earth was she talking about?

She stepped off the plane and walked out of the arrival gates, only to run right into Franklin Finch.

Riley instinctively glanced around to see if Sebastian was nearby. Seeing no sign of him, she let out a quiet sigh of relief and smiled. "Mr. Finch, what a coincidence."

Franklin kept a straight face.

It wasn't a coincidence at all. The boss had specifically ordered him to wait for her here.

"Yes, what a coincidence. Are you heading back to The Grand Regency, Ms. Vance? I have some business in that direction. Want me to give you a ride?"

Riley nodded. "Understood."

"Do you have a research direction in mind?" Dr. Graves asked.

Riley had already thought about this. "I want to focus on postpartum trauma and emotional intervention for divorced women."

As a divorced woman herself, she had experienced the betrayal, the divorce, and the struggles of raising a child alone. She wasn't pursuing this just for cold, clinical research; she had intimately felt the pain her patients endured.

Jenna Joyce's situation had also deeply affected her. She wanted to help more women like Jenna find their way back to a beautiful life and escape the suffocating darkness.

Dr. Graves's eyes lit up. "Most psychiatric research right now focuses purely on postpartum depression or marital trauma. Very few integrate the trauma of childcare and divorce into a single study. It's a highly specific niche with almost no competition. You'll have a massive advantage applying for the grant, and it should get approved easily."

Encouraged by Dr. Graves's support, Riley felt a surge of confidence. "I'll prepare everything thoroughly."

Leaving the hospital, Riley headed back. When she walked through her front door, she froze in her tracks. Sebastian was sitting in her living room, playing with Alora.