The Coldest Man in the Room Melted Only for Me novel Chapter 322

Seeing Riley enter the office, Holly immediately pulled her into the adjacent on-call room. “Did you know your mom came to the hospital?”

Riley shook her head.

Holly quickly pulled out her phone and showed Riley a video.

In the video, Elaine Vance stood in the outpatient lobby, tearfully delivering an Oscar-worthy performance about how hard she had worked to raise her daughter, only for her daughter to care about nothing but her own luxury while ignoring her parents' survival. She even wiped away tears as she reached the emotional climax.

She completely painted herself as the tragic victim while portraying her daughter as a heartless, worthless ingrate.

A large crowd surrounded her, some sympathizing with Elaine, others cursing Riley for having no conscience.

Riley frowned as she watched the video, the warmth draining from her eyes. She thought Elaine had just been making empty threats that day. She never expected her to travel all the way to Statenbury to pull such a ruthless stunt.

However, one thing surprised her. Elaine was hot-tempered and uneducated. Standing in front of a crowd and directly cursing her out as an ungrateful wretch was much more her style.

How did she suddenly know how to play the victim to garner sympathy?

“Although this video hasn't gone viral, basically everyone in the hospital knows about it.” Holly looked at Riley with deep concern. “Your mom said in the video that she's coming back today. If there's some misunderstanding, you need to clear it up with her. You can't let her keep causing a scene like this; it's going to ruin your reputation.”

Riley nodded. “I understand. Thank you for telling me. Go back to work. I need to make a call.”

Holly walked to the door, then turned back to look at Riley. “Don't be sad. Just communicate with her properly. I believe in you.”

A rush of warmth spread through Riley's chest. She smiled faintly, offering Holly a reassuring look. “Okay.”

Riley pinched the bridge of her nose in sheer exhaustion. This clearly wasn't something they could settle over the phone. She had to talk to her in person. “Where are you? I have to work now, but I'll come find you during my lunch break.”

“I'm at the budget hotel near your hospital. Make sure you bring me lunch when you come.” Elaine snapped before hanging up the phone.

Riley checked her bank balance. She only had a few thousand dollars left. This was the final payment for the orphanage renovations, which needed to be sent over once the construction was finished. She had a little extra cash in her digital wallet, but that was just for her daily expenses.

She simply didn't have the money to give Elaine.

If a stranger badmouthed her, people might brush it off as slander. But Elaine was her mother. In the eyes of the public, no mother would maliciously frame her own daughter. They would just assume Riley really was an ungrateful daughter who refused to share her wealth.

Elaine was using her reputation and career to force her hand. Since Elaine had completely thrown away whatever familial affection they had left and insisted on twisting the truth, Riley no longer had any reason to hold back. She had to put an end to this once and for all.