The Coldest Man in the Room Melted Only for Me novel Chapter 345

Then she saw Franklin stepping out of the car.

Riley froze.

Franklin had been sitting in the Rolls-Royce right next to them the whole time?

Of course he was. If Franklin wasn't there, how could Sebastian have driven two cars over by himself?

That meant Franklin had seen everything that just happened!

Winona had seen it, which Riley could barely accept since Winona already knew about Sebastian's feelings for her. But Franklin didn't know!

"Mr. Finch," Riley greeted stiffly. She wanted to explain, but found she had absolutely no idea what to say.

Franklin gave Riley a polite nod before opening the rear door of the Rolls-Royce.

Sebastian and Winona got in.

Franklin started the car and drove off.

Riley stood rooted to the spot. Franklin had looked completely unbothered. Did he already know, like Winona did? Or was he just incredibly stoic and keeping it to himself?

If it was the former, she and Sebastian were completely innocent and nothing was going on between them—so why did they all act like they knew something?

If it was the latter, she needed to find a chance to explain things to Franklin to prevent any misunderstandings.

Riley didn't drive the car to work. She had only agreed to accept it out of sheer helplessness in the moment, but this was a whole car. While it might be nothing in Sebastian's eyes, to her, it represented an amount she'd have to save for a very long time to afford.

She owed him too many favors already; she absolutely could not take advantage of him financially.

Riley had originally planned to wait until the next time Sebastian visited her apartment to properly clear the air. She wanted to tell him she absolutely could not accept something so valuable. But for several days straight, Sebastian completely disappeared.

Had he guessed she was going to return the car and purposely made himself scarce?

On the weekend, Riley had the day off and went to the sanatorium to visit Madeline. She deliberately tried to act casual as she asked Mrs. Lowell if Sebastian had visited in the past few days.

Mrs. Lowell said no.

She also tentatively asked about the car. Mrs. Lowell looked completely bewildered, thoroughly confirming that Sebastian was the one who bought it.

Riley's resolve to return the car only grew stronger. After leaving the sanatorium and having dinner at home, she pulled out her phone to call Sebastian, but realized she didn't know what excuse to use to ask him to come over. If she said she was returning the car, he definitely wouldn't show up. If she didn't mention the car, she couldn't find a single compelling reason why they had to meet.

It was only in that moment that Riley realized Sebastian was always the one seeking her out.

She had never actively sought him out once!

Even the time she went to his place, it was Franklin who called her, saying Sebastian had been scratched by Madeline and was in a terrible mood, and asking her to come comfort him as a psychiatrist.

Riley had originally planned to just keep playing dumb, but at this moment, she realized she couldn't keep pretending anymore.

Regardless of whether Sebastian's feelings for her were genuine or not, she couldn't keep blindly enjoying his kindness and care like this.

She needed to tell him face-to-face that things between them were impossible, and that he shouldn't be so good to her anymore because she couldn't handle the weight of it.

"Yeah. The last time she was here, Mr. Finch, who's always by Mr. St. John's side, personally came to the gate to receive her."

"Doesn't Mr. St. John famously keep his distance from women? Why is there a woman coming to his door?"

"That's exactly why I said she's a VIP guest."

The guard put on a face of pure shock, completely captivated by the massive gossip. "You mean..."

"Keep your mouth shut tight. Watch what you say, or you won't even know what hit you."

The guard shivered in terror and immediately clamped a hand over his mouth, mentally swearing to treat this woman with absolute reverence and zero negligence whenever she showed up from now on.

Riley found a spot, parked the car, and walked up to the entrance of the building. She frowned at the keypad required to enter, pulling out her phone to call Franklin for the code. Just then, someone walked out from inside, and she conveniently slipped right in behind them.

These were low-rise buildings with only six floors, one apartment per floor. She remembered Sebastian lived in 501.

Riley took the elevator to the fifth floor and rang the doorbell. After waiting a good while without any response, she pressed it again. Still nothing.

Was he not home?

She took out her phone, getting ready to call Sebastian, when with a click, the door swung open.

Franklin looked at Riley standing outside the door, incredibly surprised. "Riley, why are you here?"

Riley noticed Franklin's bloodshot eyes and the unkempt stubble on his chin. He looked deeply exhausted, as if he hadn't slept in days. This was completely out of character compared to his usual clean-cut, sharp appearance. "Mr. Finch, what happened to you?"