The Coldest Man in the Room Melted Only for Me novel Chapter 357

The crisp, woody scent of the man instantly filled her senses. Riley's fingers curled instinctively at her sides as her heart rate skyrocketed and her shoulders tensed, but she didn't pull away this time.

Sebastian saw the panic in her eyes and stopped his advance. His deep gaze locked onto her, and a faint, gentle curve touched his lips. "I understand."

With that, he leaned back, gripped her shoulders, and slowly lowered himself onto the bed.

Riley immediately grabbed his arm to steady him. Once he was seated, she crouched down, took off his slipper, and carefully lifted his injured leg onto the bed.

Sebastian watched as she pursed her lips, tending to him with total focus. He ruthlessly reined in the dark, surging possessiveness in his heart. She had finally taken this massive step toward him; he couldn't afford to scare her off. He had to show more restraint from now on.

That night, Sebastian's fever didn't return. His condition had fully stabilized, and the rest was simply a matter of time and recovery.

The next day, Riley returned to work at the hospital. But every day after her shift, she went straight to The Cloudview Terrace to see him. Zach noted that Sebastian's baseline health was excellent, making his recovery incredibly fast.

One day, Riley was consulting in the outpatient department. She went downstairs to the nursing station to coordinate a special patient intake and ran into Lady Eleanor in the lobby.

She walked over and asked with concern, "Lady Eleanor, what brings you to the hospital? Are you feeling unwell?"

Seeing Riley, a warm, affectionate smile bloomed across Lady Eleanor's face. "No, no. I rarely come to the city center, and I realized I was running low on a few prescriptions, so I just dropped by to pick them up."

Riley nodded. "Do you need me to take you over there?"

"That's not necessary." Lady Eleanor turned to the woman holding her arm. "I have my daughter here with me. That's more than enough."

Riley looked at the woman beside Lady Eleanor. She appeared to be in her fifties, impeccably maintained, exuding a sharp, professional aura. Her clothes were exquisitely tailored, and her eyes were sharp and calculating.

Victoria asked Lady Eleanor, "Mom, who is this?"

"This is Pierce's ex-wife."

Hearing that introduction gave Riley her first crystal-clear realization of how others viewed her relationship with Sebastian. To them, it was his close friend and the friend's ex-wife. Yet now, the two of them...

A surge of guilt hit her, but she politely smiled at Victoria. "Hello."

Victoria instantly recognized her connection to the Landon family—the very people who had raised Sebastian. If it hadn't been for the meddling Landons, that feral wolf cub would never have had the chance to return to the St. John family. A flash of chilling hostility crossed her eyes, but it vanished so quickly it left no trace.

She returned the smile. "Hello."

Lady Eleanor looked at Riley, her tone carrying a hint of reproach. "Didn't I tell you to come visit this old woman when you have time? Why haven't you come by even once?"

Riley hadn't gone because, since divorcing Pierce, she theoretically had zero ties left to the St. John family. To take polite pleasantries so seriously would just be wildly inappropriate. But she hadn't expected Lady Eleanor to actually hold it against her. It seemed she genuinely wanted Riley to visit.

"The hospital has been incredibly busy lately. I promise I'll come see you as soon as I have a day off."

"Tonight, Sebastian is bringing Winona to the manor for dinner. You should come too. The more, the merrier."

Seeing the name 'Seb' on the screen, she stared at it in a slight daze. Even though he called her almost every day now, every time she saw that name, her heart couldn't help but flutter with a surreal feeling.

She was actually dating Sebastian St. John.

"Your phone's ringing. Why are you just staring at it?" Holly noticed the caller ID and casually asked, "Who's Seb?"

Riley guiltily averted her eyes. "Just a friend."

"You saved his name pretty affectionately. Sure it's not a boyfriend?" Holly teased.

Did she have to be so terrifyingly accurate?

"Stop talking nonsense. I need to take this." Riley grabbed her phone and walked out into the hall as she answered. The man's deep, unmistakable voice traveled through the line. "Did you eat?"

"I did. Did you?"

"Just finished."

"How's your leg?"

"I can walk normally now."