The Coldest Man in the Room Melted Only for Me novel Chapter 374

This arrangement suited Riley perfectly. She had bought the orphanage for no other reason than to give the children a stable home; she had absolutely no desire for flashy publicity stunts.

For the first part of the ceremony, Riley spoke about her original intention for building the orphanage, followed by Penelope expressing gratitude on behalf of the children. By the time they finished, both of them had tears in their eyes.

The second part involved everyone gathering at the front gate to pull down the red velvet cloth, officially revealing 'The Sunnybrook Orphanage' sign.

For the third part, the children presented handmade drawings and flowers.

Looking at the innocent, childlike drawings and the imperfect but incredibly heartfelt paper flowers, Riley could easily picture the scene: the kids sitting quietly in the old, rundown orphanage, painstakingly crafting these gifts under Penelope's patient guidance, eventually offering their pure hearts to her.

Riley was moved to tears.

Originally, there was supposed to be a grand tour for the fourth part, but since they had already explored and played everywhere, they skipped it entirely.

The final part was a massive group photo in the courtyard.

Pierce had even hired a professional photographer, who not only took the group photo but also promised to shoot a portrait series for each child to turn into custom calendars as gifts.

The children had never had proper photos taken of them before, and they were absolutely thrilled.

Riley stood on the sidelines, watching the kids get their pictures taken. The atmosphere was lively and heartwarming, filling her with a deep sense of peace.

Pierce walked over to her. "The kids look really happy."

Riley looked at him sincerely. "Thank you."

Pierce offered a helpless smile. "You've thanked me enough times today. There's no need for us to be so formal. How has Alora been lately?"

"She's been very good. She can sit up for a little while if she's supported, and she can even roll over occasionally."

Joy instantly lit up Pierce's eyes. "Did you take any videos? I want to see."

Riley pulled out her phone and sent him the photos and videos she usually took of their daughter.

Watching the clips and scrolling through the photos, Pierce's entire demeanor radiated a father's deep affection and pride. When he saw a photo of Alora crying, he leaned over and asked, "Why was she crying here?"

"She was trying to shove a toy into her mouth, so I took it away."

"What about this one? Why is her hair all wet?"

"Right after a bath."

"Was this taken downstairs at your apartment complex?"

"Yes."

The sight of the two of them standing together, chatting and laughing, was clearly witnessed by someone sitting in a car parked down the street.

Inside the car, Seraphina stared at Riley with venomous, hateful eyes. If looks could kill, she would have sliced Riley into a thousand pieces by now.

Why was it that Riley got to ruin her life, yet still act completely fine while hanging all over Pierce?!

Though she still hadn't found out who had orchestrated her kidnapping and allowed that disgusting beggar to ruin her, she was absolutely certain that whoever it was, it had everything to do with Riley!

After dinner, Pierce asked Riley, "Are you staying at Quinn's place? Do you want me to drop you off?"

Riley declined. "No thanks. Quinn and I want to take a walk before heading back."

Pierce nodded. "Leaving tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"Can you send me more photos and videos of Alora in the future?"

"I can do that."

"Thank you. I'll get going, then." Pierce left.

Quinn walked over to Riley. "You two seemed to get along pretty well today."

"As long as he stops hounding me about remarrying, I don't need to be entirely antagonistic toward him."

"That's true. He is Alora's father, after all. And he did a pretty good job with the orphanage."

"Yeah."

Riley and Quinn walked for a while before finally hailing a cab back to Amber Heart Court.

That night, Riley sent the photos she had taken to Sebastian. Only a few moments after they were sent, Sebastian called her. "Why is Pierce there?"