The Coldest Man in the Room Melted Only for Me novel Chapter 38

Quinn continued her analysis. "Look at it this way: she had a baby with someone else, but the father has never shown his face. Maybe they had a nasty falling out, and now she wants to rekindle things with her old flame?"

Riley nodded.

Seraphina had known full well that she and Pierce were legally married, yet she still had the audacity to drug Riley at their wedding reception. Was there any low this woman wouldn't sink to?

"I understand. Thanks for the heads up," Riley said, placing a chicken drumstick on Quinn's plate. "Here, your reward."

After Quinn left, Riley checked the internet for the rumor about Pierce.

Someone had snapped a photo of him entering a hotel with a woman, but it only showed her blurry back. There was no clear shot of her face.

After reading the article, Riley sent Pierce a text: [Have dinner with me tonight?]

The message went entirely ignored, vanishing like a stone dropped into the ocean.

Riley stared blankly at her screen.

Since when did having dinner together require an advanced appointment?

It wasn't until 9 PM that Pierce finally showed up. "Sorry, I was entertaining a client for dinner. Did you wait up for me?"

Riley watched him stand by the coffee table, pouring a glass of water and drinking it.

His crisp white dress shirt was immaculate and perfectly ironed. His trousers fell in sharp, crisp lines without a single wrinkle. The sharp angle of his jaw and the bob of his Adam's apple as he drank looked effortlessly seductive.

He was as dazzling as ever. No matter where he stood, he was always the center of female attention.

Nothing about him had physically changed, but for some reason, Riley felt a sudden, chilling unfamiliarity when she looked at him.

Pierce studied her for a moment before letting out a soft laugh. "I really have been incredibly busy lately. The reason I didn't stay the night here is because I've been finishing work so late, I didn't want to wake you and the baby, so I went back to Golden Sands Cove."

"Is that really it?"

Seeing that she wasn't smiling at all, Pierce realized she was genuinely upset. The smile faded from his lips, and he took her hand again. "I'm sorry. From now on, no matter how busy I am, I'll reply to your messages and answer your calls immediately. Can you please not be mad?"

"I'm not mad. I'm just stating facts."

"I know. I haven't done a good job, but I'll fix it."

Riley had originally planned to lose her temper, but Pierce's apology was so sincere, and he hadn't technically committed any cardinal sins. If she kept nagging him over this, she would just sound unreasonable.

However... "What about the photo online?"