The Coldest Man in the Room Melted Only for Me novel Chapter 390

A layer of frost settled over Sebastian's eyes. "Why do you think my grandmother collapsed at this exact critical moment?"

Franklin froze. A second later, the realization hit him, and his eyes widened in shock. "You're saying... Victoria orchestrated this?"

Sebastian didn't want to jump to that conclusion either, but the timing was far too coincidental. Eleanor's condition had always been stable. She went in for regular checkups and took her medication strictly on time. Why would she suddenly collapse? And right at this very moment?

If his intuition was correct, Victoria was using Eleanor's life to threaten him. If he didn't back off...

He couldn't afford to take that gamble.

"Pack up. We're returning to Statenbury immediately."

Statenbury, Statenbury Medical Center.

Riley had only just returned from Riverport that morning. Having previously taken time off and missed a night shift, she opted out of her afternoon hours and rested at home before coming in for her night shift.

After finishing her ward rounds, she walked past the nurses' station and overheard two nurses chatting.

"Something huge is happening over in the ER."

"A critical patient?"

"I don't know if they're critical, but they're definitely a VIP. I heard the Director and Director Chambers are personally waiting at the entrance to receive them."

"That big of a fuss? Who is it?"

"I heard it's someone from the St. John family."

Riley had already walked past the station, but hearing that, she stopped dead in her tracks and doubled back. "Which member of the St. John family was brought in?"

The two nurses jumped in surprise.

In their eyes, Riley was always a highly professional, somewhat aloof doctor who only cared about her work. She never showed any interest in gossip or rumors. Her sudden interrogation completely caught them off guard.

One of the nurses recovered from her shock and shook her head. "I don't know. It's just a rumor I heard."

Realizing her reaction had been a bit too intense, Riley gathered her composure. Returning to her usual calm demeanor, she walked into her office.

Sitting at her desk, she immediately sent Sebastian a text: [Are you asleep? Is everything okay?]

She knew there was no way the patient was Sebastian. He had flown to Southampton at 1:00 PM; he couldn't possibly be in Statenbury right now.

But hearing the name 'St. John' still made her worry, especially considering what had happened to him recently.

A long time passed, and there was no reply.

Usually, whenever she texted him, he replied almost instantly. Even if he was in a meeting, he would at least text back 'In a meeting.' His sudden silence made her panic.

"It's the least I could do."

Riley got a brief rundown of Eleanor's condition from the director. A severe spike in blood pressure had caused a blackout. Examinations showed a blocked cardiovascular artery that required a stent. Zach was personally performing the surgery.

Although it was a minimally invasive procedure, Eleanor was eighty years old. At her age, any surgery carried significant risks.

Riley stayed for a while before saying goodbye to Victoria and leaving.

She still had her shift to cover, and it wasn't appropriate for her to loiter around anyway. After all, officially, she was just Pierce's ex-wife. She wasn't close enough to the St. John family to stay. Lingering would only invite unwanted speculation.

Back in her department, she sent a text to Dr. Jenson, asking him to let her know when Eleanor's surgery was over.

Then came the agonizing wait.

About an hour later, Dr. Jenson texted back: [Lady Eleanor's surgery went smoothly. She's been transferred to an inpatient room.]

Riley finally let out the breath she'd been holding.

At 3:00 AM, after finishing another round of check-ups, Riley still couldn't shake her worry for Eleanor. She decided to go to her room and check on her.

The psychiatric department was on the 16th floor, while cardiology was on the 9th.

Riley took the elevator down to the 9th floor. As she walked toward the VIP suite at the end of the hall, she faintly heard voices coming from the stairwell. One of the voices sounded familiar. Confused, she walked over quietly.