The Coldest Man in the Room Melted Only for Me novel Chapter 409

Sebastian's situational awareness was terrifyingly sharp. The exact second he heard the hinge squeak, he ripped open his heavy trench coat, yanked Riley flush against his chest, and wrapped the thick fabric entirely around her. He snapped his head toward the door, his eyes hardening instantly. All the molten heat vanished, replaced by his signature terrifying, glacial indifference.

"What do you want?"

Riley had been kissed so stupid she hadn't even registered the noise. When Sebastian suddenly crushed her against him and buried her in his coat, she froze in absolute confusion. It wasn't until she heard the deadly venom in his voice that she realized someone had walked in.

Pure terror shot through her veins. She shrank against his chest, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs. She pressed her lips tightly together, too afraid to even breathe.

Victoria stood frozen in the doorway. Her eyes darted frantically, trying to catch a glimpse of whoever was buried in Sebastian's arms. But he was far too tall, his shoulders too broad. The heavy coat completely swallowed the woman. Victoria couldn't even see a silhouette, let alone a face.

Even with her sudden intrusion, she was absolutely certain he had just been kissing a woman.

She just couldn't see who it was. Dropping her gaze, the only thing she could spot were a pair of slender ankles clad in cheap black trousers and plain white flats.

Who on earth had the power to make a man as ruthlessly disciplined as Sebastian completely lose control in a public hospital stairwell?

Could it be Winona?

But looking at those shoes, they were off-the-rack garbage. The pampered princess of the Spencer Family wouldn't be caught dead in something so mundane.

If it wasn't Winona, then who was it?

Victoria's heart raced with a toxic mix of curiosity and pure thrill. If she could just uncover Sebastian's dirty little secret—his ultimate weakness—she wouldn't have to live in fear of him anymore. She took a tentative step forward.

"Get out!" Sebastian's voice was a low, lethal whisper. It cut through the air like a serrated blade.

When a powerful, mature man lost his temper, it was nothing like a boy throwing a tantrum. There was no screaming. Just a terrifying, bone-chilling aura of absolute violence that made the air itself feel heavy.

Staring into those predatory, wrathful eyes, Victoria's spine locked up. Her foot hovered in the air, trembling.

If she ignored his fury and barged in, he had her wrapped up so tightly she still might not see the woman's face.

And even if she did, what if it actually was Winona? She would have risked everything for absolutely nothing.

If she provoked him, God only knew what this vicious wolf would do to her. He wasn't a saint. He had completely destroyed his own uncle without batting an eye. What was stopping him from destroying her?

She couldn't take the risk.

Victoria only hesitated for two agonizing seconds before making her choice. "Mother sent me to get you for breakfast. You better hurry up." She yanked her foot back, turned around, and scrambled out the door.

She hadn't seen the woman's face, but she recognized the voice instantly. It was Victoria—the exact same woman who had nearly gotten Sebastian killed and sent Eleanor to the emergency room.

Her phone suddenly buzzed on the desk. It was Winona. The girl's bright, bubbly voice instantly cut through Riley's lingering panic. "Hey, Riley! Are you busy?"

"Not right now. What's up?"

"Okay, I need the gossip! What exactly did you and Sebastian do this morning? He just texted me and told me to hide out at home and avoid the campus. He also said if anyone asks, I was at the hospital all morning visiting Eleanor."

Riley instantly realized Sebastian was trying to trick Victoria into thinking Winona was the girl in the stairwell. "You haven't left for class yet?"

"Nope, still in bed. My first class isn't until nine, so I've got time. But you didn't answer my question! What did you guys do? Why is he using me as a human shield?"

Thinking back to the heated, desperate kisses in the stairwell, Riley's face burst into flames. "We didn't do anything! I just dropped off some breakfast for Eleanor."

"Liar. If you just dropped off breakfast, there's no need for an elaborate cover-up. Let me guess—you guys were aggressively making out in the hospital, and someone almost busted you?"

Riley: "..." Did she have cameras planted on me?

When Riley didn't immediately deny it, Winona squealed. "Oh my god, I knew it! That is so hot! Who almost caught you? Eleanor? Mrs. Higgins?"