The Coldest Man in the Room Melted Only for Me novel Chapter 43

Pierce didn't even notice her presence until she was standing right beside him.

Riley could hear him discussing project handover dates. Knowing he was working, she remained silent and waited until he ended the call before speaking. "Pierce."

He whipped his head around at the sound of her voice. The moment he saw her, his pupils constricted sharply, and his phone slipped from his grasp, hitting the floor with a muted thud. "Riley."

She knelt down to pick up the device.

Pierce glanced toward the closed door of the private room behind him, the panic in his eyes instantly smoothing over into calm neutrality.

Riley handed the phone back to him. "Good thing this carpet is thick, or the screen would have shattered."

"I was just so surprised to see you out of nowhere." He slid the phone into his pocket and caught her hand. "How did you find me here?"

A hint of lingering resentment flickered in her eyes. "You refused to come see me, so I had no choice but to come find you."

"Are you... no longer angry?"

"Yes. You have your own difficulties to deal with. I should try to look at things from your perspective more often."

A warm smile touched his eyes as he pulled her into a tight embrace.

Riley glanced around to make sure the hallway was empty before gently resting her hands against his waist. She could hear his heart pounding against his chest, fast and strong.

Thump, thump, thump...

They held each other in comfortable silence, the tension of the past few days melting away in the warmth of his arms.

After a moment, Pierce gently pulled back. "Let's go. I'll head home with you to celebrate our daughter's milestone."

"I honestly thought you'd forgotten."

"How could I? I was planning on coming over tonight."

"Really?"

He smirked. "Really. You kept ignoring my texts, so I figured using our daughter's one-month mark would give me the perfect excuse to crawl back."

Remembering something, he added, "I set up a five-million-dollar education fund for Alora. The bank is running it through their final risk assessment. I'll bring the paperwork to you once it's approved."

Pierce whipped his head around and glared at Seraphina. "Shut up!"

Seraphina's fingers curled into tight fists at her sides, but she instantly molded her features into a mask of pure innocence. "I just didn't want Riley to misunderstand. I was just going to tell her that everyone is here celebrating for my son. It's not just the two of us."

The cold panic in Pierce's eyes faltered. A beat later, his expression softened slightly. "Go back inside. I'll handle my own affairs."

Seraphina looked directly at Riley. "Pierce has been under so much stress lately. He's been dragging my brother out for drinks every single night after work. There is absolutely nothing going on between us. Please don't take it out on him because of me."

With a teary-eyed, pathetic glance at Pierce, she turned and slipped back into the private room.

Riley froze.

Had she really misunderstood him?

Pierce stared at the closed door for a split second, a flash of guilt crossing his features before he forced his expression into neutral lines.

He turned back to Riley. "This gathering was set up by Ethan. I couldn't exactly turn him down. If you don't believe me, I can take you inside right now and you can say hello to my friends."