The Coldest Man in the Room Melted Only for Me novel Chapter 48

"Trade school?" Elaine snapped, cutting her off with a vicious sneer. "He has a billionaire brother-in-law. Why should he suffer like a common laborer? You know he hates studying, yet you're trying to force him back into a classroom. You really don't care about your brother at all."

"Riley, we worked our fingers to the bone raising you," George chimed in guiltily. "Now that you're living the high life, the least you can do is pull your brother up with you."

"It's not that I don't want to help. Landon Enterprises exclusively recruits from top-tier Ivy League programs. Ross barely even went to community college..."

Elaine exploded, furiously cutting her off again. "If he graduated from an Ivy League school, would he need your help? Don't forget, we paid for your medical degree. Now you think you're too good for him? You are unbelievably ungrateful."

A suffocating wave of bitterness swallowed Riley.

From the moment she stepped foot on a university campus, she hadn't asked them for a single dime. She had dominated her entrance exams, securing a full-ride scholarship straight through her PhD, and worked exhausting part-time jobs just to afford groceries.

She hadn't just paid her own way—she had wired every single academic grant she earned straight into their bank account.

But she couldn't say any of that.

If she defended herself, Elaine would just scream louder about how heartless she was.

Riley let out a heavy, defeated sigh. "I'll talk to Pierce about it."

"You better do it fast. He's coming back home in two days."

"I know."

After they finally left, Riley decided she would bring it up with Pierce that night. A cushy executive role was out of the question.

Ross was academically useless, but he was a smooth talker and naturally gifted at networking with wealthy slackers. A personality like his might actually survive in a sales department.

She could ask Pierce to drop him into an entry-level sales role. As long as someone mentored him and he was forced to hit quotas, he could actually climb the ladder if he proved himself.

However, the man who promised to spend the night with her and their daughter was nowhere to be found. By nine o'clock, she caved and texted him: [Are you still coming home tonight?]

His reply was almost instantaneous this time: [A major proposal collapsed. I have to pull an all-nighter with the team to fix it by tomorrow morning. I won't make it back. You and Alora get some sleep.]

Initially, Pierce had been right by her side, charming the investors. But shortly after, Manager Walsh called, and Pierce slipped away to one of the private VIP lounges to take it.

It had been over twenty minutes. What kind of business call took this long?

As she stood there wondering, she overheard a hushed, scandalous whisper from a nearby group.

"Are you serious? With a crowd like this outside, who has the nerve to hook up in a private lounge?"

"I have no idea, but I walked past the door, and the moans were impossible to miss."

Riley's heart plummeted into her stomach.

The private lounge?

A suffocating wave of panic seized her. She slammed her champagne glass onto a passing tray and marched straight toward the VIP corridor.