The Coldest Man in the Room Melted Only for Me novel Chapter 54

Riley acted as if she hadn't heard a word. "It was a brilliant setup. If you hadn't immediately tried to pin the blame on me, I wouldn't have even realized I'd walked right into your trap."

Pierce turned a suspicious look toward Seraphina. "Is Riley telling the truth?"

Tears instantly welled in Seraphina's eyes. "If you hadn't found me in time tonight, I could have been ruined! Why would I ever gamble my reputation and safety on something so stupid?"

The doubt in Pierce's eyes vanished immediately. He turned back to Riley. "I will investigate this thoroughly and give you a proper answer."

Riley just shook her head. "It doesn't matter anymore."

She had believed Pierce knew her character, but he had taken Seraphina's baseless claims as gospel and convicted her on the spot.

At that moment, the devastating truth hit her: she wasn't special to him at all.

She had laid out the gaping flaws in the story, yet one pitiful sentence from Seraphina was all it took to erase his suspicions entirely.

If Seraphina wouldn't do something so stupid, why was he so ready to believe Riley would?

The undeniable truth was that his heart already belonged to Seraphina.

Whatever his so-called investigation uncovered was meaningless to her now.

Riley turned on her heel and walked toward the door.

Panic flared in Pierce's chest. He chased after her, grabbing her arm. "Riley."

Riley glanced down, her icy gaze fixing on his grip. "Let go."

He only held on tighter. "I'm coming home with you."

"Go home with her," Seraphina's overly understanding voice floated from the bed. "Don't let me cause problems in your marriage. I'll be fine on my own."

Pierce immediately looked back at Seraphina.

Riley felt the tension in his grip slacken the second he looked away. She shifted her eyes to the woman in the bed.

In that instant, she realized Seraphina had completely evolved.

If she threw a fit and fought with him, it would only play perfectly into Seraphina's hands.

Why on earth would she give her exactly what she wanted?

Pushing her fury aside, Riley flipped her hand over and intertwined her fingers with Pierce's. "Let's go home."

Pierce looked at her in surprise. "You're... not mad anymore?"

Of course she was furious.

She was just choosing her battles.

"I was the one who handed her the drink, so it's natural you jumped to conclusions. Just make sure you investigate properly and clear my name."

A faint smile touched Pierce's lips. "I will."

"Are we going?" Riley asked, not waiting for him to reply before adding, "Or did you want to stay and keep her company?"