The Coldest Man in the Room Melted Only for Me novel Chapter 56

"Okay, let's go in together," Quinn said.

"Alright."

They walked down the hall to the mediation room.

Inside, Seraphina was seated right beside Pierce, holding a cotton swab and delicately dabbing antiseptic on a cut at the corner of his mouth.

It was an agonizingly intimate scene.

Pierce immediately pushed Seraphina's hand away when he spotted his wife and stood up. "What are you doing here?"

"I called her," Quinn interjected flatly.

Pierce frowned at the lawyer, clearly irritated by the intrusion, but simply nodded toward the room. "Go handle the paperwork."

Quinn nodded and walked past him to speak with the opposing counsel.

Pierce reached out to take Riley's hand.

Riley seamlessly stepped out of his reach, moving further into the room.

Julian was slumped in a chair nearby, sporting a black eye, a swollen cheek, and dried blood on his chin. Compared to Pierce's minor split lip, he had definitely taken a serious beating.

Yet he sat there with his legs crossed, looking completely unbothered by the damage.

When he saw Riley, a cocky smirk broke out on his bruised face, ready to enjoy the drama.

Riley took a seat, and Pierce immediately sat down next to her. Seraphina quickly approached, offering Riley the medical supplies. "You should finish cleaning his cut."

Why on earth should she tend to wounds he earned fighting for another woman?

Riley didn't even acknowledge the gesture, let alone look at her. She simply pulled out her phone and started scrolling.

Seraphina awkwardly pulled her hand back. "Please don't misunderstand, he was just..."

"Go sit down," Pierce ordered coldly, cutting her off.

"Whether I do or not is none of your business."

"I..." Seraphina glanced pitifully over at Pierce on the driver's side, pulling her hand back. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have spoken."

"If you know you shouldn't speak, then keep your mouth shut next time." Riley slid into the seat and slammed the door.

Seraphina flushed violently and looked to Pierce for support, but he wasn't even paying attention to her as he climbed behind the wheel.

The car quickly peeled out of the lot.

Riley kept her gaze glued to the window. She could feel his eyes darting to her, but she refused to acknowledge him.

The drive was suffocatingly silent.

When they finally parked outside their villa in Golden Sands Cove, Pierce reached out and grabbed her arm before she could unbuckle. "I was impulsive today. The bidding for the Westside land has been a nightmare, the financial reports from Ashford are a disaster, and everything just piled up on me. I lost my temper."

Riley turned to look at him. "Are you honestly trying to tell me that your little brawl had absolutely nothing to do with her?"