The Coldest Man in the Room Melted Only for Me novel Chapter 96

"What?! What happened to Lory? She's so little, why does she need surgery?!" Quinn's voice spiked with sheer panic.

Riley exhaled softly, steadying her emotions, and gave Quinn a brief rundown of the situation.

Quinn was so furious she practically screamed through the phone. "Is Pierce out of his damn mind?! His own daughter is in emergency surgery, and he's playing daddy to some other guy's kid?! Oh hell no, I'm going over there right now. If he doesn't give me a good explanation, I swear I will end him today!"

"Wait." Noting Mrs. Gable sitting nearby, Riley stood up and walked over to the window for privacy. "Don't go looking for him. He's not a doctor. Dragging him here won't fix anything."

"But he's her father! Cheating on you is one thing, but completely abandoning his own child? You might be able to swallow this, but I sure as hell can't!"

"I've been looking for evidence of his neglect, haven't I? Now I have it. Right now, I only care about Lory. I have no energy to deal with him. Once Lory is stable, I'm divorcing him."

Quinn had been blinded by rage, but Riley's words grounded her. "You're right. I'm being too impulsive. Leave things on this end to me. I'll find a few more witnesses so he can't possibly deny it in court."

"Okay."

Riley hung up and walked back to the operating room doors. She peered through the small window, but she couldn't see anything. Sighing, she returned to her seat.

Minutes dragged by like hours. She had never felt time move so agonizingly slowly. Every second of waiting was pure torture.

After what felt like an eternity, the OR doors finally swung open.

Riley rushed forward. "Doctor, how is my daughter?"

"The surgery was a complete success," the doctor said warmly. "She's in the recovery room now. She'll be moved to a regular ward in about half an hour."

The massive weight pressing on Riley's chest finally vanished. "Thank you so much."

Riley stood up, bewildered. "Sebastian, what are you doing here?"

Sebastian's expression remained perfectly composed. "I had business in Riverport."

Riley instantly understood. Franklin must have heard that Lory was sick during their unfinished call and reported it to Sebastian. But that phone call was nearly two hours ago. If they were already in town, why had it taken them this long to get here?

A second later, it dawned on her. Lory was just his namesake goddaughter with zero blood relation. Given his immense corporate responsibilities, the fact that he made time to visit at all was already incredibly generous.

Sebastian glanced toward the OR doors. "How did the surgery go?"

"It was a success. She's in recovery now."

Sebastian nodded. He scanned the empty waiting area, noting she was completely alone. "Where is Pierce?"