Chapter 284

Riley sat in the cafe, her face stormy with annoyance. They had said thirty minutes, but an hour had ticked by with no sign of Madeline.

It seemed Madeline was not taking her seriously at all! Just as Riley's patience was wearing thin, in came Madeline, taking her sweet time.

"Finally!" Riley snapped, her composure shattered, her hand thudding on the table.

Luckily, she had reserved the place, so their spat had no audience except for the barista, who peeked over from the counter, then quickly pretended to be engrossed in his work.

Madeline took a seat across from him with a serene grace, setting her belongings on the floor with a soft thud. "Got caught in a bit of traffic, sorry about that," she said, her voice devoid of concern. Her face still bore the marks of yesterday's injury, swollen and tender to the eye.

Riley let out a derisive snort, his eyes darting to the bag by her feet, stuffed to the brim. Clearly, those were fresh purchases. She had not been delayed by traffic, she