Chapter 21: It’s Just Curiosity
A gentle sigh could be heard from the other end of the line, carrying a charming, childlike sense of drama.
"Dad, you said you would help me with my math problem," Skylar said, his tone full of quiet protest. "I even texted you... like... three... No four times."
Zachary exhaled slowly, guilt settling in almost immediately.
He really had forgotten.
"I’m sorry, Sky," he said, his voice gentle, sincere. "Dad got caught up with something."
"Something more important than me?" Skylar asked, his tone suspicious.
Zachary almost smiled. "Of course not," he replied immediately. "Nothing is more important than you."
There was a small pause, as if the boy was considering whether to accept that answer.
"...Okay," Skylar said at last, though his voice still carried a hint of doubt.
Zachary glanced at the time on his dashboard. "I’ll be home in thirty minutes. We can still go through it together."
On the other end, a soft yawn slipped through.
"...But if you’re sleepy, we can do it tomorrow morning," Zachary added. "You need rest."
Another pause before Skylar’s voice came through once more.
"It’s okay, Dad," his voice softer now, almost drifting. "Arthur already helped me."
Zachary let out a quiet breath of relief.
"Did he?"
"Yeah... but he’s not as fun as you," Skylar added honestly.
That made Zachary smile, though the guilt didn’t leave.
"I’ll make it up to you tomorrow," he said. "Deal?"
"Deal..." Skylar murmured.
"Alright. Go to sleep now."
"...Okay. Goodnight, Dad."
"Goodnight, Sky. I love you."
"I love you too, Dad..."
After the line went quiet, Zachary inhaled deeply.
The car continued moving through the night, heading fast toward Lakeside Garden.
But something felt off. A quiet discomfort settled in his chest.
He had never broken a promise to his son before.
And tonight. He had.
Zachary tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his expression turning thoughtful as he drove through the quiet night streets. The city lights passed by in soft streaks, reflecting faintly on the windshield, but his mind was no longer on the road alone.
The warmth from earlier—the dinner, the conversation, the way Sienna had smiled so naturally—still lingered somewhere inside him.
But now, it was mixed with something heavier. Something he couldn’t easily ignore.
The silence in the car stretched longer than usual.
Then, without hesitation, he reached for his phone and pressed a number on the speed dial.
It rang only once.
"Hello, Boss. What assignment do you need me to do?"
A man’s voice came through the phone speaker, low, steady, and far too ready.
The tone alone made it clear that Zachary’s calls were never casual. When he called, something always needed to be done.
Zachary didn’t waste time.
"I need you to investigate someone," he ordered calmly.
There was a brief pause on the other end.
"Name?"
"First name Sienna, last name Adams. She currently works at the Imperial Hotel as a Front Office Manager."
This time, the silence lasted a second longer.
Even through the phone, Zachary could sense the surprise.
"...Understood," the man replied, his tone shifting slightly, more alert now. "I’ll start immediately."
"Do it fast," Zachary added, his voice firm. "I want the full report on my desk tomorrow morning."
"No problem, Boss. You’ll have it first thing in the morning."
"Good."
Without another word, Zachary ended the call.
Silence returned.
The car moved smoothly through the empty road, the engine humming softly, but his thoughts were far from calm.
He didn’t plan to do this; investigating someone, especially a woman he had just met, was not something he would normally do without reason. It was unnecessary. Excessive, even.
And yet...
His son’s voice echoed faintly in his mind.
"Something more important than me?"
Zachary exhaled slowly, his grip loosening slightly on the wheel.
That question shouldn’t have affected him this much.
But it did.
Because for a brief moment, Sienna had taken his full attention.
From the moment he saw her again in the hotel lobby... to the unexpected dinner... to the way time had passed without him noticing. And he had forgotten something important.
That had never happened before.
"...Interesting," he muttered under his breath.
His gaze remained fixed on the road, but his thoughts wandered to Sienna Adams—a woman who spoke to him freely, without hesitation. She didn’t seek to impress or flatter him, nor did she seem concerned about who he was.
"She even argued about paying the bill," he recalled, a faint, almost amused expression crossing his face.
Most people would fight to get closer to him.
She, on the other hand, was trying to keep things... fair.
"Who does that?"
Zachary let out a quiet breath.
"Either she’s very honest... or very foolish."
A small pause.
"...Or maybe both."
His fingers lightly tapped against the steering wheel as he replayed the dinner in his mind... her reactions, her expressions, the way she tugs her beautiful ginger-brown hair behind her ear, and how her eyes change when certain topics come up.
There was something there. Something hidden. Something she didn’t say.
’Maybe about her family...!?’
He recalled the way her expression had shifted when he asked about it... that wasn’t nothing.
Zachary’s eyes darkened a bit. He disliked unknown factors, and Sienna Adams was one of them. Yet, he tried to justify his feelings as mere curiosity, caution, or a desire for control.
Another thought slipped in. Uninvited.
’Man, you enjoyed your time with her, right?’
He frowned slightly when he heard his own thoughts.
That was the problem. He had enjoyed the conversation. The silence. Even the small, meaningless jokes.
All about her feels... comfortable.
Zachary let out a quiet breath, shaking his head slightly as if trying to clear the thought away.
’It’s just curiosity,’ he told himself. ’Don’t overthink why you investigated her. You’re just making sure she’s not a problem.’
A short pause.
Then another voice in his mind answered back—
’Really?’
His grip tightened again around the steering wheel.
’If she’s not a problem... then what?’
The question lingered.
And for the first time in a long time, he found himself without an answer.