The Billionaire's Heir I Never Knew Was Mine

Monday felt like it had arrived much sooner than Sienna wished.

The weekend, which she had hoped would give her enough time to rest and prepare, felt like it had slipped through her fingers without warning.

One moment, she was lying in bed, overthinking every small detail of her life.

And now, she was already standing at the grand entrance of the Imperial Hotel, dressed neatly, her hair perfectly styled, and her expression composed.

At least... on the outside.

Inside, her mind was already running.

Today marked the beginning of the Sterling Capital Management Training, one of the most important events the hotel would host this quarter.

Although the event itself would last only two days, the preparation had taken weeks of planning, coordination, and endless meetings.

And even though she no longer needed to worry about handling the CEO directly, her responsibilities were far from light.

If anything went wrong, her Department would be the first to face the consequences.

Sienna inhaled deeply as she stepped into the lobby, her heels clicking softly against the polished floor. Her eyes scanned the surroundings out of habit.

Everything looked in place. Staff were already moving efficiently, guests were being attended to, and the atmosphere remained controlled.

"Good," she murmured softly to herself. "At least nothing is on fire yet."

With that small reassurance, she made her way toward her office.

But the moment she stepped inside, her calm immediately shattered.

Something was off.

The usual morning chatter was gone.

Instead, a heavy silence filled the space.

Her eyes shifted toward the small meeting room, and there she saw them.

Mia and several team members sat quietly inside, their expressions tense and postures stiff, and no one smiled. It resembled a meeting, but not a good one.

Before Sienna could even put her bag down, the sound of footsteps behind her made her turn.

"You finally came..." Riley’s voice echoed from behind, and when she looked at him, she was taken aback.

There was concern in his eyes.

Not the playful, teasing kind she was used to, but something heavier.

Her brows furrowed slightly.

"Why are they having a meeting this early?" she asked, glancing back at the room. "Did I miss something?"

Riley exhaled slowly, as if preparing himself to deliver bad news.

"Mia is in trouble."

Sienna’s expression darkened instantly. "Trouble?" she repeated, her tone sharpening. "What trouble?"

Trouble was the last thing she wanted to hear, especially today.

Riley ran a hand through his hair before answering.

"Last night, one of the management training participants suffered food poisoning. She was taken to the emergency room... and her condition hasn’t improved yet."

For a brief moment, Sienna froze.

"Wh-What?" she blurted out, her voice rising slightly in shock. "Why wasn’t I notified?"

She quickly pulled out her phone and scrolled through her messages, emails, and any other apps with a messaging feature.

But nothing.

Not a single alert.

"There will be an impromptu meeting in a few minutes. But this... has been kept under wraps. Only a few people know." He paused briefly before adding, "Mia... I mean, our department is responsible for handling that guest." Riley explained carefully.

Sienna’s grip on her phone tightened.

"So that’s why she didn’t tell me..." she murmured, more to herself than to him.

Her jaw clenched slightly.

Without another word, she walked straight toward the meeting room.

Riley followed behind her.

The moment the door opened, all eyes turned toward them.

The tension inside became even thicker.

"Morning, Sienna..." Mia greeted, her voice calm, but her eyes betrayed her. There was worry, stress, and guilt in her eyes.

"Good morning, Sienna..." the others echoed.

Sienna gave a small nod before gesturing for them to sit. She walked in and took the seat directly across from Mia.

For a second, she didn’t speak.

She simply looked at her.

"Mia," she began, her voice gentle, but her gaze firm and steady. "I understand that you want to take responsibility for what happened."

She leaned forward slightly.

"But you also need to remember something important," she continued, her tone still calm but carrying authority. "I am your manager. Issues like this, especially those involving guest safety, must be reported immediately. Not handled alone."

The room fell silent.

Mia lowered her gaze slightly.

"I’m sorry..." she said almost quietly. "I thought I could handle it immediately before things got worse..."

Sienna exhaled softly, her expression softening just a little.

"I get your good intentions. And I’m not here to blame you," she said. "But I need to know exactly what happened, and you’re the only one here who can tell me about it."

Mia nodded and straightened slightly before starting to explain, "I never received detailed information about the guest’s food allergies. That’s why this happened."

Sienna frowned.

"No allergy information?" she repeated.

Mia quickly reached for a document on the table.

"This is the list I received from Anna last week," she said, handing it over. "It contains all the guest details and whatnot."

Sienna took the paper and scanned it carefully.

Her brows slowly knitted together. There was no allergy information listed.

Sienna looked up to see Mia, "This is incomplete," she said calmly.

Mia nodded. "I know," she replied. "But Anna and Angie both said they had already provided the full information. But I never received that information. None in my team also received it..."

A quiet murmur spread across the room.

"Anna and Angie... I think they’re trying to set you up..." The voice came from one of the staff members, soft... but loud enough for everyone to hear.

The room went still.

All eyes turned toward her in shock.

"Set her up?" another staff member asked, confusion clear on their faces. "Why would they do that?"

The tension shifted.

From worry... to suspicion.

Before the conversation could spiral further, Sienna raised her hand slightly.

"Enough," she said firmly.

Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried enough authority to silence the room instantly.

"Stop making assumptions," she continued, her gaze sweeping across them. "Right now, this is not about speculation. This is about a guest’s safety."

Her expression hardened slightly.

"And I assure you," she added, "our superiors will not take this lightly."