The Billionaire's Heir I Never Knew Was Mine

Sienna left the treatment room and walked through the quiet hallway toward Scott’s office, where Zachary was waiting for her.

Before she had gone very far, however, her cell phone suddenly rang inside her handbag.

When she saw Mia’s name displayed on the screen, she answered immediately. "Hello, Mia," she greeted her best friend cheerfully.

"Sienna?! Are you okay?" Mia asked anxiously from the other end of the call.

Sienna slowed her pace, then stopped just before Scott’s office.

"What’s with the question? Of course I’m fine," she replied calmly, trying to reassure Mia.

"But I just went to your office," Mia explained, "and your assistant told me you’re on leave again..."

Sienna let out a deep sigh. She really hadn’t wanted to take another leave from work. However, Zachary had refused to let her return to the office while she was still recovering.

"Yeah," Sienna replied as she leaned casually against the wall. "I took another one-week leave."

"Why?" Mia asked immediately.

"Something happened to me, and..." Sienna trailed off, unable to tell her the truth about the gangster who had ambushed her, at least not over the phone. If Mia found out now, she would definitely tell Ava and Riley, and then her phone would be flooded with worried calls and messages from both of them.

Her hesitation only made Mia more suspicious.

"Sienna," Mia said, her voice growing softer with concern, "what happened?"

Sienna opened her mouth to answer, but before she could say anything, the door beside her opened and Zachary stepped out.

He looked slightly surprised to find her standing there, but the surprise quickly turned into a warm smile when he realized she was on the phone. Without interrupting, he simply gestured for her to continue while he quietly stood beside her.

Returning his smile, Sienna shifted her attention back to the call.

"Mia, I’m a little busy right now. Can we talk about it later?"

As expected, Mia refused immediately. "My friend, I know you’re hiding something."

Sienna couldn’t help smiling helplessly. She tightened her grip on her phone before finally giving in just enough to calm her friend.

"I’m at the hospital right now," she admitted.

"What? The hospital?" Mia nearly shouted, making Sienna instinctively pull the phone away from her ear. "Oh my goodness, Sienna! You’re injured again?"

Sienna closed her eyes briefly, already imagining the panic on the other end of the call.

"Mia," she said patiently before her friend could jump to even worse conclusions, "I’ll explain everything when we meet, alright?"

There was a brief silence.

Then Mia’s cheerful voice returned as if someone had flipped a switch. "Then let’s meet today! I’ll arrange dinner tonight."

Sienna laughed quietly. Only Mia could go from panic to excitement in less than ten seconds.

"I’d love to, but..." She glanced at Zachary, silently asking for permission. "Can I have dinner with my friends today?" she asked in a soft voice.

Without hesitation, Zachary reached over and gently rubbed her cheek with his thumb.

"Hmm," he replied with a small smile. "Of course."

His answer immediately brightened her expression.

She turned back to the phone. "Okay, Mia. I’ll arrange the place this time."

"Perfect! Just text me the location. I’ll come with Ava and Riley."

"See you tonight."

"See you!"

After ending the call, Sienna lowered her phone and looked at Zachary with grateful eyes.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. "I really need to explain everything to them... especially about us."

"I understand."

He naturally reached for her hand and intertwined his fingers with hers before they started walking toward the elevator together.

"Do you want to go home now?" he asked, "...or would you like to come with me to the office first? You can head to dinner from there."

His offer caught her off guard.

She hadn’t expected to visit his office this soon, especially when gossip about him and his first love, Jessica, had already started spreading across several entertainment websites. Even if the rumors weren’t true, she wasn’t eager to become the next topic of discussion simply because she appeared beside him.

After thinking for a moment, she gently shook her head.

"I think it’s better if I go home first."

"Because?"

"I need to explain things to our son." A playful smile spread across her face. "I’m worried he might file a complaint with the court if he finds out I’m having dinner without him."

Zachary let out an amused laugh.

"Yeah, he would definitely do that. He is that smart."

"I know."

"He’d probably prepare strong evidence too."

Sienna giggled. "And he’d make a very emotional speech."

"’Your Honor,’" Zachary said in an exaggeratedly serious tone, "’my mother abandoned me for dinner with her friends, without proper notification. I demand unlimited ice cream as compensation.’"

She burst into laughter.

"With that cute face and beaming eyes, he’d definitely win the case."

"I wouldn’t even bother hiring a lawyer," Zachary replied. "I’d just plead guilty immediately."

"Smart decision."

"I’ve already learned that arguing with him is a losing battle."

She looked at him with an amused smile. "I thought you were fearless."

"I am."

"But?"

"I’m only fearless around adults."

"And our son?"

"Our son negotiates like a tiny professional, and he knows my ultimate weakness and how to utilize it to his advantage."

Sienna laughed so hard that she had to cover her mouth. "You are right! He is talented just like his dad."

"Exactly," Zachary replied with complete seriousness. "Imagine how dangerous he’ll become after a few more years."

Their laughter followed them all the way to the elevator.

As the doors opened, Zachary placed one hand protectively behind her back, letting her enter first before stepping inside beside her.

While the elevator descended, Sienna suddenly remembered Kevin and Ethan.

"Zach."

"Hmm?"

"Don’t I need to say goodbye to your best friends?"

"They already left."

"So soon?"

"They both had important meetings to attend. They only came here because they heard I got married."

Sienna blinked. "They’re both that busy, yet they still came all the way here?"

"They wouldn’t have been able to focus on work if they hadn’t confirmed it themselves."