The Billionaire's Heir I Never Knew Was Mine

By the time dinner ended, no one mentioned Sienna’s marriage or Zachary again.

The heavy conversation had quietly faded into the background, and the shift into lighter topics clearly helped Sienna relax. Little by little, she returned to her usual self, smiling more often and easily and joining in every joke without forcing it.

The four of them lingered around the table long after they had finished eating. Empty plates were pushed aside, fresh glasses of water replaced the drinks they had already finished, and the conversation wandered from embarrassing college memories to office gossip, old classmates, and Riley’s latest failed attempt at cooking.

"I’m telling you, the recipe lied," Riley said, looking completely serious.

Ava raised an eyebrow. "Recipes don’t lie. You just thought ’a pinch of salt’ meant half the container."

"It wasn’t half."

"It was."

"It definitely wasn’t."

Mia laughed so hard she nearly spilled her water. "Riley, didn’t the smoke alarm go off?"

"Yeah. But that wasn’t because of my cooking."

"It literally happened while you were cooking."

"It was... poor timing."

Ava shook her head with a smile. "Amazing. Even your excuses need excuses."

Sienna laughed with them, the bright sound filling the private room. "You know, I’m actually impressed you admitted you cooked."

"I had to," Riley said dramatically. "The evidence survived."

"The pan survived?" Mia asked.

"Barely."

They all burst into another round of laughter.

For a while, it felt as though nothing had changed. They teased one another the same way they always had, talked over each other, argued over meaningless things, and laughed until their cheeks hurt.

It reminded Sienna of countless evenings they had spent together before relationships and adult responsibilities had pulled them in different directions.

None of them seemed eager to leave. If they could, they probably would have stayed there talking until the restaurant closed.

Then reality quietly interrupted the moment.

Sienna’s phone vibrated inside her handbag.

The familiar vibration instantly pulled her out of the comfortable atmosphere. It was a gentle reminder that her life had changed. She was no longer a single woman who could stay out chatting with her best friends for as long as she wanted. She had a husband waiting for her and a son waiting at home.

She reached into her bag and smiled the moment she saw Zachary’s name on the screen.

"Hello, Honey," she answered warmly.

The room immediately became quieter.

Without anyone saying a word, Riley, Ava, and Mia all turned toward her with matching expressions of curiosity. None of them meant to eavesdrop, but it was impossible not to notice the softness in Sienna’s voice.

"Wife, are you done with dinner?" Zachary’s gentle voice came through the speaker.

Sienna pretended not to notice the three pairs of eyes fixed on her. "Yes, I’m done," she replied naturally.

"I’m in the parking lot. I’m waiting for you."

She blinked in surprise. He hadn’t mentioned he was coming to pick her up. She had assumed she would go home with Logan after dinner, so hearing that he was already downstairs caught her completely off guard.

"Alright," she said, unable to hide the smile in her voice. "I’ll come down now."

After ending the call, Sienna slipped her phone back into her bag before looking at her friends.

"Guys, I’m leaving first. My husband is already waiting outside." She stood up and picked up her handbag before remembering something. "Oh, and don’t worry about the bill. I already paid it."

Riley clicked his tongue. "You couldn’t even let us pretend to fight over it?"

"You three took too long deciding on dessert," Sienna teased.

"We were conducting serious research," Mia protested.

"Research?" Ava repeated.

"Yes. On whether calories count if someone else orders them."

"They do," Sienna replied with a laugh.

Riley waved lazily from his chair. "Fine. Thanks for dinner."

"Thanks, Mrs. Rich Husband," Mia teased with a grin.

Sienna rolled her eyes.

"Bye, girl!" Ava and Mia called together.

Sienna smiled one last time before waving at them. "Bye."

She walked out of the private room, and the VIP door slowly closed behind her.

The cheerful atmosphere disappeared almost immediately.

The silence that followed wasn’t uncomfortable, but it carried a weight none of them had been willing to bring back while Sienna was still there. It settled over the room so completely that the warm lighting suddenly felt less comforting.

Ava and Mia exchanged a quiet look. Both of them were thinking about the same thing, and neither had found an answer during dinner.

A moment later, they turned toward Riley.

He was still staring blankly at the closed door, completely lost in thought.

"Riley."

Mia’s voice snapped him back to reality.

He cleared his throat, looked away from the door, and reached for the water pitcher. "So..." he said casually while pouring himself a glass. "Are you two heading home now?"

Mia leaned across the table instead of answering.

"Nope. We still have plenty of time." She folded her arms and gave him a meaningful look. "Now you need to explain what exactly is going on with your family."

Ava nodded in agreement.

"Seriously, Riley. Your grandparents really didn’t know about Zachary and Sienna?"

"As I said before," Riley replied, setting the pitcher down, "...yes! My grandparents have no idea they’re married."

He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

"And that’s exactly why I’m worried. If Uncle Zach hasn’t even told his own parents about her..." He paused, searching for the right words. "I can’t help wondering whether he’s taking this marriage seriously."

Mia frowned.

"The more I think about it, the more worried I get." She looked genuinely anxious. "What if your uncle is only playing with Sienna? Riley, couldn’t you ask your uncle what’s really going on?"

Before Riley could answer, Ava cleared her throat.

"Mia."

"What?"

"You can’t ask Riley to interfere."

"I’m just worried."

"I know." Ava’s voice softened. "But Sienna would hate it if she found out Riley was questioning her husband behind her back. They’re already married. Whether we agree with it or not, we have to respect her choice."