Chapter 214: I Will Make Sure Sienna is Protected!
Riley slowly let out a long breath.
"Believe me, I’ve already tried," he admitted quietly.
Ava and Mia looked at Riley with slightly furrowed brows, clearly wanting to hear more about it.
"I warned Sienna before." His gaze dropped to the table. "She wasn’t happy about it."
He gave a small, helpless laugh.
"Actually... Tonight was the first time we’ve really talked since that conversation."
Neither Ava nor Mia spoke for several seconds.
The silence made Mia’s guilt even harder to ignore.
"I’m sorry, Riley," she finally said. "She probably misunderstood your intentions because..." She hesitated before finishing quietly, "...she knew you liked her."
Riley’s head shot up. "She knew?" His eyes widened. "How?"
Mia bit her lip. "I told her."
For a second, Riley could only stare at her.
"Mia!" he exclaimed, pointing a finger across the table. "How could you tell her?"
His voice carried more disbelief than anger.
Mia lowered her head immediately. "I’m sorry."
She looked so guilty that Riley’s frustration quickly faded.
He sighed, dropped his hand, and leaned back against his chair.
"Alright, alright." He shook his head with a tired smile. "Stop giving me that sad puppy look. I said I’m not angry."
"You promise?" Mia asked cautiously.
"I promise."
"And you’re not secretly planning revenge?"
"I’ll think about it."
Mia groaned.
"There," Riley said with a grin. "That’s the reaction I was looking for."
Ava couldn’t help smiling.
Riley rubbed the back of his neck before the smile slowly disappeared.
"Besides," he said quietly, "it’s too late anyway. She’s already with my uncle."
There wasn’t any bitterness in his voice anymore, only sad acceptance.
Ava looked at him for a moment before speaking again. "Then let’s stop thinking about the past."
Riley looked at her.
"The important thing now is figuring out whether your uncle truly loves Sienna," Ava added.
"Exactly." Mia nodded immediately. "That’s all that matters."
Riley pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling another headache coming on.
"Don’t worry too much," he said after a long pause. "Whatever my uncle’s reasons were for marrying her, I’ll find out eventually."
He looked toward the closed door one last time before quietly adding, "And no matter what his intentions are... I’ll make sure Sienna is protected."
...
The worry that had lingered in Sienna’s mind during dinner with Riley and the others gradually faded the moment she stepped outside the building and spotted Zachary’s car parked near the main entrance.
As if he had been watching for her, the driver’s side window rolled down. Sienna’s eyes widened in pleasant surprise when she saw Zachary sitting behind the wheel, casually raising a hand to wave at her.
A warm smile spread across her face.
She quickened her pace without realizing it, her gaze fixed on him. The closer she got, the more clearly she could see the gentle smile on his lips. It wasn’t a smile he showed often, which only made her cherish it even more.
After opening the passenger door, she slid into the seat beside him and closed it behind her. For a brief moment, she simply looked at him instead of speaking.
He had already changed out of his suit jacket. The neatly pressed black shirt he wore fit him perfectly, and the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing his strong forearms. Compared to the polished executive she had seen that morning, he looked much more relaxed now, and somehow even more attractive.
"Did you come straight from the office?" Sienna settled into her seat, smiled at him, then added, "I honestly didn’t expect you to pick me up."
A quiet chuckle filled the car.
"I see," Zachary replied in an exaggeratedly disappointed tone. "So my wife didn’t actually want me to pick her up."
He was trying very hard to look pitiful, although the corners of his lips kept threatening to curl upward.
Sienna couldn’t help but laugh when she saw his expression. "Mr. Sterling, are you acting?"
"I would never."
She shook her head, still smiling, before reaching for her seat belt and fastening it. Once it clicked into place, she turned back to him with an affectionate look.
"I’m happy you came," she said honestly. "I was just surprised. I thought we agreed you’d go home and spend the evening with our son."
Instead of answering immediately, Zachary shifted the car into gear and smoothly pulled away from the curb. Once they merged into traffic, he glanced at her briefly before returning his attention to the road.
"I did go home," he said. "I had every intention of staying there."
"And then?"
"And then your son decided I had a different assignment."
She tilted her head curiously. "What assignment?"
"He told me to come pick you up."
A smile slowly appeared on Sienna’s face.
"He even reminded me that it was my responsibility to make sure you got home safely." Zachary’s voice carried obvious amusement. "According to him, he was assigning me to guard his mother."
Sienna laughed softly.
Now she finally understood why her son had sounded strangely secretive when she called him earlier. He hadn’t been hiding anything serious. He had simply been planning this little surprise with his father.
"He’s such a gentleman," she said warmly.
"He is." Zachary nodded with complete confidence. "Just like his father."
She turned to him with an amused look. "That’s quite a compliment you’re giving yourself."
"I’m only stating facts."
Sienna laughed again. "Our son really is your copy," she admitted. "No wonder you rushed over here the moment he told you to."
"I had no choice."
"You had no choice?" She asked.
"My boss gave me an order."
That made her laugh even harder. "So you’ve been demoted?"
"I’ve been promoted," Zachary corrected calmly. "I’m now Head of Personal Security."
"For me?"
"For you."
She smiled as she looked at him. "That’s a very important position."
"It comes with endless overtime."
"And terrible pay," Sienna playfully added.
"I get paid."
Sienna frowned as she looked at him. "Paid?"
"You smile at me once in a while."
She covered her mouth to hide another laugh.
"Mr. Sterling," she said teasingly, "you’ve become surprisingly creative lately."