The Billionaire's Heir I Never Knew Was Mine

The staring contest did not last long, as Riley challenged Zachary again.

”Uncle, it looks like Sienna’s staff meeting is going to take a while longer. You can head home first. I’ll drive her home.”

The calmness in Zachary’s eyes slowly faded for a moment before he quickly composed himself and appeared casual again. He looked at Riley without changing his expression, but his voice had already become noticeably colder.

”It doesn’t matter how long it takes. I’ll wait for her. So mind your own business, Riley.”

Riley’s awkward smile appeared as if he were trying to ease the tension between them. He could clearly feel that Zachary wasn’t pleased with his offer, but he still tried to explain himself rather than make things worse.

”I’m sorry, Uncle. I didn’t mean to interfere in your family matters. I was just trying to be nice. In the past, I drove her home almost every day, so it became a habit.”

Zachary remained silent for a moment. The explanation didn’t seem to change his mind, and the silence between them only made the atmosphere heavier.

Riley’s expression also became more serious as he realized that Zachary wasn’t going to take his words lightly.

”Thank you for taking care of my wife all this time, Riley, but...” Zachary paused when he noticed Riley’s jaw tighten, clearly showing that he didn’t like where the conversation was going.

Zachary held his gaze before continuing in a firm, controlled voice. ”You can stop now. I’m here. Even when I’m not around her, my people will assist her. You don’t have to be part of her life anymore.”

Riley’s expression hardened at those words. For a moment, neither of them said anything. They simply stared at each other, the tension between them becoming impossible to ignore. Riley clearly understood what Zachary was telling him. Although he didn’t agree with it, he knew Zachary had drawn a clear line.

Zachary didn’t look away either. His expression remained calm, but there was a clear warning in his eyes. He knew Riley liked his wife, but he wasn’t trying to start a fight; he was simply clarifying his position.

As Zachary and Riley exchanged intense glares, neither of them noticed Sienna approaching from the other side of the café.

Sienna had just finished her meeting with the team. She had been looking for Zachary, expecting to find him waiting quietly as usual. Instead, she found him sitting across from Riley, with both men staring at each other as if they were seconds away from arguing.

She slowed down as she looked at them, somewhat surprised by what she saw. Zachary was staring intently at Riley, and from his expression, he looked as though he was ready to punch him. She immediately became worried.

’Huh? Why do they look like they’re about to fight?’ She didn’t even want to imagine her husband beating up his own nephew, especially in the middle of the café after such a successful opening.

Sienna knew her husband well enough to know he wasn’t easily intimidated. However, seeing him sit across from Riley with such a serious expression immediately made her suspicious.

Then, the thought of her conversation with Riley a few weeks ago suddenly came back to her mind, making her heart tighten with worry.

’Oh no! Did Riley tell Zach about his feelings for me? Is that why Zach looks so angry? Damn it, Riley...’ She couldn’t help but silently vent her frustration at him as she walked faster toward the two men.

Whatever Riley had said, she hoped to stop the situation before it got worse.

When she got close enough, Sienna cleared her throat to draw their attention. She wanted to make sure they noticed her before either of them said or did something they would regret.

Zachary heard her first. He turned toward her, and the serious expression that had been on his face only moments earlier immediately softened. A warm smile slowly spread across his lips as he stood from his seat.

”My love, are you done?”

”Yes, I just finished,” Sienna replied tiredly as she stopped a step away from him. After spending the entire evening running around the restaurant and making sure everything went smoothly, she finally felt the exhaustion catching up with her. ”Let’s go home. I feel bad because we asked Sky to return home first.”

”Hmm, let’s go,” Zachary said softly. He reached for her hand and held it securely, then led her toward the door without giving Riley another look.

Sienna followed beside him, but she turned her head back toward Riley. She didn’t want him to feel as though he had been completely forgotten.

”Mia and Ava are in the office. Go see them.”

”Okay.” Riley stood from his chair and gave her a small nod. ”Bye, Sienna. Bye, Uncle.”

”Bye,” Sienna replied before turning back to Zachary. She continued walking beside him, her hand still comfortably held in his.

As they made their way outside, she stole a glance at him, trying to check his expression without making it too obvious.

The tension she had seen earlier was completely gone. Zachary looked calm again, and when he turned to look at her, there was even a small smile on his lips. Seeing the change relieved Sienna, though she was still curious about what had happened between him and Riley.

”Are you tired?” Zachary asked.

”Hmm.” Sienna let out a heavy breath and leaned slightly closer to him as they walked. ”Yeah, it’s been an exhausting day. I just want to soak in a warm bath right now.”

Zachary tightened his hold on her hand, his expression becoming concerned. ”My love, I hope you won’t tire yourself out like this every day. You worked too hard tonight.”

Sienna quickly adjusted her expression when she heard the worry in his voice. She knew Zachary wasn’t angry with her, but she also knew he wasn’t pleased to see how exhausted she had become. She didn’t want him to worry unnecessarily, especially when the opening had gone well.

”I promise you, this is the only day I’ll stand by and tire myself out at The Secret Garden,” she said sincerely. ”I won’t let myself get this exhausted every day.”