Chapter 199: Should I Quit My Job?

Monday morning brought a calm, peaceful vibe to the Zachary residence.

Sienna stood in front of Zachary, quietly helping him straighten his suit before work. She smoothed the front of his jacket, adjusted his tie one last time, and brushed away an invisible speck of lint from his shoulder.

After making sure everything looked perfect, she stepped back to admire him. A satisfied smile spread across her face as she met his eyes.

"Mr. Sterling," she said with a playful smile, "you’re ready to go now. But make sure you don’t flirt with other women, or your wife will get jealous."

Her warning immediately made Zachary laugh. He gently rested his fingers beneath her chin and tilted her face up so she was looking directly at him.

"I wouldn’t dare do that," he replied with an amused smile. "Do you really think I’d risk making my wife angry?"

Sienna raised an eyebrow. "You’re handsome, rich, and successful. Women might throw themselves at you."

"Hmm." Zachary pretended to think seriously. "That sounds like a dangerous situation."

"It is."

"Then I suppose I only have one option."

"And what’s that?"

"I’ll keep thinking about my wife all day."

Before Sienna could tease him again, he leaned closer. His eyes lingered on her lips for a moment before he captured them in a gentle kiss, leaving her words unspoken. It was brief but affectionate, the kind of kiss that naturally made her smile when he finally pulled away.

"Problem solved," he said with quiet satisfaction.

Sienna shook her head, unable to hide her laughter. "You’re smart, Mr. Sterling!"

"I’ve been told that before."

After sharing another smile with her, Zachary straightened his suit jacket and gently squeezed her hand.

"All right, you stay home with Sky today. And don’t push yourself too hard..."

Instead of answering immediately, Sienna let out a long sigh, making no effort to hide her dissatisfaction.

Seeing her expression, Zachary smiled helplessly.

"I’m sorry, my wife. I already know why you’re upset."

"Do you?"

"You want to go back to work."

She folded her arms carefully, avoiding her injured one. "Then why won’t you let me?"

"Because your arm is still healing," he answered patiently. "I can’t let you go back to work with that injury."

She looked at him with a serious expression. "Can you stop treating me like I’m made of glass? I’m starting to think you’ve forgotten I survived perfectly well before I married you."

"I haven’t forgotten," Zachary replied with a chuckle. "I just prefer keeping my wife in one piece."

Sienna couldn’t help laughing, though she quickly tried to look serious again.

"I’m worried my boss will fire me if I keep taking leave," she said. "I’ve already been absent for so long."

"So be it," Zachary answered without the slightest hesitation. "You don’t have to work there. Your husband can take care of you."

She laughed again, shaking her head at how casually he said it.

Before meeting Zachary, those words would have sounded unbelievable. Now, they simply made her heart feel warm. She no longer had to worry about the debt that had once weighed heavily on her shoulders because Zachary had already taken care of everything. Financially, she wanted for nothing.

Tilting her head thoughtfully, she looked at him again. "Should I quit my job?"

This time, Zachary didn’t answer right away. He studied her face carefully, trying to decide whether she was joking or genuinely asking for his opinion. After a quiet moment, a warm smile slowly appeared on his face.

"I’ll support whatever decision you make," he said sincerely. "But I also hope you won’t push yourself until you’re stressed and exhausted. I want you to have enough time and energy for Sky... and for our little family."

His words softened her expression.

"I understand," Sienna said with a gentle nod. "But I really do enjoy working there. And I still have close friends at the office. I don’t want to leave just because I’m married."

"I know." Zachary placed both hands gently on her shoulders and smiled reassuringly. "That’s why I’m not asking you to quit. You’ll go back after your wound has healed."

He added, "But tomorrow we’ll visit Scott so he can remove your stitches. Once he confirms everything is healing well, you can return to work and resume your usual routine."

Sienna smiled with relief before wrapping her arm around his waist and hugging him carefully. "Thank you... that makes me feel much better."

Zachary brushed a few loose strands of hair away from her face before smiling back.

"Now," Sienna continued with a playful grin, "you really need to leave, Mr. Sterling. Unless you want your employees to wonder why their CEO is late because he couldn’t stop talking to his wife."

"They won’t dare to do that..."

"They might. But your morning meeting won’t."

He laughed, knowing she was right.

After talking about a few more things with her and once again reminding her not to overwork herself, Zachary reluctantly left for his office.

At the same time, Sienna stood at the doorway, watching him until his car disappeared from her line of sight.

Sienna had barely taken a few steps away from the front door when she heard soft footsteps coming from inside the house.

She saw Skylar walking toward her. He was already dressed neatly for the day, his clothes tidy and his hair carefully combed.

"My son, are you ready for your class?" she asked gently, stopping in front of him.

Skylar nodded before reaching for her hand. His small fingers wrapped around hers.

"Mom, my teacher will be here soon," he said. "You’ll stay with me during class, will you, Mom?"

Hearing his question made Sienna’s heart ache. She couldn’t forget what Skylar had told her the previous night—that he had stopped going to his school because the other children had bullied him. Even though he had tried to speak calmly about it, she knew those painful memories had left deep scars in his young heart.

She also heard from Skylar that when Zachary learned what had happened, he immediately decided that Skylar would no longer attend a regular school. Instead, he enrolled him in a private homeschooling program and hired the best teachers to teach him at home.

Sienna understood why Zachary had made that decision. More than anything, he wanted to protect their son and make sure he could continue learning in a safe and comfortable environment.

"Of course, dear," Sienna replied softly. She squeezed Skylar’s hand and smiled reassuringly at him. "I’ll be with you. Let’s go."

Still holding his hand, Sienna walked beside him toward his study room, hoping that little by little, with enough love, patience, and support, Skylar would regain the confidence that had been taken from him.