Chapter 246: Shocked

Zoey parted her lips, wanting to argue, but Zachary continued before she had the chance.

"From now on, I expect you to change your attitude toward her. Treat her with the respect she deserves, and never pressure her into doing something she doesn’t want to do, especially something like forcing her to resign from the company."

Zoey lowered her eyes for a moment and let out a long sigh. The frustration she had carried since yesterday was still there, but hearing the truth had changed everything.

"If I had known this earlier," she admitted quietly, "I wouldn’t have done that."

"I know," Zachary replied.

His tone softened slightly, but his next words still carried a clear warning.

"My wife asked me not to scold you or punish you, so I’m letting this go because I respect her wishes." He held Zoey’s gaze steadily. "But don’t ever do something like that again."

Zoey gave a small nod without arguing.

"You have my word, brother."

Zachary remained silent for a brief moment before speaking again.

"And one more thing."

Zoey looked up at him.

"Don’t tell anyone about my marriage or about Sienna being Sky’s mother." His voice became serious once more. "I will tell Mom and Dad myself, and after that, I’ll make an official announcement to everyone in our extended family."

Zoey slowly nodded again. Although she still had many unanswered questions, she understood that pushing him further would only make him shut her out completely. Besides, she had already crossed a line by confronting Sienna without knowing the full story. She had no intention of making another mistake.

Seeing that the conversation was over, Zachary stood from his chair and picked up his iPad.

"I’ve got to go. I’ve actually had to reschedule several meetings just for this meeting," he said calmly. "And I’m sure you’re too."

Without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked toward the exit, leaving Zoey sitting alone at the table.

She watched him disappear through the café door before slowly leaning back in her chair. Her coffee had just arrived, but she barely noticed it. Her mind was still occupied with everything Zachary had told her.

She had gone there expecting to convince her brother to stay away from Sienna.

Instead, she had discovered that Sienna had already become part of their family long before she ever realized it. The realization left her with mixed emotions.

She still needed time to accept everything she had learned, but one thing had become painfully clear. From today forward, Sienna was no longer just her employee... She was Zachary’s wife, Skylar’s mother, and her sister-in-law. There was no changing that anymore.

...

As soon as Zoey arrived at the Imperial Hotel, she didn’t head straight to the fifteenth floor, where her office was located. Instead, she stepped out of the elevator on the eleventh floor.

The moment she appeared, her presence immediately caught everyone’s attention.

Conversations stopped almost instantly as the employees looked up from their desks.

The usually busy floor became noticeably quieter as Zoey walked through the department, her assistant following a few steps behind.

Once she had passed, quiet whispers quickly spread throughout the office.

"That’s our CEO, Ms. Zoey Sterling, isn’t it?" one woman whispered to the colleagues sitting beside her.

"Yes, it is," one of them replied with a nod, his eyes still following Zoey. "I’ve worked here for years, and this is the first time I’ve ever seen her come to this floor."

"Same here," another employee added. "I usually only see her during the company’s year-end celebrations."

"It looks like she’s here to meet someone. Who could it be?"

"Oh... she’s straight heading toward Miss Sienna’s office."

Almost everyone instinctively turned their heads in the same direction.

Sure enough, Zoey stopped right in front of the Room Division Manager’s office.

"Did something happen in our department?" someone whispered nervously. "Why is the CEO visiting our manager?"

Before anyone could answer, Zoey’s assistant shot the employees a sharp look that silently reminded them to return to work.

The whispers immediately died down.

Within seconds, the office became quiet again, with only the sound of fingers tapping across keyboards filling the room. Even so, many employees secretly stole curious glances toward Sienna’s office, unable to hide their curiosity.

Zoey’s assistant stepped forward and opened the office door for her.

"Ma’am," she said politely, gesturing for Zoey to enter.

Zoey gave a small nod before walking inside. After her assistant quietly closed the door behind them, leaving only two women inside, Zoey walked farther into the room.

At the same moment, Sienna looked up from her desk. The surprise on her face was obvious the instant she saw who had entered her office.

"Ms. Sterling... wh-why are you here?" Sienna asked, unable to hide her surprise.

A small smile appeared on Zoey’s face as she noticed Sienna’s slight stutter. She gestured for Sienna to sit back down, but Sienna remained standing politely, waiting for her to speak first.

"I came here to apologize to you, sister-in-law," Zoey said calmly.

Sienna blinked several times, certain she had misheard.

’Did I hear that correctly?’

She stared at Zoey, struggling to believe what was happening.

’How could this woman be apologizing to me now?’

Just yesterday, Zoey had spoken to her with such coldness, insisting that she resign from the company without showing even the slightest regret. Yet now, the same woman stood in front of her with a calm expression and was offering her an apology.

Another thought quickly crossed Sienna’s mind.

’So Zach already talked to her? ’Did he pressure her into completely changing her attitude toward me?’

She couldn’t help wondering if Zachary had confronted his sister after leaving home this morning.

"Sienna?"

Zoey’s voice gently pulled her back to reality.

She blinked and quickly looked at Zoey again.

"Yes?" she replied, embarrassed that her thoughts had drifted elsewhere.

Zoey smiled faintly. "Did you hear what I said?"

"I did," Sienna answered with a small nod. Then, unable to hold back her curiosity, she asked, "So... Zach already told you about our marriage?"