Chapter 250: Trust Me, Zach!

"I still have connections within the military. If necessary, I can use them to support you," Zachary added.

Kevin looked genuinely offended.

"Oh, come on, Zach..." he protested. "Do you really doubt me now? Have you ever doubted me before?"

Zachary remained silent.

"Or do you doubt our company?" Kevin continued, raising an eyebrow. "We’re one hundred percent confident we’ll be chosen as their partner."

His confidence never wavered.

"Trust me, Zach. You trusted me to lead Cresswell Group into one of the top three companies in the country." He smiled proudly. "Trust me one more time."

Zachary looked at him quietly for a moment.

The confidence in Kevin’s voice wasn’t arrogance. It came from years of experience, countless successful negotiations and failed ones, and an impressive record of delivering results. Kevin had never made promises he couldn’t keep, and that was exactly why Zachary had trusted him with Cresswell Group from the very beginning.

A faint smile finally appeared on Zachary’s face. "Alright," he said. "I trust you."

Kevin grinned broadly.

"That’s more like it." He patted his chest confidently before adding, "Don’t worry, man. This project will be ours."

His smile slowly turned into something more calculating.

"As for Riley..." Kevin added, shaking his head, "he’s about to become a thorn in his own father’s side."

Zachary’s lips curved into a faint smile. "Hmm." His eyes drifted toward the window again as though he could already picture everything unfolding exactly as planned. "I’m looking forward to seeing that happen."

In his mind, Riley had been handed everything too easily.

The position, the authority, and the trust of the Sterling family had all come without the hardships Zachary himself had endured. Now, Riley would finally have to prove whether he truly deserved to stand at the top.

If he failed, the consequences wouldn’t stop with Sterling Technology. William’s reputation would suffer alongside his son’s failure.

That outcome was exactly what Zachary had been waiting for.

He had no interest in destroying the entire Sterling Group. His only concern was protecting Sterling Capital and strengthening his own position. If Sterling Technology became the price William had to pay for underestimating him, then Zachary had no intention of showing mercy.

Kevin studied his friend’s calm, smiling expression. He had known Zachary long enough to understand what that quiet smile meant. The game had finally begun.

"Alright, man, I need to get going," Kevin said as he stood from the sofa. He casually smoothed the front of his suit jacket, ready to leave and continue with the rest of his schedule.

Zachary rose from his seat as well, but just before Kevin reached the office door, he called out to him.

"Kevin, wait."

Kevin stopped walking and turned around.

"Yeah?" he asked curiously. "What’s wrong?"

Zachary looked at him for a moment before speaking.

"Arrange for the guys to meet after work. We’ll have dinner somewhere." He paused briefly before adding, "I’ll send you the address later."

Kevin blinked.

His eyebrows lifted in surprise because Zachary rarely arranged casual gatherings without a specific reason. Most of the time, if the group met, it was because Kevin or someone else had organized it.

For Zachary to be the one initiating dinner was unusual.

Kevin narrowed his eyes suspiciously. A thought suddenly crossed his mind. ’This has to be it...’

His face immediately brightened with excitement.

"So," he said with a grin, "what are we celebrating today?"

A subtle smile appeared on Zachary’s face.

Without answering immediately, he walked back to his desk and settled into his CEO chair. Resting one arm on the desk, he looked at Kevin before finally speaking.

"Today’s my wife’s last day at the Imperial Hotel." His smile became a little warmer. "So I thought we should celebrate it."

"Cough!"

Kevin almost choked on his own saliva.

He stared at Zachary with wide eyes, completely speechless for several seconds. That wasn’t the answer he had expected.

In his mind, he had already imagined something much bigger. He thought Zachary was about to announce that Sienna was pregnant, or perhaps that they had finally decided to hold a wedding reception after keeping their marriage a secret.

Instead...

They were celebrating Sienna’s last day at work.

Kevin couldn’t help but shake his head. His best friend had truly become the type of husband who wanted to celebrate every meaningful milestone with his wife.

’Tsk! He’s completely become a fool when it comes to his wifey...’ The thought made Kevin want to tease him mercilessly.

However, the teasing words never left his mouth.

Seeing the rare, genuine smile on Zachary’s face made him change his mind. Zachary had spent years wearing the same calm, unreadable expression. Now, simply mentioning Sienna was enough to soften his face.

Kevin found that change surprisingly nice to see.

He smiled instead.

"Sure," he replied with a nod. "I’ll let everyone know."

"Thanks."

Zachary gave him a small wave before lowering his attention to the documents on his desk.

Understanding that the conversation was over, Kevin quietly left the office.

The door closed behind him, leaving Zachary alone in the spacious room.

For a moment, Zachary remained seated without doing anything.

Then he picked up his phone from the desk and opened his messaging app.

His fingers quickly moved across the screen.

"My wife, where are you having dinner tonight?"

He wanted to know where Sienna and her friends would be celebrating before deciding where he would meet Kevin and the others afterward.

After sending the message, he placed the phone on the desk but kept his eyes on the screen, patiently waiting for her reply.

It didn’t take long. His phone vibrated softly.

A smile appeared on his face the moment he saw her name.

"They chose The Corner Table."

Without wasting another second, he typed his reply.

"Okay. Have fun!"

After sending the message, he looked thoughtfully at the screen for another moment. He knew today meant a great deal to Sienna.

The Imperial Hotel wasn’t just her workplace. She had spent years building her career there, creating friendships and memories that wouldn’t be easy to leave behind. Although she had chosen this new Chapter willingly, he understood there would still be mixed emotions.

He wanted her final day to become a happy memory rather than a sad one.

An idea immediately came to mind. Picking up the landline phone, Zachary contacted his assistant.

A few moments later, his assistant answered. "Yes, Mr. Sterling?"

"Reserve the Corner Table for this evening."

There was a brief pause on the other end. "The entire restaurant?"

"Yes," Zachary replied without hesitation. "Reserve the whole place for the whole evening under my wife’s name."

His assistant was already accustomed to Zachary’s unexpected requests, so he simply answered, "Understood, sir. I’ll arrange it right away."

After ending the call, Zachary leaned back in his chair with a satisfied expression.