Chapter 257: My Mother-In-Law?

’What is happening here?’ Sienna wondered, unable to make sense of the situation. ’Why is Jessica involved in my family’s business?’

She clearly remembered what Zachary had told her. He had admitted that he and Jessica had ended their relationship years ago and that they no longer kept in touch. Yet now Jessica was standing comfortably in front of her, beside a woman Skylar called "Granny," acting as though she belonged there.

The scene before her raised even more questions than answers. Sienna couldn’t understand how Jessica had become involved with Zachary’s family again, and the older woman’s suspicious look made her feel as though she had walked into a situation she knew nothing about.

Even so, one thing remained clear in her mind. No matter who these women were or what misunderstandings existed between them, she wasn’t about to let anyone take her son away without an explanation.

Sienna’s hands clenched tightly at her sides as she forced herself to look at the older woman once more.

Although her heart was pounding, she took a slow breath and reminded herself that this had to be a misunderstanding. Losing her temper would only make things worse.

When the older woman finally looked at her, Sienna gathered her courage and spoke as calmly as she could.

"Excuse me, Ma’am, but I need to take Skylar with me."

The older woman’s eyebrows lifted slightly, her expression making it clear that she had no intention of letting Skylar go.

"I’m sorry, but who are you?" she asked in an unfriendly tone. "Why did you bring my grandson here without his butler or even his security guard? Are you Sky’s new nanny?"

For a brief moment, Sienna forgot to breathe as she confirmed that this older woman was actually Zachary’s mother.

She had imagined meeting her mother-in-law countless times over the past few months. She had played dozens, perhaps hundreds, of different scenarios through her mind, wondering what their first conversation would be like and hoping she could leave a good impression.

Yet not once had she imagined that their first meeting would happen in the middle of a shopping mall, with her being mistaken for Skylar’s nanny and treated as though she had kidnapped her own son.

The situation was so unbelievable that she didn’t know whether she wanted to laugh or cry.

’God... of all the places we could have met, why did it have to be like this?’ she thought, struggling to steady her emotions.

She desperately wanted to explain everything before the misunderstanding grew even worse. More than anything, she didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of the woman who was now officially her mother-in-law.

"Ma’am, I’m Sky’s mother—"

She never had the chance to finish.

"What! Nonsense!" the older woman snapped, her face flushing with anger. "Don’t you dare make such a claim. My son has never been married, and he has never introduced us to Skylar’s mother. You can’t be Skylar’s mother. You must be his nanny... how dare you call yourself Skylar’s mother! Or are you trying to kidnap my grandson?"

Every word struck Sienna with painful force. It felt as though each accusation chipped away at the patience she was trying so hard to hold onto. She had rehearsed so many ways to introduce herself, but none of those imagined conversations had prepared her for this.

Before she could gather her thoughts again, Jessica casually stepped forward.

"Whoever you are," she said with a polite smile that didn’t reach her eyes, "I won’t let you hurt Skylar. How could you take him out without informing his family?"

Her voice remained gentle, but the accusation behind her words was unmistakable.

For one blinding instant, Sienna imagined herself marching forward and slapping the smug expression off Jessica’s face before telling her exactly who she was.

’You bitch! How dare you speak to me like that? I’m Zachary’s wife and Skylar’s mother. Of course I have the right to take my own son wherever I go.’

The thought flashed through her mind almost as quickly as it appeared.

She immediately forced it away.

’No! You couldn’t lose control here, Sienna. Not in front of your mother-in-law. Not in front of your son!’

This wasn’t the time or the place, and she refused to create a scene in front of Skylar. More importantly, she didn’t want Zachary’s mother to remember their first meeting as a public argument inside a shopping mall.

Taking another slow breath, Sienna tried to calm herself. Her fingernails dug so deeply into her palms that they almost hurt, but she ignored the discomfort.

She needed to end this misunderstanding as quickly as possible, especially now that several customers and shop employees had begun glancing in their direction. Curious whispers were slowly spreading through the store, making the atmosphere even more uncomfortable.

She opened her mouth, determined to explain everything before the situation spiraled any further.

However, before a single word could leave her lips, an angry voice suddenly echoed through the store.

"You!"

Skylar’s voice rose louder than she had ever heard before. His small face was filled with anger as he glared directly at Jessica.

"You can’t say that to my mommy!" he shouted, his eyebrow arched and his eyes blazing with anger. "My daddy will punish you if you talk to her like that."

The entire store seemed to fall silent.

Even the sales assistants who had been pretending not to watch could no longer hide their surprise.

Sienna immediately looked at Skylar. She had never expected him to raise his small voice like that, especially in front of his grandmother. Yet there he stood, his little body tense as he placed himself between her and Jessica without the slightest scare or hesitation.

At that moment, he wasn’t thinking about the confusion surrounding him or the misunderstanding between the adults. He only knew one thing—someone had spoken badly about his mother, and he wasn’t willing to let it pass.

Seeing her son stick up for her gave Sienna a little burst of warmth. But that warm feeling didn’t last long, because her mother-in-law’s next words hurt her all over again.

"Little Sky, don’t speak to Aunt Jessica that way; she will become your mother..."