Chapter 269: Meeting Zachary’s Parents (5)

The memory alone was enough to make Sienna’s eyes sting.

Without realizing it, tears slowly slipped down her cheeks.

"Sienna," Zachary interrupted gently but firmly. "My wife, you don’t need to explain anything..."

She turned toward him and saw the seriousness in his expression. Beneath his calm voice, she recognized the concern he was trying to hide. He knew exactly where her thoughts had gone, and he refused to let her relive those painful memories any longer.

"Hmm..." Sienna whispered, giving a small nod as she wiped the tears from her cheeks with trembling fingers.

Hannah’s eyes softened with sympathy. She reached over and gently rubbed Sienna’s back, her touch carrying the comfort of a mother easing another woman’s pain.

"Yes, Sienna," Hannah said quietly. "There’s no need to continue. We understand enough, and what matters most is that you’re here now. You’ve come back, and you’re together with Zach again. That’s what our family is grateful for."

Kennedy nodded in agreement.

"The past has already happened," he said gently. "None of us can change it, but we can cherish what we have today. Skylar has both of you now, and that’s the greatest gift he could ever receive."

His words filled the room with a quiet warmth, replacing the tension that had lingered only moments earlier.

Sienna looked at both of them with grateful eyes. Although the weight of the secret still rested heavily in her heart, she felt relieved that they had stopped asking questions. Every time she spoke about that period of her life, she felt as though she were reopening an old wound that had never completely healed.

"Thank you," she said with a warm, sincere smile.

The conversation gradually returned to a lighter mood after the emotional discussion.

Wanting to leave the painful topic behind, Hannah smiled warmly at Sienna and Zachary.

"Why don’t you both stay for lunch with us?" she asked. "It’s been so long since we’ve all been together. I’d really love it if you stayed."

Before Sienna could answer Hannah, Zachary spoke first.

"Mother, I’m sorry, but I need to go to my office, and my wife also needs to return home."

His refusal was polite but immediate. He knew the conversation had already become emotionally exhausting for Sienna, and he didn’t want her to remain in a situation where more unexpected questions might arise.

Hannah’s smile faded ever so slightly. Although she understood her son’s reason, the disappointment in her eyes was impossible to hide.

Sitting beside Hannah, Sienna noticed it immediately. She couldn’t help feeling guilty after seeing how warmly Hannah and Kennedy had welcomed her all morning. Without saying a word, she turned to Zachary and looked at him with pleading eyes, silently asking him to reconsider.

Zachary met her gaze. He knew exactly what she was asking, but before he could respond, the quiet atmosphere in the living room was interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching from the front entrance.

Everyone instinctively turned toward the doorway.

A moment later, Riley walked inside wearing a neatly tailored black suit. He carried a large bucket of fresh flowers in one hand and stopped briefly when he noticed Zachary and Sienna were already there. Surprise flashed across his face before his attention shifted toward Hannah and Kennedy.

"Grandma, Grandpa," he greeted cheerfully.

His bright smile immediately filled the room as he walked over and handed the flowers to Hannah.

Hannah accepted them with obvious delight.

"These are beautiful," she said with a smile before looking at her eldest grandson curiously. "Why are you here?"

"Take a seat first," Kennedy interrupted with a gentle chuckle before Riley could answer.

Riley obediently sat on the single sofa across from everyone else. As soon as he settled down, his eyes naturally drifted toward Sienna. He offered her a warm smile before looking back at his grandparents.

"Of course I came to welcome you home after your vacation, Grandma," he replied. Then his smile widened slightly as his gaze returned to Sienna. "And I honestly didn’t expect to meet my friend here."

The word friend immediately caught everyone’s attention.

Hannah blinked in surprise before looking at Sienna.

"Friend?" she repeated in disbelief. "You know Sienna?"

Riley nodded without hesitation.

"Yes," he answered calmly. "She’s my friend."

The simple answer only made the room quieter.

Both Hannah and Kennedy exchanged surprised looks. They had guessed Sienna was much younger than Zachary. Still, they had never imagined she might actually belong to the same generation as Riley.

Hannah looked between the two young women, growing curious. "Were you friends in college?" she asked.

Riley shook her head. "No."

His answer came so quickly that Hannah became even more curious.

"We met at the Imperial Hotel," Riley explained. "When I was an intern there, Sienna was my boss. She was the Front Office Manager, and I learned a lot from her."

For a second, neither Hannah nor Kennedy spoke.

"You worked at the Imperial Hotel?" Kennedy asked, unable to hide his surprise.

Sienna nodded politely. "Yes."

Hannah let out a soft laugh, still trying to process everything she had just learned.

"What a small world," she said with genuine amazement. "I never expected our new daughter-in-law to have worked at our own hotel. And I certainly never imagined my son would fall in love with one of our employees."

Kennedy smiled in agreement. "It seems our family was connected long before we realized it."

The thought warmed both of them. Somehow, it made Sienna’s place in the family feel even more natural.

Then another thought crossed Hannah’s mind.

"Then..." she asked, smiling brightly, "does Sienna know Zoey too?"

Before Riley could answer, Sienna smiled politely.

"Of course," she replied. "Zoey is my boss."

That answer surprised Hannah once again.

"So you worked together with both of them?"

"Yes."

Although she maintained a pleasant smile, Sienna was beginning to feel uncomfortable. She had hoped the earlier tension had finally passed, yet now everyone’s attention had shifted back to her once again.

Inwardly, she couldn’t help blaming Riley a little. If he hadn’t casually mentioned they knew each other, the conversation would have remained simple.