Chapter 276: Skylar’s Birthday (4)

The room immediately fell silent.

For a few seconds, everyone seemed to be processing his words.

Sienna felt her nerves return as she stood beside Zachary. Although she had expected the introduction, hearing him officially announce her as his wife in front of his entire family still made her heart beat faster.

Zoey, however, was the first to recover.

She already knew about Sienna, so instead of looking shocked, she smiled widely.

"Hello, Sienna. I’m so glad to meet you again..." She waved at her, then looked at Zachary with an amused smile. "And congratulations, Brother—"

However, a second later, Zoey paused as another thought suddenly occurred to her. Her eyes moved from Sienna to Skylar before widening slightly.

"Wait! Wait!" she looked at Sienna in disbelief. "You really are Sky’s mother?"

Before Sienna could answer, Skylar proudly spoke up from nearby.

"Yes, she is my mother!" Skylar looked extremely pleased with himself as he looked toward Sienna.

Everyone turned toward him.

Skylar then looked at Zachary with an impatient expression.

"Dad, could we sit down now? We’ve all been standing for quite a while. Look, Granny and Grandpa are already looking so comfortable in their seats."

The unexpected complaint made several people laugh.

Zachary shook his head with a smile. "All right, buddy. Let’s sit."

"Finally," Skylar said, sounding relieved.

The family gradually settled onto the sofas and nearby chairs, with Skylar making sure he sat close to both of his parents. Sienna remained beside Zachary, and Hannah happily made space for Skylar near her.

Once everyone was comfortable, the questions and congratulations began.

"Congratulations, both of you," William said sincerely. "It’s good to finally meet the woman who managed to convince our little brother to settle down."

Zachary’s expression softened. "Thank you, brother..."

Samuel immediately chimed in, "Congrats, Zach..." He then turned to Sienna, "Congratulations, Sienna, and welcome to our family."

Sienna smiled at the two people she usually saw only in the news or in business magazines. "Thank you..."

"Sister-in-law," Zoey finally spoke, a playful smile forming on her face as she continued, "It’s official now: you’re my sister-in-law. Welcome to the family, and thank you for accepting my dramatic brother."

Sienna stifled a laugh at Zoey’s last sentence.

"Hey," Zachary protested lightly. "I wasn’t that dramatic."

Samuel immediately laughed. "You were worse than dramatic, Zach."

Zoey nodded in agreement. "See! I’m not the only one to say that."

Zachary looked at his siblings with mild disbelief, shaking his head helplessly.

"Is this how you’re welcoming my wife into the family?"

"Of course," Samuel replied. "We’re just being honest."

Sienna couldn’t help laughing.

Hannah smiled warmly at her. "Sienna, don’t mind them. They’ve always been like this."

"I’m beginning to understand," Sienna replied with a small laugh.

Kennedy looked toward Zachary and shook his head. "Zach, you should have warned her before bringing her into this family."

"I did," Zachary replied.

Sienna looked at him in surprise. She remembered he had said his parents were nice and would love her once they knew she was Skylar’s mother, but he had also warned her that his siblings were dangerous.

She also remembered when Riley warned her that his family was complicated and that she might be hurt if she met them all.

But now, what she witnessed was completely different. They all warmly accepted her and looked hilarious, too. There was no trace of their status as the heads of a huge company in the country; they simply appeared as warm brothers-in-law.

"You did?" she asked, trying to follow their humor.

Zachary smiled innocently. "I told you my family was noisy."

"You didn’t say they would all gang up on you."

That made everyone laugh again, including Zachary.

Skylar looked around the room and suddenly asked, "Does this mean everyone is here for my birthday?"

"Of course," Hannah answered immediately.

"Then we can eat now, right?"

The adults laughed once more.

"I can tell you’re more interested in the food than the birthday party," Zoey teased.

Skylar shook his head seriously. "No, Aunty Zoey... I’m interested in both."

"That’s my boy," Zachary said with amusement. "But this is not the right time, buddy. We still have a few more guests coming." He checked his watch.

Sienna smiled as she watched them interact. The nervousness she had felt earlier slowly began to fade.

Although she had been worried about meeting so many members of Zachary’s family at once, their warmth and easy humor made it much easier for her to relax.

Within minutes, the once-quiet living room was filled with laughter, greetings, and overlapping conversations as everyone reunited.

For Sienna, it was more than just a birthday gathering. It was the first time she truly felt like she was becoming part of Zachary’s family, and seeing Skylar sitting happily among them made the moment feel even more meaningful.

And then, not long after—

"Excuse me, Madam."

Sienna turned around and saw Arthur standing a short distance behind her.

"Yes?"

"Your friends have already arrived. They are waiting for you in the birthday hall."

Sienna’s eyes immediately lit up at the news. Ava and Mia had finally arrived, and she was happy to know they had made it safely despite the rain.

She had already asked Arthur to bring her friends and Zachary to the hall so they wouldn’t feel pressured to stay in the living room with the Sterlings.

"Thank you, Arthur. I’ll go see them right away."

She turned toward Zachary, who was seated beside her, and smiled.

"Zach, I’m going to see my friends in the hall. You and the others can come over once the lunch party starts."

"Hmm, go ahead," Zachary replied with a small smile. "Don’t make them wait."

Sienna nodded and immediately stood. She was about to leave the room when she noticed Riley nearby and gestured for him to follow her.

"Riley, come with me..."

Before Riley could respond, Skylar’s voice came from behind them.

"Mom, where are you going?"

Sienna stopped and turned around to see her son following her with a curious expression. She smiled and waited for him to catch up.

"My friends have arrived," she explained. "Come with me. I want you to meet them. In fact, I’ll introduce you to them."

Skylar’s face brightened with interest.