Zachary did not stay long after dinner.
The mont they finished eating, he imdiately stood from his chair and reached for the empty plates on the table. "Let help you clean up."
Sienna looked up at him in surprise before quickly shaking her head. "No, it’s alright. I can do it."
"I can at least wash the dishes."
"That would only make feel guilty."
One of his brows lifted slightly. "Why?"
"Because my guest is standing in my kitchen, offering to wash my plates..."
A faint smile appeared on his lips at her words.
He smirked slightly. "It’s not that serious."
"It is for ," she replied honestly while taking the plates from his hands before he could argue further. "Besides, my kitchen is too small. You’ll probably break sothing."
"I’m not that clumsy."
"Rember what you ntioned before? You never do the core tasks, and I worry you might accidentally break the dishes while washing them..."
Zachary cannot help but laugh in defeat.
Seeing his reaction made Sienna smile wider as she carried the dishes toward the sink.
For a few more minutes, the apartnt remained peaceful.
Zachary leaned lightly against the counter while watching her clean up. There was sothing strangely relaxing about staying there with her.
Even her tiny apartnt sohow felt warr than the quiet penthouse waiting for him outside.
Unfortunately, the night had already grown late.
Eventually, Zachary straightened his posture and glanced toward the clock on the wall. "I should go."
Sienna turned off the faucet and slowly dried her hands. "Right."
For so reason, the atmosphere suddenly beca quieter than before.
Neither of them said anything as she walked him toward the front door.
"You don’t have to walk out," Zachary said once they reached the entrance. He turned toward her calmly. "It’s late. You need to work tomorrow."
Sienna halted for a second, simply staring at him as if thinking about sothing.
Then, without another word, she walked past him and headed toward the elevator.
"I will walk you to the elevator."
A smile imdiately appeared on Zachary’s lips.
Without arguing further, he quietly followed her.
The hallway was peaceful at this hour, with only the soft sound of their footsteps filling the silence. Sienna stood in front of the elevator, waiting for it to arrive, and casually glanced at him.
Zachary slowed his steps slightly as his gaze settled on her again. Under the dim hallway light, she looked softer sohow. Relaxed. Comfortable around him. That alone made his chest feel warm.
His lips curled into a faint smile as he finally stopped beside her.
For a brief mont, neither of them spoke.
Then Zachary turned slightly toward her.
"Once again, sorry, Sienna."
His words startled her. Quickly, she turned toward him. "What for?"
"Coming this late."
The seriousness in his tone made her expression soften imdiately.
A small smile appeared on her lips.
"No need to feel bad," she said honestly. "I’m glad you stopped by and offered a ride today. This way, you won’t be too shocked when you co with Sky."
Zachary stared at her quietly after hearing that.
For a mont, he looked like he wanted to say sothing else. His lips parted slightly, but before he could speak, the elevator doors suddenly opened with a soft sound.
The interruption pulled both of them back to reality.
He gave a small nod before stepping inside the elevator.
Sienna remained standing outside, quietly looking at him.
"Good night."
"Good night. Drive safely, Zach..." she said gently while nodding once.
"I will."
The elevator doors slowly closed between them.
The mont Sienna disappeared from sight, the smile on Zachary’s face vanished completely.
His expression darkened almost instantly.
Slowly, he reached into his pocket and took out his cell phone. The unread ssage that arrived earlier remained on the screen.
His eyes locked onto the words.
"Miss Sienna’s identity exposed!" From: Hunter
Zachary reread the text several tis, his jaw tightening more with each second.
A dangerous silence filled the elevator.
Then, slowly, Zoey’s face appeared in his mind. Even without knowing the na of the person who found out about Sienna, he knew for sure it must be Zoey, his younger, stubborn sister.
A dark look crossed his face imdiately.
"Zoey..." he whispered coldly inside the empty elevator. "You better not do sothing to Sienna... or I will never forgive you."
At the exact sa mont, the elevator doors opened.
When Zachary exited the building, Logan, his driver, was already waiting by the car, opening the back door for him.
Zachary didn’t say anything and got inside.
Soon, Logan returned behind the wheel.
As the car finally left Orchid Garden Apartnts, Zachary spoke calmly. "Logan, deliver groceries to Sienna tomorrow early in the morning. I’ll send you the list."
"Yes, sir..." Logan replied while glancing briefly at the rearview mirror.
Silence soon filled the car.
The annoyed expression that had remained on Zachary’s face since receiving the ssage from Hunter slowly faded as he rembered the conversation he had with Sienna before leaving.
At first, she refused when he insisted on sending groceries to her apartnt.
"You don’t need to do that," she told him firmly while standing near the elevator.
"It’s not a big deal."
"It is a big deal. Groceries are expensive."
"That’s exactly why I’m offering."
She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "Are you trying to buy my friendship with vegetables?"
The mory alone almost made him laugh. She had spent nearly five minutes refusing him seriously, only to finally surrender after he calmly reminded her that she had fed him dinner tonight.
Even then, she pointed at him accusingly before giving up. "Fine! But only basic groceries."
Now, sitting quietly inside the car, Zachary leaned his head lightly against the seat as a faint smile flashed across his lips.
Slowly, he unlocked his phone and sent her a text.
"Don’t forget the list."
The reply ca faster than he expected.
"I will send it later. Don’t play with your phone when you are driving."
A quiet laugh nearly escaped him.
The text sounded exactly like her.
For a brief mont, he could almost picture her sitting beside him, staring at him with that serious expression she always made whenever she thought he was being unreasonable.
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