Zachary was taller than Sienna, causing her to tilt her head slightly to look up at him.
When their eyes locked, neither of them said a word for a mont.
Only after a few seconds did Zachary finally break the silence. "Don’t be offended, Sienna, but it wouldn’t be polite if you paid for ."
She was stunned.
Before she could say anything, he added, "And no one... especially a lady... has ever paid for my al." His tone was steady.
Sienna opened her mouth, ready to argue.
Then paused.
Because, strangely enough... she couldn’t.
There was no arrogance in his tone. No attempt to belittle her. Just a simple statent, delivered with quiet confidence.
"...Alright," she said at last, exhaling softly. "If you insist."
But then she frowned slightly as she looked at him again.
"Still... Now I feel like I owe you even more. This is getting out of control, you know."
Zachary chuckled lightly, the sound low and unexpectedly warm. "Don’t feel like that. As far as I’m concerned, you already paid whatever you think you owe ," he said.
"I did?" she asked, genuinely confused.
He nodded. "With your priceless ti."
Sienna stared at him, clearly not following.
"I an," he continued, his tone softening just a little, "you spent your evening dining with ."
For a mont, she said nothing.
Then she let out another quiet sigh, though there was a hint of amusent in it. "That’s a very convenient way to settle a debt."
"It works," he replied simply.
She shook her head, though this ti her shoulders felt lighter. The tension from earlier had faded almost completely, replaced by sothing easier... sothing comfortable.
"Well," she said, glancing toward the direction of her apartnt, "my place is just over there. I can walk from here, so you don’t have to—"
Her words stopped mid-sentence.
Zachary had already walked ahead of her and opened the passenger door of his car.
Sienna shook her head lightly.
"...You’re not even going to pretend to listen to , are you?" she muttered.
"Get in," he said, his voice calm but firm. "I’ll drive you to your building."
Sienna hesitated for a second, standing there under the soft glow of the streetlight, looking at him.
And sohow... she knew this wasn’t a suggestion.
Sienna settled into the passenger seat once again, her fingers lightly gripping the edge of her bag as she watched Zachary walk around the front of the car.
The soft glow of the streetlights traced his figure—tall, composed, steady in every step he took. There was nothing rushed about him, nothing careless. Even sothing as simple as walking toward the driver’s seat felt... intentional.
She didn’t quite understand why she was still looking at him.
Or why her chest suddenly felt... strange.
Not uncomfortable. Not heavy. Just... different.
Sothing small fluttered quietly inside her, like a soft knock she didn’t expect.
It wasn’t loud enough to alarm her, but it was there. Warm, unfamiliar, and oddly comforting.
’What is this...?’ she wondered silently.
Her gaze lingered on him a second longer than necessary before she quickly looked away, pretending to adjust her seatbelt as if that had been her focus all along.
’He’s just helping you, Girl. Calm down... He didn’t fall for you...’ she scolded herself inwardly, trying to rember that this is not a date, only a simple dinner.
But her mind refused to accept it.
’Handso...’ That was the first word that ca to her without permission.
He is indeed handso. Tall, polite, calm... and sohow gentle in a way that didn’t feel forced.
Even the way he spoke earlier, the way he listened to all her stories, it all felt natural, not sothing he tried to show.
’And he’s rich,’ her mind added unhelpfully.
She almost sighed.
’Dangerous combination, Sienna. Very dangerous. Ugh! Please stop...’
By the ti Zachary settled into the driver’s seat, she had already forced her expression back to normal.
The engine started smoothly, and the car moved forward, gliding quietly through the calm night streets.
The distance to her apartnt wasn’t far.
Just a few minutes.
And sohow, it felt even shorter this ti.
Neither of them spoke much. The silence wasn’t awkward, just... quiet. It feels comfortable in its own way.
Soon enough, the car slowed and ca to a gentle stop right in front of her apartnt building’s main entrance.
The familiar sight of the entrance lights and security desk ca into view, pulling her back into reality.
"We’re here," Zachary said.
Sienna nodded, unbuckling her seatbelt. She turned toward him, offering a small smile that felt more genuine than she expected.
"Thank you... for tonight," she said, her voice soft but clear. "And for everything."
Zachary gave a slight nod in return, his expression calm, his faint smile still there.
"Goodnight, Sienna."
"Goodnight."
She stepped out of the car and closed the door gently behind her. Before heading inside, she turned back and gave him a small wave.
Zachary lifted his hand slightly in response.
Then she walked away.
He didn’t leave.
Instead, he remained where he was, his gaze following her figure as she entered the building.
The glass doors closed behind her, and her silhouette slowly disappeared from his line of sight.
Only then did he lean back slightly in his seat.
For a brief mont, he said nothing.
Then—
A vibration from his pocket broke the silence.
Zachary reached for his phone, glancing at the screen. His brows furrowed slightly at first, but the mont he saw the caller’s na, a small, genuine smile appeared on his lips.
’Skylar? Why does he call at this hour...?’
"Sky..." He answered the call and switched it to speaker as he gently pressed the gas pedal, the car moving forward again.
"Daddy...?"
A young boy’s voice ca through, soft but curious, with a hint of sleepiness wrapped around it.
"Yes, Sky..." Zachary’s tone softened imdiately, the edge in his voice fading without effort. "Why are you still awake? Son, it’s already past ten."
There was a short pause.
"Dad... did you forget your promise?"
Zachary was taken aback for a second, and his mind went blank.
A promise?
He frowned slightly, trying to recall. His thoughts quickly flicked through the day: etings, the Imperial hotel, Sienna...
Nothing. He completely forgot.
"...I’m sorry," he admitted after a brief pause. "What was it?"
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