Zachary’s hopeful expression froze almost instantly.
There, lying comfortably beneath the blanket, was Sienna. She was fast asleep. The room was quiet except for her soft, steady breathing.
He stood motionless by the door for several seconds before letting out a helpless sigh.
"Wife..." he whispered, looking at her sleeping face. "How could you fall asleep without waiting for me?"
There was no response, of course. She was sleeping too soundly to hear him.
He rubbed the back of his neck and laughed quietly at himself.
"So much for all my planning and hope."
His shoulders slumped in exaggerated disappointment before he looked at the ceiling.
"I guess..." he murmured with a wry smile, "our second baby will have to wait a little longer."
Shaking his head in amusement, he gently closed the bedroom door behind him.
His disappointment only lasted a moment.
When he looked back at Sienna again, all he could see was how exhausted she was. Remembering everything she had gone through that evening, his heart softened immediately.
She needed rest far more than she needed to stay awake just because of his hopeful imagination.
His smile returned, this time much gentler. "Sleep well, my dear wife," he whispered.
Moving as quietly as possible, he climbed into bed beside her, careful not to wake her. After pulling the blanket over himself, he turned off the bedside lamp and settled comfortably at her side. Within moments, Sienna instinctively shifted closer in her sleep until she was resting lightly against him.
Zachary smiled to himself and wrapped an arm around her with the greatest care.
’Well,’ he thought with quiet amusement, ’maybe cuddling is enough for tonight’s reward.’
Somehow, that didn’t feel like a bad deal at all.
...
The next morning, when Sienna slowly opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was her husband’s face.
He was sleeping so close to her that she could clearly see every detail of his handsome features. Even in deep sleep, his expression looked calm and gentle, making him seem younger than the serious businessman everyone knew.
A soft smile appeared on her lips.
Without thinking, she slowly lifted her hand toward him.
Her fingertips almost reached the tip of his nose before she hesitated, stopping just short of touching him. Afraid of waking him, she quietly withdrew her hand and let her fingers drift lower until they hovered just above his lips.
Again, she stopped herself.
She simply watched him instead.
For a few peaceful moments, nothing else occupied her mind. She quietly admired the man sleeping beside her, feeling grateful for the unexpected happiness that had entered her life. She had never imagined that one day she would wake up beside Zachary Sterling, watching him sleep so peacefully.
Then the memory of the previous night returned. The warmth in her chest faded as anxiety slowly crept back into her thoughts.
Instinctively, her eyes shifted toward the nightstand.
She silently prayed that everything had already been resolved.
Carefully, she reached over and picked up her phone, taking great care not to disturb Zachary. After glancing at him once more and confirming he was still asleep, she quietly slipped out of bed and walked to the small seating area by the window.
Before sitting down, she looked back at the bed. Zachary hadn’t moved at all. Then, her eyes drifted to the clock.
It was already eight o’clock.
A puzzled look crossed her face.
Normally, Zachary would already be dressed and preparing to leave for work at this hour.
’Is he sick?’
The thought immediately made her turn around. She walked back to the bed and gently rested the back of her hand against his forehead. His temperature was completely normal.
Sienna let out a quiet breath of relief. ’What time did you finally go to sleep last night?’
Remembering the phone calls he had made after comforting her, guilt quietly settled in her heart.
He must have stayed up late taking care of everything because of her.
With a soft sigh, she returned to the sofa and finally unlocked her phone.
The first thing she did was search for the articles.
Several minutes passed as she checked every link she had saved the night before.
Then her tense expression slowly relaxed because the articles about the five-star hotel scandal were gone.
Every link returned an error page, including the ones Mia had sent her.
A smile gradually spread across her face. Zachary had kept his promise. He had handled everything before she even woke up.
She looked toward the bed again, where Zachary was still sleeping peacefully. "Thank you, Zach," she whispered with a grateful smile.
Feeling much lighter, she opened the Imperial Hotel employee forum next.
She carefully searched through the latest discussions. No one was talking about the scandal anymore.
The knot that had been tightening in her chest since the previous night finally loosened.
She placed her phone on the coffee table and looked back at the bed.
Without thinking twice, she quietly returned to the bed. She carefully slipped back beneath the blanket, hoping to steal a few more minutes beside her husband before they started the day.
Unfortunately, her plan failed immediately.
The mattress shifted slightly beneath her weight. Almost at once, Zachary stirred. Still half asleep, he reached for her by instinct.
"Good morning..." he murmured in a deep, sleepy voice.
Before she could respond, he gently pulled her closer until her head rested comfortably against his chest. One arm slipped around her waist while he nuzzled his forehead lightly against hers, tightening his embrace just enough to keep her from escaping.
Sienna smiled helplessly. She couldn’t move even if she wanted to. Not that she wanted to.
Wrapped in his warm embrace, she simply relaxed and listened to the steady beat of his heart.
A few seconds later, his sleepy voice sounded above her.
"Why are you awake so early?" he mumbled without opening his eyes. "Sleep a little longer."
She couldn’t help laughing quietly.
"Honey," she said, tilting her face up to look at him, "it’s already eight."