Chapter 45: Hot?
As Sienna turned and walked into the building, her thoughts began to spiral again.
’Zach, why text me if you don’t plan to reply?’ she muttered inwardly. ’Are you busy... or just ignoring me?’
She pressed the elevator button, her reflection staring back at her from the metal doors.
’Can you stop doing this?’ she continued silently. ’Or I might ignore your text next time.’
The elevator doors opened with a soft ’ding’, snapping her out of her thoughts.
’Ah, stop it, Sienna...Stop thinking about him!"
She stepped inside, shaking her head as if trying to physically throw those thoughts away.
But no matter how much she tried, his face kept appearing in her mind.
By the time she reached her apartment, her thoughts were still a mess.
She unlocked the door, stepped inside, and locked it behind her, leaning against it for a brief moment.
Silence greeted her.
And just as she was about to walk inside, her phone vibrated.
She paused.
But didn’t take out her cell phone right away.
"It’s probably Mia or Ava," she murmured, already stepping toward the sofa.
The vibration continued. Longer. More persistent.
She frowned slightly.
"That’s not a text message..." Realization hit her. "Huh!? It was a call... Something happened to them?"
Her steps slowed as she approached the sofa and took a seat. At last, she pulled out her phone, and the moment she saw the screen, her breath caught.
’Oh, may God, he called me...’
All the annoyance, the overthinking, the imaginary complaints she had built just moments ago, now, gone.
Completely gone.
And without thinking any further, she answered the call.
"Hi, Zach... you finally called me." She greeted him cheerfully.
"Hi, sorry..."
"Hahaha, it’s fine. I just thought you had lost your cell phone. That’s why you only call me now."
Sienna’s voice carried a light, cheerful tone, her lips curving into a wide smile as if he were sitting right across from her instead of speaking through a phone.
The warmth in her expression softened the quiet apartment around her.
There was a brief pause on the other end.
Then his voice came, low and calm. "Sienna, are you drunk?"
’Huh, me... drunk?’ Sienna wonders, confused. For a second, she simply stared ahead, processing the question before a soft chuckle escaped her lips.
"Gosh, Zach... how could you even think that?" she replied, her tone playful but slightly defensive.
Silence followed again, but this time, she could faintly hear a breath, almost like he was holding back a laugh.
"Well, just in case you are," he added.
"I do drink wine and lite beer," she admitted casually, leaning her back against the sofa. "When I drink wine, my friends make sure I only have half a glass. So I’m sober now... just a little bit too hot—"
She froze, unable to continue her words.
And in the next second, she clamped her mouth shut so quickly it almost made a sound.
’Oh no, why do I even talk to him about my body heat...!?’
Her heart skipped a beat as panic rushed in. She had promised herself she wouldn’t say anything strange. Not again. Not after what happened last time.
She could not risk embarrassing herself in front of him.
Now she could only pray; he didn’t hear her clearly. But, of course, her prayer failed instantly—
"Hot?" his voice came again, curiosity clear in his tone.
Sienna swallowed quietly, feeling her throat suddenly dry.
"I mean—" she began quickly, trying to fix the situation. "I can’t drink too much. If I drink too much alcohol, my body gets uncomfortably hot. And then I talk nonsense and maybe faint... things like that."
’Smooth, Sienna. Very smooth.’ She exhaled softly, hoping he would accept that explanation and move on.
"I already heard you talking nonsense and then fainting," he said, his voice softer this time, almost teasing but not quite. "So... I believe you."
Sienna couldn’t help but let out a small laugh at that, the tension in her chest easing slightly.
"Well, that was a one-time accident," she muttered.
"Of course," he replied, sounding unconvinced.
A brief silence fell between them again, but it wasn’t awkward anymore.
Then Zachary spoke again.
"About your text..." he began. "Starting in hell and ending in heaven. I’m curious..."
Sienna’s fingers tightened slightly around her phone.
"Oh..."
She didn’t answer immediately. Her gaze drifted toward the window, where the city lights flickered in the distance.
For a moment, she hesitated.
Not because she didn’t want to talk, but because she wasn’t sure how much she should say.
Before she could gather her thoughts, his voice came again.
"It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it," he said calmly. "We can talk about something else."
That sentence snapped her out of her silence.
"No... wait," she said quickly, sitting up a little straighter. "Actually... I do have trouble in my office."
She paused, then added with a playful tone, "But I was worried that if I told you, you might get bored."
A soft laugh came from the other end.
"I promise you," he said, "I won’t feel bored."
That simple assurance made her smile.
And this time, her laugh came naturally; it sounded light, genuine, and free from the earlier hesitation.
"Alright then," she said, relaxing again. "Since you insisted..."
She took a small breath before continuing. "Someone in my office has been trying to ruin my career," she said honestly, her tone steady but carrying a faint trace of lingering frustration. "It’s been... messy."
She didn’t mention names. But the weight of what happened was still there, hidden between her words.
"They tried to trap my team and me," she continued. "Even used something related to guest safety to make it look like we were irresponsible."
Zachary didn’t interrupt. He simply listened.
Sienna found herself speaking more easily than she expected.
"At one point, I thought I would be transferred to a remote location," she admitted. "And my best friend almost had to resign from Imperial."
She paused, her voice softening.
"But... everything turned around in the end."
A small smile returned to her lips.
"I’m just relieved," she said. "I don’t have to leave, and my friend still has her job."