The Billionaire's Heir I Never Knew Was Mine

"Are you dating someone?" Zachary asked.

Sienna suddenly feels her world pause around her. The question hits her so intensely that her mind struggles to process it fully.

’Wh—what?’ she screamed in her mind, her eyes widening as she looked at him. ’Why did he ask me that?’

Beside her, Zachary remained perfectly calm, looking far too composed for someone who had just sent her blood pressure into a dangerous situation.

"Are you?" he asked again.

"No—"

The answer left her mouth much faster than she intended. She sounded suspiciously fast.

’Girl! Calm...’

Not wanting to make the atmosphere any more awkward, she asked, "Why did you suddenly ask me that?" forcing herself to sound casual even though her heart was racing.

Zachary looked at her quietly.

Then—

"Let’s get married."

Silence lingers.

Sienna stared at him for a few more seconds, trying to say something, but her mind somehow went blank, and she couldn’t say a word.

’Zachary Sterling asked me to marry him?’

The question kept echoing in her mind, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud to make sure whether she had heard wrong or not.

’Maybe my exhaustion was affecting my hearing? Maybe I needed water? Or, maybe I needed another medical examination...’

Because there was absolutely no way Zachary Sterling would propose to her out of the blue.

Her eyes remained fixed on him as her brain desperately searched for a more logical explanation.

But nothing came.

Zachary Sterling still sat beside her with the same calm expression as before. Meaning... He was serious.

Sienna blinked slowly.

"I think..." Her voice sounded slightly weak. "I heard you wrong."

She stared at him carefully.

"You said..."

She pointed vaguely between them.

"Marriage?"

"Yes." He answered without hesitation.

Just one calm answer that nearly stopped her heartbeat again.

"Marry me, Sienna."

Her breathing faltered.

’Oh, God! He actually said it again.’

But before her shocked brain could fully collapse under the weight of this conversation, Zachary continued calmly.

"But you don’t need to answer immediately."

Sienna looked at him, puzzled.

"Think about it first before you answer," he said in the same calm, serious tone. "I want you to make your decision carefully."

For a brief second, Sienna felt slightly relieved.

"But I can’t wait too long." He added.

Her relief disappeared immediately.

"How long...!?"

"I need your answer tonight before the day changes."

Sienna stared at him again. Her expression slowly shifted into pure confusion.

Her heart was still recovering from the proposal itself, and now there was apparently a deadline attached to it.

She can’t believe this man conducted an emotional marriage proposal as if they were business negotiations.

"Why tonight?" she asked curiously.

Zachary did not answer her. Instead, a small smile appeared on his face, as if her question didn’t require an answer.

The room grew quieter as she gave up asking him any further.

Sienna lowered her gaze briefly, trying to steady the chaos happening inside her chest.

She feels unreal.

Yesterday, she was at the police station.

Now she was sitting inside her apartment while Zachary Sterling calmly proposed marriage as if they were discussing dinner plans.

Nothing about today made sense anymore.

And yet—

Beneath her shock... beneath her confusion...One truth quietly existed inside her heart. She already knew her answer; she liked him.

She liked him more, even adored him, if she was being painfully honest with herself.

Everything about him had slowly entered her heart long before she realized it. That was exactly why this frightened her so much.

Because her answer existed. But her fragile heart was still struggling to keep up with the speed of his directness.

She slowly looked back at him. He sat beside her, calm, waiting for her answer.

After a few more seconds had passed, she finally said softly, "Alright."

His gaze remained on her.

"I’ll give you an answer today."

A faint warmth appeared inside his usually calm eyes.

Sienna pressed her lips together, trying to calm her still-unsteady heartbeat.

Even though she already knew what she wanted to say...

Even though her heart had already accepted him...

She still felt completely nervous.

Because being suddenly asked to marry Zachary Sterling was not something a normal human heart could prepare for.

...

Sienna spent the entire morning until nearly noon still unable to fully believe that Zachary Sterling was sitting inside her apartment, calmly waiting for her answer to his marriage proposal.

The situation felt unreal, no matter how many times she replayed it in her head.

Meanwhile, the man responsible for destroying her peace of mind appeared completely relaxed.

From the living room, Zachary calmly did his work as though he were sitting in his own office instead of in her small, cozy apartment.

Several times, she overheard him speaking on the phone, and she could tell he was making important decisions in his usual calm tone, discussing matters she rarely heard discussed, except on business and economic TV channels. And from how focused he was, she knew the matter was a big deal to his work and the company.

Yet somehow, none of that changed the relaxed way he sat comfortably on her sofa.

Even though this was not his first time visiting her home, he looked increasingly at ease here, as though this place belonged to him too.

The thought alone made her heart behave strangely.

From the kitchen, she stole several glances toward him while pretending to stay busy with the dishes.

Honestly, she was not checking on him. She was simply making sure this was real.

Because a part of her still worried that if she looked away for too long, Zachary Sterling might suddenly disappear like a dream she had imagined after too much stress and too little sleep.

When she caught sight of him again, calmly speaking into his phone while reviewing something on his iPad, a warm smile slowly appeared on her lips.

She quickly lowered her head and returned her attention to the dishes in front of her.

’Sienna... are you seriously ready to enter his world?’

The question quietly returned to haunt her again.

Her hands slowed slightly as she imagined his world.

The world of Zachary Sterling... Powerful people. Ambitious people. Endless work. Responsibilities larger than she could imagine. A life larger than any life she could imagine.

’Marriage...’ The word alone still made her heart stumble.