The Billionaire's Heir I Never Knew Was Mine

Imperial Hotel.

Sienna feels her step lighter as she enters the staff entrance until her phone buzzes. The sound breaks through her thoughts just as she reaches the elevator.

She pulled her phone out casually, expecting something routine, like a text from Mia or Riley. But her expression changed when she saw a bank notification.

That wasn’t unusual.

She opened the message, and everything around her seemed to stop instantly.

Her eyes moved slowly across the screen, reading the numbers displayed there.

"...Wait?" she whispered. "This is my payment for working as a chef at the mountain villa, right?"

Sienna remembered clearly how much Zachary offered her.

But this number? This number was nowhere near that.

The amount of money deposited into her bank account is ten times her monthly income from working at the Imperial Hotel.

Sienna’s fingers trembled slightly, her grip tightening around her phone as she looked at the number written there.

"This... this has to be wrong," she muttered. "Zach must have entered this zero wrong, right!?"

She agrees with her logic.

However, when she saw the sender’s name, her thoughts paused again.

"...Huh!? Trevor Murphy?" She frowned. The name meant nothing to her. She didn’t remember having any connection to that name.

For a moment, she simply stood there, staring at the screen as if it might offer her an answer if she looked long enough. But the number is still the same.

"This has to be a mistake. There was no way Zachary would give me this much."

She inhaled slowly, trying to steady herself.

"...I should contact the bank and inform them that they sent money to the wrong person!"

Sienna nodded to herself as she made her way to the elevator. But before she could step toward the elevator, a silly thought crossed her mind. ’Should I withdraw it first? The sender won’t notice, right?’

She smiled as she imagined it, but those temptations to withdraw the money faded instantly. She shook her head.

"No. No, Sienna...stop thinking that way."

Hurriedly, she slipped her phone back into her pocket and stepped into the elevator as it arrived, her movements automatic but her mind still racing.

The doors closed, and the elevator began its quiet ascent to the tenth floor. And just as her thoughts started to settle, her phone vibrated again.

She sighed softly, pulling it out once more, her expression already preparing for something normal.

When she finally opened the text message, her eyes widened instantly, shock freezing her in place.

"Good morning, Sienna. Yesterday, I forgot to transfer your side job fee and bonus. I hope you’ve received them by now..." From: Zach

For a moment, Sienna didn’t move. She didn’t even blink, and worse, she almost forgot how to breathe.

Her eyes stayed locked on the screen as she reread the message again and again, as if the text might vanish. But of course it didn’t. The message remained exactly as it was. Unmistakably, the money was hers.

"Seriously, Zach? How big is your definition of a bonus...?" she whispered faintly, her voice barely there.

The elevator continued to rise, but Sienna felt completely disconnected from it, as if she had been left behind somewhere between floors.

By the time the elevator finally reached the tenth floor, she didn’t notice that the doors had opened.

"Sienna?"

She blinked slowly, turned her head, and saw Riley outside the elevator, holding the door open with a confused look.

"What’s wrong?" he asked, his eyes scanning her face.

Sienna stared at him for a moment, her thoughts still tangled, her emotions not quite settled after reading the text she had just received.

Then she lowered her phone slightly.

"...Riley," she said quietly.

"Yes?" he replied, already bracing himself.

"I think..." She paused, her expression still dazed. "I accidentally became rich."

"...What? What do you mean?"

Sienna didn’t answer. Not a single word. Instead, she slipped her phone back into her pocket as if nothing had happened, her expression smoothing into something unreadable as she walked straight toward their office.

Riley was not the kind of person who could leave things alone.

"What the heck are you talking about?" he asked, quickening his pace to catch up with her. His voice carried both curiosity and disbelief, as if he had just heard something ridiculous yet was still hoping it might be true.

Sienna kept walking, completely ignoring him.

Riley narrowed his eyes slightly, his brain already working overtime to fill in the blanks she refused to explain. Then, suddenly, a thought hit him. A very stupid thought.

"...No way," his tone shifted into something far too exciting. "...you seriously found a wealthy boyfriend?"

Sienna abruptly stopped. Her hand hovered just inches away from the office door handle as she slowly turned her head to look at him. The look in her eyes was sharp and cold.

Riley immediately knew he had stepped on something dangerous. He pressed his lips tightly, trying hard not to say anything, or Sienna would scold him.

"Don’t try to spread nonsense," Sienna said flatly, her voice calm but carrying just enough warning to make it dangerous. "I’ve already explained to you guys, I don’t have time to think about romance. Not now!"

Riley raised both hands in surrender, "Wow, wow," he said, taking a small step back. "I just said it, boss. No need to attack me like that."

"I what? I didn’t attack you."

"You looked like you were about to."

Sienna let out a slow breath, closing her eyes for a brief second as if gathering her patience.

What worried her wasn’t Riley’s teasing. It was what came after. Their group chat will explode if Riley even suspects something.

She could imagine that her entire day would be ruined by endless messages, ridiculous theories, and unnecessary excitement over a boyfriend that did not exist.

And worse, they would not stop.

She shook her head slightly, her expression now calmer but still firm.

"Don’t say anything in the group chat," she warned.

Riley placed a hand over his chest dramatically. "Do I look like someone who would do that?"

"Absolutely."

"...Ugh, that hurts."

"Good," Sienna said. She pushed the door open and walked into the office.