Chapter 339: Business Trip

Sienna stared at him with a faint smile. “Honey, I just want to make sure everything is ready.”

“I believe Danny knows what he’s doing.”

“But—”

“Let Danny prepare it, as he usually did, and he’s very good at it,” Zachary said with a warm smile as he looked at her lovingly. “You don’t need to worry about everything, my love. You just need to stay here in my arms.”

Before Sienna could argue again, Zachary pulled her gently back into his arms. She landed against his chest and immediately felt his arms wrap around her, holding her close.

“Zach,” she complained softly, trying to sound annoyed, though there was no real annoyance in her voice. “I really should get up.”

“You already got up.”

“I was, but now I’m back in bed because of you.”

“Hmm…”

Sienna looked up at him, unable to stop herself from smiling. She shook her head, finally gave up, and settled comfortably against him.

There was little point in arguing when Zachary had already decided that she was staying there. She rested her head against his chest while he held her, and for a while, neither of them said anything.

The quiet felt comfortable. Sienna heard his steady breathing, and she found herself relaxing again despite planning to start her morning.

She knew she should probably be downstairs checking on breakfast, but she also knew the chef could handle it.

Maybe, for once, she could allow herself to stop worrying about every little thing.

After they embraced for a while, Zachary looked down at her with a soft smile. “Don’t you want me to go on a business trip?”

Sienna lifted her head and looked at him. “Of course I don’t.”

His smile widened. “At least you’re honest.”

“I’m your wife. I’m allowed to complain when my husband keeps leaving for business trips.”

“I’ll be back soon.”

“I know.” She sighed and rested her head against him again. “That doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

Zachary chuckled softly and tightened his arms around her. “So you’re saying you’re going to miss me?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to.”

Sienna smiled against his chest. “Don’t get too confident, Mr. Sterling.”

“I think I already am.”

She lightly pinched his side, making him laugh. “Then maybe I should get up and leave you alone.”

Zachary immediately held her tighter. “No. Stay here.”

Sienna smiled, feeling the warmth of his embrace. “Then stop teasing me.”

“I’ll try.”

She knew he probably would not, but she was happy to stay there a little longer. For now, the breakfast could wait, and so could the rest of the morning.

…

Five minutes had passed since Zachary had begun waiting for Sienna in the living room, yet she still had not appeared.

He checked the time once more before settling back against the sofa, trying not to feel impatient. He knew she had gone upstairs to get something, but he had expected her to be back by now.

A moment later, Skylar appeared from behind him, a confused look on his face as he walked toward the sofa.

“Daddy, I thought you already left,” Skylar said as he joined him.

Zachary tapped the seat beside him, inviting his son to sit. Once Skylar settled down, he answered calmly, “I’m waiting for your mom.”

The young boy immediately looked around the living room as if he expected his mother to appear from somewhere nearby. When he did not see her, he turned back to his father. “Where is Mom?”

“She wanted to grab something from upstairs,” he said, glancing at the stairs before shifting his focus to Skylar. “Are you finished with your morning training?”

Skylar’s expression brightened as soon as Zachary mentioned basketball. He nodded and began telling him about his morning with obvious excitement.

“Yes, I’m done. My coach didn’t stay long this morning because he needed to go to another country. But today, he taught me how to practice my shooting.”

“Your basketball coach has to go to another country?” Zachary asked, sounding slightly surprised.

“Yes.”

“Why?” he asked, still confused.

Skylar gave him a look that made Zachary feel as though he should have known the answer already.

“Dad, did you forget? My coach is also the leader of our national team. There’s an international championship that he has to prepare for and attend, so he won’t be able to teach me for the next few weeks.”

Zachary smiled as he remembered Sienna explaining it to him before. He had been so busy lately that he had almost forgotten. “I see. So, you’ll be free from basketball while he’s away?”

“No.” Skylar shook his head, clearly pleased that he had something else to tell his father. “He asked me to keep practicing. He also said he’ll video call me to check my progress.”

“That sounds good, buddy,” Zachary said with an approving smile.

“Yes.” Skylar grinned, looking proud of himself.

The two continued talking about basketball in the living room, with Skylar explaining what he had learned and Zachary asking a few questions about his shooting practice. Their conversation was easy and relaxed, giving Zachary something to focus on while he waited for Sienna.

Meanwhile, Sienna was still in the master bedroom on the second floor.

She had barely finished getting ready when a sudden wave of nausea hit her. She quickly made her way to the bathroom and leaned over the sink, waiting for the feeling to pass. Her stomach churned unpleasantly, making her wonder if something she had eaten that morning had upset her stomach.

She stayed there for several minutes, but she did not vomit anything. Eventually, she slowly straightened and looked at herself in the mirror, still feeling weak and uncomfortable.

“Why do I suddenly feel nauseous? Do I have food poisoning?”

Her voice sounded tired, and her face looked pale. She turned on the tap and splashed cold water on her face, hoping it would help.

For a moment, the cold water made her feel slightly better, but the nausea did not disappear completely. She frowned at her reflection, unable to understand why she suddenly felt this way.

“Not now, Sienna. Not now…”