The Billionaire's Heir I Never Knew Was Mine novel Chapter 88

Chapter 88: Congratulations

They had already started eating when Ava finally arrived.

"You finally came, Boss..." Riley greeted her playfully the moment he noticed her approaching the table.

He immediately gestured toward the empty seat beside him with overly polite manners. "Please, join us. Your loyal friends have been starving emotionally without you."

"Emotionally?" Mia repeated, deadpan. "You finished half the grilled meat before she even got here."

"That," Riley replied smoothly, "was stress management."

Ava let out a tired laugh as she approached the table, shaking her head at the two of them.

"Sorry I’m late," she said, her voice carrying exhaustion, though warmth still lingered beneath it.

The moment Ava stepped closer, Sienna looked up immediately.

She could tell at a glance that Ava was exhausted.

Her shoulders were slightly slumped beneath her coat, and her usually immaculate appearance looked just a little undone tonight. A few loose strands of hair framed her face, and there was a faint tiredness beneath her eyes that makeup could not fully hide.

And yet, she was still smiling. That alone made Sienna’s chest tighten slightly with quiet sympathy.

"You work too hard, Ava..." Sienna said without thinking much about it. She reached for the extra glass nearby, poured cold beer into it, then gently slid it toward Ava. "Here. Drink this first before Riley starts another speech."

"Hey," Riley protested immediately. "My speeches are inspirational."

"They’re long," Mia corrected.

"They’re unnecessary," Sienna added calmly.

"Thank you, Sienna." Ava sighed softly as she accepted the glass. "I had a rough night in the kitchen..."

Then she took a long sip of the cold beer. The moment the drink touched her lips, she closed her eyes briefly, exhaling slowly as if the alcohol alone could wash away the entire disaster of her evening.

"Rough night?" Mia asked.

"That bad?" Riley asked, sounding almost sympathetic for once.

"You have no idea," Ava muttered as she lowered the glass. "You all know, there’s a gala dinner tonight, right? I had to supervise everything personally because apparently no one in the kitchen knows how to panic quietly."

"That sounds terrifying," Mia said.

"It is terrifying," Ava replied flatly. "One chef nearly cried because the garnish wasn’t symmetrical."

Riley can’t help but laugh. "A tragedy."

"Hmm. I almost made him cry for real," Ava added.

That earned a laugh from all three of them.

Then Ava’s attention shifted toward Sienna, and her expression softened almost immediately.

"But enough about me," she said gently. "I heard the news..."

Sienna already knew what was coming.

"Congratulations, Sienna... I’m so proud of you," Ava continued.

A small smile appeared on Sienna’s lips. "Thank you, Ava," she replied warmly.

Outwardly, Sienna sounded calm. But inwardly, her thoughts still hadn’t settled. No matter how many times people congratulated her, no matter how many times she replied with gratitude, the memory of her conversation with Benjamin still lingered unpleasantly in her mind.

"I’ll give you a week to think."

Even now, the words made her uncomfortable.

The promotion should have felt exciting. It should have been one of the proudest moments of her career.

Instead, Benjamin’s voice had attached itself to the achievement so firmly that she could no longer think about it without remembering the way he looked at her. As if she already belonged to him. Sort of his property.

Sienna lowered her gaze briefly, hiding the flicker of disgust crossing her face.

’Come on, Sienna... stop dwelling on it,’ she told herself firmly. ’Just enjoy tonight. Think about next month’s raise like a normal person.’

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