Ava didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, she reached out and gently held Sienna’s hand.
Her grip wasn’t tight. But it was enough to stop Sienna completely.
The moment their eyes met, Sienna immediately noticed the change in Ava’s expression.
She looked serious. Far more serious than usual. And somehow, that alone made Sienna nervous.
"Sienna..." Ava began slowly, her voice quieter now, almost hesitant. "Why do I suddenly feel like... they fired Riley because he offended the HR Manager that day?"
The words landed heavily between them.
For a moment, Sienna simply stared at her. The memory resurfaced instantly when Riley interrupted the meeting—His bold and unhesitating way of raising his voice and confronting the HR Manager publicly clearly offended the HR Department.
At that time, she had only felt relief and gratitude. Because Riley had stepped forward when she and Mia needed help.
But now, she feels fear.
’No way...’
The thought slipped into her mind before she could stop it.
’Did they really fire him because of that?’
Her heartbeat tightened painfully as if guilt had suddenly wrapped itself around her ribs.
"Ava..." she murmured softly. Her voice sounded weaker now. "Why do I suddenly feel terrible?"
She lowered her gaze, unable to look directly at Ava anymore. Her thoughts felt tangled and chaotic.
"When Mia and I finally escaped Angie’s mess..." she continued slowly, each word growing heavier than the last, "Riley... the person who helped us... He ended up losing his job."
Her vision blurred slightly. She blinked quickly, forcing the tears away before they could form properly.
Ava looked equally troubled. The calm, composed woman who usually handled everything rationally now looked visibly upset. Her brows furrowed tightly, and her lips pressed together as if she was struggling to suppress her frustration.
"Sienna," Ava said quietly, "what do we do now?"
The question felt painfully difficult.
"Can we help him somehow?" Ava added.
Sienna tried to say something, but the harder she searched for words, the more helpless she felt.
And that frustrated her deeply.
Because Riley had always been the one who stepped forward first.
The one who protected people without hesitation.
The one who joked around constantly yet somehow always noticed when others were struggling.
And now, when he needed support, she had nothing to offer him.
Sienna exhaled slowly, forcing herself to calm down before her emotions spiraled further.
After several quiet moments, her thoughts finally settled enough for her to think more clearly again.
She lifted her head toward Ava.
"I’ll call Riley later," she said, her voice steadier now. "I need to know exactly what HR sent him."
Ava nodded immediately.
"Hmm. Okay. Call him," she agreed.
"I will."
Another brief silence followed before Sienna finally sighed softly.
"Alright..." she murmured tiredly. "Let’s go inside."
At this point, all she wanted was to go home and rest.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Billionaire's Heir I Never Knew Was Mine