Chapter 238: I Could Fire You!

The assistant gestured politely toward the seating area. "This way, Miss Sienna. Please have a seat."

Sienna nodded. "Thank you."

She followed the assistant to the sofa without saying another word.

For a brief moment, she couldn’t help noticing that Zoey hadn’t greeted her personally.

The distant attitude made her wonder if this meeting would be strictly professional.

Even so, she reminded herself not to overthink it. Zoey was working, possibly just aiming to complete the documents before focusing fully on the meeting.

As Sienna sat down, the assistant turned toward her with another courteous smile.

"Would you like some coffee, tea, or water?"

Sienna returned the smile and gently shook her head. "No, thank you."

"Very well. Please make yourself comfortable." The assistant inclined her head politely. "Ms. Sterling will be with you shortly."

"Thank you."

Once the assistant quietly left the office, silence settled over the room.

Sienna rested her hands on her lap and resisted the urge to look toward Zoey again.

Instead, her gaze drifted to the breathtaking view beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows. The city stretched endlessly beneath the sunlight, yet she barely noticed the scenery.

Her mind remained occupied by one question.

’Why did Zoey Sterling call me here?’

Whatever the reason, she hoped it was just an office issue. Yet, as the sound of pages flipping echoed in the office, she couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that this meeting might turn into something she was afraid of: Zoey becoming a troubling sister-in-law for her.

So many thoughts raced through Sienna’s mind, and one of them was the urge to call her husband immediately and tell him that his twin sister was bullying her.

But another part of her always stopped her and reminded her that Zoey was simply busy with work. As the CEO of the company, Zoey had every right to call her in for a meeting like this.

However, ten minutes passed, then twenty, and now nearly thirty, yet Zoey still ignored her.

Sienna kept her hands tightly clasped in her lap, knowing Zoey had crossed the line. She had been sitting there for almost thirty minutes while Zoey deliberately acted as though she didn’t exist. It was obvious that woman was testing her patience.

At this point, Sienna no longer cared how long Zoey planned to keep her waiting or what Zoey’s real purpose was. She had already made up her mind. If Zoey ignored her for another five minutes, Sienna would call Zachary and let him deal with his own sister.

Four minutes later, Zoey still hadn’t acknowledged her. A wry smile tugged at Sienna’s lips as she slipped her cell phone from her pocket.

Just as she was about to open her messaging app, the sound of footsteps came from behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Zoey finally walking toward the seating area.

Sienna turned fully to face her and gave her an annoyed look before quickly regaining her composure. She watched Zoey move gracefully into the chair opposite hers.

This woman was her husband’s twin sister, yet they were completely different. The only things they shared were the same hair and eye color.

The moment Zoey’s eyes met hers, Sienna was caught off guard. Her gaze was cold, cold enough to make Sienna realize this meeting was not about work at all. It was personal.

’Did Zoey already know about my relationship with Zach?’

Sienna quickly replayed her recent conversations with Zachary in her mind. A quiet sigh of relief escaped her when she remembered that he hadn’t told anyone in his family about their marriage, though Zoey knew he liked her.

’Good. At least I can face her professionally as my CEO, not as my sister-in-law.’

It would only make things more awkward if Zoey approached her as family. If she treated her only as an employee, Sienna could do the same and keep everything professional.

"I’m sorry you had to wait so long, Sienna."

Sienna met Zoey’s gaze and leaned back against her chair with quiet confidence. Even so, she couldn’t ignore the intimidating chill in Zoey’s presence, so she answered with a warm smile.

"It’s fine, Ms. Sterling. I understand you must be busy," Sienna said.

Her calm response seemed to surprise Zoey. She sat a little straighter, narrowing her eyes as she studied Sienna.

Without waiting for Zoey to speak, Sienna glanced at her watch, then looked back at Zoey.

"Oh... This lunchtime already!" she pretended to be surprised. "Ms. Sterling, my doctor warned me not to delay my meals, or I might end up hospitalized again."

She paused briefly, offering an apologetic smile.

"But don’t worry, Ms. Sterling. We can continue this meeting after lunch. I’ll come back here, so there’s no need for your secretary to call me. Excuse me."

She rose from her seat and gave Zoey a polite nod, her smile never wavering. At that moment, she no longer cared about her job. If Zoey wanted to fire her because of this, she was more than willing to accept it.

"Sienna, you—"

Zoey shot to her feet, clearly caught off guard by Sienna’s reaction.

Sienna kept the same warm smile on her face. There was something satisfying about seeing Zoey’s calm, composed expression disappear, replaced by unmistakable anger.

"Yes, Ms. Sterling?" Sienna asked politely. "Would you like to have lunch with me in the staff cafeteria?"

"Sit down! I’m not finished with you." Zoey’s voice rose as her temper finally broke. "You’re nothing more than a manager. I could fire you right now if I wanted to."

Sienna slowly turned to face her completely, her expression remaining calm.

"I’m sorry if I’ve offended you, Ms. Sterling," she said evenly. "But I’m only human, and I have feelings too. I’ve been sitting here for thirty minutes while you deliberately ignored me, as if you were punishing me without a reason."

Instead of becoming even angrier, Zoey let out a sharp laugh. It echoed through the room for several seconds before she looked at Sienna with open contempt.