For a moment, Sienna simply stared at Riley as though seeing him from an entirely different angle for the first time.

"Riley Davis..." Sienna started softly, "Are you maybe some kind of undercover heir?"

Riley let out a quiet chuckle, finding their question amusing.

"Well," he said casually, ignoring their suspicions about his family identity, "Whether you like it or not, and whether you believe it or not... it already happened."

His gaze briefly flickered toward the clock on the wall before returning to the two women in front of him.

"As I said before, effective tomorrow, I will no longer work in this company."

The room went silent again.

Mia froze so completely.

Sienna’s expression shifted. The sharp suspicion in her eyes softened, replaced by something gentler.

"...Th-That fast?" Mia asked at last, her voice noticeably smaller.

Riley nodded once. "Yeah."

As silence filled the room, Riley suddenly clapped her hands, and the sharp clap broke the stillness.

"Alright, no need to feel sad," he announced brightly, immediately ruining the emotional tension on purpose, "...And let’s turn this day into a tragic drama."

Sienna narrowed her eyes at him instantly. "That depends entirely on what you’re about to do..."

Riley grinned, clearly pleased that he had successfully interrupted the sadness before it became unbearable.

"Tonight," he continued smoothly, "we eat good food, drink expensive wine, and pretend life isn’t miserable, at least for a few hours."

Mia blinked. "What?"

"All four of us," Riley continued, pointing casually between them. "You, me, Sienna, and Ava. We’re celebrating."

Mia stared at him in disbelief. "Celebrating what exactly? Your unemployment?" She asked, confused.

Riley didn’t even pause. "Exactly."

Sienna let out a soft sigh before shaking her head in disbelief. "Why are you so calm about this...?"

"You two seriously need to stop," Riley runs a hand through his hair. "I’m not dying. I just moved to another company. Both of you... Please stop looking at me like you both accidentally showed up to my funeral."

"That’s because you announced your departure like a tragic CEO in a drama," Mia muttered.

Riley ignored her completely.

"Tonight," he continued smoothly, "we will have fun and pretend that life isn’t stressful for a few hours."

Both girls say nothing.

They simply stare at him.

"So, are you both coming or not? It’s not fun if only Ava and I are there."

Sienna observed him silently for a moment, still in shock that Riley, their best friend, wouldn’t be working here starting tomorrow.

"Riley, of course, I will join..." Sienna said.

Mia immediately turned toward her in shock. "Sienna, come on... How could you agree to that so easily?"

Sienna gave a small, knowing smile. "If he’s paying, I’m not arguing."

Riley immediately pressed a hand against his chest, looking deeply moved. "Thank you for your support during this difficult Chapter of my life, Sienna."

"I’m here for the food," Sienna corrected calmly. Then, after a brief pause, she added, "And the wine."

Mia raised her hand enthusiastically. "Count me in too."

"Good," Riley said with satisfaction. "That’s the spirit."

Then he pointed toward the meeting room door.

"Now let’s get back to work before both of you end up following my career path."

"Don’t curse us like that." Mia protests.

Sienna shook her head, though laughter quietly lingered in her expression.

The three of them finally stepped out of the meeting room together.

Although the strange heaviness from earlier still lingered, the atmosphere had undeniably lightened.

...

By the time office hours ended and evening settled over the city, the tension from this morning had eased into something lighter.

However, none of them mentioned it again on their way to the Virelle Lounge.

Instead, they allowed the warm glow of the city lights and the approaching weekend atmosphere to distract them from reality, even if only temporarily.

The Virelle Lounge greeted them with dim golden light and soft jazz humming quietly through hidden speakers.

A floor manager immediately recognized Riley and guided them toward one of the private VIP rooms near the back of the lounge.

Inside the room, Ava was already waiting comfortably on the sofa with her phone in hand.

The moment she looked up and saw all three of them entering together, her expression shifted into immediate confusion.

"...Why do I suddenly feel like I’ve missed something important?" Ava asked.

"You did," Mia answered instantly.

"Riley got fired," Sienna added calmly as she slid into her seat.

Ava froze. "I’m sorry, Riley..." she said slowly. "So, the text was real?"

Sienna and Mia nodded simultaneously while settling into their seats.

Ava immediately turned toward Riley.

"What happened?" she asked. "Why did they fire you?"

"Long story," Riley replied casually, dropping onto the sofa like a man entirely free from consequences. "Not important."

Ava stared at him. "That sounds extremely important."

"It’s really not," he answered, shaking his head.

Then, without warning, Riley reached into his pocket and placed a sleek black card onto the table with a soft but deliberate tap.

"Tonight, you can order any food or drink you want, as much as you like." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

The room fell silent instantly.

All three women stared at the card.

Then at Riley.

Then back at the card again.

Mia blinked slowly. "Wait..." she said carefully. "Is that... the legendary black card?"

"Hmm. Don’t worry, it’s not mine. It’s my father’s," Riley confirmed casually. "He bribed me with it."

Ava leaned forward, and her curiosity was obvious. She took the card carefully and examined it closely. Aside from the bank logo and the embossed numbers, there was no visible name, which somehow made the card look even more terrifyingly expensive.

"Riley," Ava said slowly, still staring at the card, "how wealthy is your family exactly? Only a handful of people even qualify for something like this."

Mia and Sienna immediately nodded in agreement, both staring at him with sharp curiosity now.

The pressure in the room shifted completely.

Five minutes ago, they were mourning his career. Now they looked one sentence away from launching a financial investigation.

Riley laughed nervously under their collective sharp stare.

Then suddenly, something crossed Sienna’s mind. Her eyes widened. "Wait," she said slowly. "Your family name is Davis."

Riley immediately looked concerned.

Sienna narrowed her eyes at him. She asked, "...Don’t tell me it’s the same Davis family from the top ten wealthiest families?"

Riley nearly choked on her words.