Mia’s eyes widened in shock.

Ava looked ready to start searching for the net worth rankings immediately.

Faced with three intensely focused women watching him, Riley quickly let out an awkward laugh and shook his head.

"O-Of course not..." he denied right away. "My dad’s just rich enough to give me this card and mess up my career choices. That’s about it... Don’t associate me with the Davis family; they might sue us for spreading lies."

Riley seems calm and casual on the outside, but inside, he feels guilty about lying to them. Davis is actually his maternal family. He used that last name to keep his connection to Sterling hidden.

’Man, there’s no need to feel sorry about this; it’s the simplest way to handle it.’ Riley tries to remind himself to stay calm, hoping these three investigators won’t bother him about his family again.

But these three ladies won’t let him go easily.

"That explanation somehow raised more questions," Ava said.

Riley ignored her completely.

"So, ladies..." he cheerfully responds, clearly trying to redirect the conversation, "let’s stop talking about my suspicious family situation and enjoy dinner."

"In that case, I completely support your life choices." She smiled happily, grabbed the menu, and flipped it open. "Ladies, we are ordering the expensive dishes and the oldest wine they have."

"Oh, absolutely," Mia agreed enthusiastically. "I’m not holding back tonight."

Sienna tried very hard to remain composed. However, it lasted only about three seconds. Then she calmly reached for a menu too.

"Well," Sienna said smoothly, "it would be rude to reject such generosity."

Riley leaned back against the sofa, watching the three women with visible amusement. "That’s exactly what I like to hear."

Mia immediately began scanning the menu. "What’s the most expensive thing here?" she asked.

"Start from the back pages," Ava suggested wisely. "That’s usually where they hide the financially irresponsible items."

Mia gasped. "Oh my god, there’s a steak here that costs more than my monthly electricity bill."

Ava leaned over to look. "Order two."

"Three!" Sienna added.

Riley could only shake his head, but a relieved smile flashed across his lips.

...

Meanwhile—

In another VIP room, Zachary sat comfortably on a dark leather sofa, his body angled slightly toward the glass wall that stretched from floor to ceiling. Beyond it, the city shimmered under the night sky.

Across from him sat two of his closest friends.

Kevin Richardson, always enthusiastic, leaned forward with a glass of wine in his hand, talking with tireless energy about his company’s latest progress. Numbers, strategies, and partnerships. He spoke about them as if they were pieces in a game he thoroughly enjoyed playing.

Scott Anderson, seated beside him, responded occasionally, his tone relaxed but thoughtful. As a neurosurgeon, Scott carried a natural sense of control in everything he did. Even in casual conversation. Yet tonight, with a glass of wine in his hand and no hospital waiting for him the next morning, he seemed far more at ease than usual.

Zachary, however, remained mostly silent. He held his wine glass loosely, occasionally bringing it to his lips, his gaze drifting between the city outside and the faint reflections on the glass. He listened, of course, but he didn’t feel the need to involve himself in every discussion.

Kevin and Scott were used to that.

Still, after a few minutes, Kevin’s attention shifted, his sharp eyes landing on Zachary.

"Zach," he said, tapping the edge of his glass lightly, "I just received a report that Sterling is trying to cooperate with Cresswell Tech. What do you think?"

Zachary glanced at him briefly, his expression unchanged. He didn’t answer.

Kevin frowned slightly, not in annoyance but more out of mild curiosity. "Would I accept them?" he asked again, more directly this time.

Zachary finally moved, casually setting his wine glass on the table before leaning back into the sofa, his posture relaxed, almost lazy.

"Don’t ask me about it," he said calmly. "I’m not involved in the Sterling tech industry."

Scott chuckled briefly and shook his head.

"Come on, Kev," he said, raising his glass. "Did you forget? Zach only handles Sterling Capital." He drained his wine in one smooth motion, clearly enjoying his rare night of freedom.

Kevin sighed softly, rubbing his temple as he said, "I know. I only informed him..." Then he turned back to Zachary, his tone more decisive. "Alright, I’ll decline them."

Zachary gave a small nod. "As you should," he replied. "I don’t care what my older brother does with that side of the company."

There was no bitterness in Zachary’s voice. Just indifference.

Kevin studied him for a second longer, then nodded as well, deciding not to push further.

Scott, however, leaned back with a thoughtful look. "Even though I’m a doctor, not a businessman..." he said, swirling the wine in his glass. "But, I do know one thing."

"And what is that?" Kevin asked, raising an eyebrow.

Scott’s lips curved slightly. "William Sterling is greedy," he said plainly. "So, you’d better stay far away from anything that gives him more credit."

Kevin chuckled at that, clearly amused, though he didn’t argue. Instead, he shifted the conversation. "Hey, Doc! Just curious... why are you having a drink tonight? Don’t you have surgery tomorrow?"

Scott shrugged casually. "Well, I’m off duty," he replied. "Which means I can drink as much as I want."

"...That’s confidential information, Doc," Kevin smiles.

"It is," Scott agreed calmly.

Zachary had already drifted away from the conversation again.

Their voices faded into the background as his thoughts wandered elsewhere, somewhere far less logical and far more distracting.

Then the door suddenly opened.

All three men turned at the sound.

Ethan Hall, one of their friends, walked in. He is still in his suit but without his tie, giving him a more relaxed appearance. He closed the door behind him with a quick motion and flashed them an easy smile as he stepped inside.

"Ethan," Kevin said immediately, "why are you here so late?"

"Sorry, sorry," Ethan replied, already reaching for a glass. "Just got back from a site visit. Traffic on the way here was terrible."

Scott shook his head lightly as he said, "Ethan, your excuses are getting less creative by the day."

Ethan ignored both of them completely, taking a sip of wine before turning his attention to Zachary. The playful look on his face faded slightly.

"Zach," he said, "I saw your nephew in another room."

"Which one?" Zachary asked lazily.

"Riley—"

Zachary’s interest sharpened, though his expression remained composed.

"He looks like he’s having a great time," Ethan continued, clearly entertained. "Partying with who I think are his friends. I mean, these friends are all girls. Very good-looking girls, but too well-dressed and well-behaved to be escort girls..."

Kevin let out a low whistle. "Of course, he’s having fun with beautiful women who come with him willingly. I hear he’s a Playboy. A charming one."

Ethan nodded slowly, as if agreeing with Kevin. "Zach, let’s go greet them..."

"No need," Zachary replied immediately, his tone flat. It sounded like he didn’t care.

He turned his gaze back to the city, but his mind had already wandered to Sienna. He knew for sure that Riley and Sienna were best friends. So if Riley is here, Sienna is likely here too.

The image of her slipped effortlessly into his thoughts: the way she looked, spoke cheerfully, smiled and laughed, now playing nonstop in his mind.

Zachary exhaled slowly.

Meanwhile, his friends had already returned to their drinks and conversation. Laughter came and went, but Zachary stayed quiet and unmoving. On the surface, he was showing no particular emotion. But in his mind, Sienna’s voice and smile steal his interest.

For a while, he tried to ignore it and focus on something else. But it didn’t work.

With a faint frown, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. His thumb hovered over the screen for a moment before he opened the messaging app and read Sienna’s latest text.

Then, without overthinking, he typed a text—

"Hi, where are you?"

He sent it right away.

And just as quickly as he typed, he regretted it.

Zachary stared at the screen, his jaw tightening slightly.

’...What was that?’ he muttered under his breath.

He shouldn’t have sent that text.