Riley smirked, "So, should I cry?"

Mia stared at him in disbelief. "Usually, when injustice occurs like this, you throw a manly tantrum, brawl with them, or at least flip the table over the HRD. But now, nothing. You’re way too calm."

Sienna nods in agreement with Mia, then shifts her complete focus onto Riley.

"Honestly, I wasn’t a big fan of the job anyway. It’s not the hill I would want to die for, really." Riley said casually as he took Sienna’s latte cup and drank it completely.

Sienna and Mia’s eyes widened slightly. Before they could ask, he continued—

"I just stay here because of you all. So when they suddenly fire me, I accept it gladly." He set the cup down and smiled at them as if nothing had happened.

Mia stared at him in disbelief.

"Sienna..." she said slowly, not taking her eyes off Riley. "Why, I think our friend here hit his head somewhere and lost his memory. No. No. Not that. But he may have forgotten to bring his brain..."

Sienna barely held back a laugh and teased, "You still have time to crack a joke, Mia."

Mia tried to speak, but only laughter escaped her.

Then Sienna turned to Riley with a playful smirk. "Riley, I could tell you’re hiding something," she said.

Riley’s smile remained. "Am I?"

"Yes," Sienna answered without hesitation. "Why do I see you as a stranger...? I almost don’t recognize you."

Mia nodded immediately. "Same. This whole situation feels suspiciously illegal."

Riley let out another soft chuckle and leaned back in his chair casually.

"Relax," he said. "It’s just a job."

Sienna’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"No, Riley..." Sienna said firmly. "It’s not just about the job." Her voice lowered, quieter this time, but somehow heavier. "But, it’s about you. They threaten you unfairly."

Riley fell silent, looking at how serious Sienna was now.

Sienna’s words settled somewhere deeper than Riley expected, forcing him to swallow quietly as he looked away for a brief second. He couldn’t tell them the truth. He couldn’t reveal anything about who he really was, not to Sienna, not to Mia. Not yet.

After a long stretch of silence, Riley finally shifted in his seat. His fingers tapped once against the armrest, as if he were deciding how much truth the two women in front of him deserved—or perhaps how much they could handle before concluding he had completely lost his mind.

"Alright," he said calmly, "I’ll tell you why they fired me."

The atmosphere in the room changed instantly.

Sienna straightened slightly. At the same time, Mia leaned forward so eagerly she nearly forgot to breathe. Every ounce of irritation and disbelief they’d been holding onto melted into pure curiosity.

Riley looked at both of them carefully. To his own surprise, he looked amused by their expressions.

"It’s my father," he continued, the corner of his lips lifting into a faint smirk. "He came here himself... and asked the management to fire me."

Riley expected both women to be shocked, but surprisingly, nothing happened. They were simply staring at him, blinking.

Sienna seemed to pause as if her mind’s processor were temporarily lagging.

Mia blinked even harder, as if her brain needed several more business days to process something that ridiculous. How could Father come to the company and ask HRD to fire their son? What kind of father is that?

"Riley," Mia chuckled, "do you think we are children who will believe your excuse?"

Riley couldn’t help but laugh. He cleared his throat, then said, "Well, if you don’t believe me, you can ask the HR Director about it."

Sienna slowly leaned back in her chair, while narrowing her eyes at him, carefully studying every inch of his expression.

Mia, meanwhile, looked caught between believing him and not believing him.

"You both know," Riley continued steadily, "my father has always wanted me to return home, right?"

This time, both women nodded. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"Yes..." Mia answered slowly, dragging out the word with obvious suspicion.

"Of course," Sienna said carefully. "You told us your father wanted you to work for his company, and he also forced you to marry..."

Riley sighed softly and tilted his head.

"I never listened to him. That’s why my father grew impatient. He was very angry and came to force me to quit my job here and return home to help his company," he said, putting on the saddest expression he could show them.

Sienna and Mia gasped in shock.

"Well, I understand why he’s furious because I’m his only son," Riley added smoothly. "He used his connections at this hotel to meet with the HR Director and ask them to fire me, or he’d sue them."

Mia reacted immediately. "I can’t believe your father is more dramatic than you, Riley," she gasped, her eyes widening in genuine shock.

Sienna let out a short, incredulous laugh, though there was no real humor in it. "Who threatens a company just to have control of their own son? That doesn’t even sound real."

Riley raised an eyebrow, showing no sign of surprise. "Of course it’s my father," he said with a calm, straightforward tone.

Oddly enough, that answer made the entire situation harder to argue with.

The room fell quiet again, though this time it wasn’t a shock alone. A reluctant understanding was beginning to creep in.

"...That’s insane," Mia muttered under her breath, shaking her head.

"It is," Sienna agreed softly, her gaze still fixed on Riley’s face. She searched for hesitation, for cracks, for any sign that he was lying, but still she found none. "But since you never lie... I’ll try to believe you." She added.

Mia shrugged slowly. "Riley, I feel strangely puzzled..." she said. "I really don’t like this story at all. It feels like we’ve suddenly become side characters in a chaotic family drama—"

Then, suddenly, something crossed her mind, and Mia paused abruptly. Her eyes slowly widened as she looked at Riley.

"Oh—wait." She pointed dramatically at Riley. "Riley Davis... don’t tell me you’re secretly from an insanely wealthy family?"