The Billionaire's Heir I Never Knew Was Mine

Chapter 134: Punishment

Zachary’s unexpected touch left her speechless, her gaze fixed on him for several more seconds. Her heart hammered in her chest as everything around her seemed to stand still.

She could see his bright gray eyes looking into hers, his eyelashes fluttering as he blinked, and feel the warmth on her skin from his fingers on her chin.

’Why is this man so incredibly handsome? Why does he have such a perfect gaze? Why is my heart pounding like crazy? Why...’

Sienna was utterly mesmerized. Her mind betrayed her... she slowly forgot the threat she had faced yesterday, as all she could think about now was only him.

But then—

"Sienna..."

His gentle voice pulled her back from her own thoughts. She blinked a few times before pulling her head away from him, trying to steady her heartbeat.

"Y-Yes?" She asked, lowering her gaze to somewhere, avoiding his curious gaze.

A soft chuckle escaped him as he returned to his seat.

Sienna looked up to see him again, only to find a playful smile on his lips. She swallowed.

"What punishment do you want for Benjamin Foster?" Zachary asked again.

The question immediately pulled Sienna back into the memories she wished she could erase.

Benjamin’s smug expression flashed across her mind. The way he had looked at her as if she already belonged to him. The disgusting moment when he tried to kiss her without permission. The trap he had carefully prepared around her. The helpless feeling of standing there while people judged her without knowing the truth, without listening to her side, without caring how terrified she had been.

Slowly, her fingers tightened around the handkerchief resting in her grasp.

For hours at the police station, all she had thought about was protecting herself. Surviving. Finding a way to prove she was innocent. But now... Zachary sat beside her and calmly offered her the right to decide Benjamin’s punishment.

The feeling was almost unreal.

"I want him punished accordingly. That man is truly shameless," Sienna began softly, but her voice trembled before she could steady it. She lowered her gaze and took a slow breath, trying to calm the painful tightness building in her chest. "He forced me to become his woman, and when I refused, he tried... he tried to force himself—"

The rest of the words refused to come out. Her throat tightened painfully.

Sienna could only let out a quiet sigh, unable to finish the sentence.

Silence settled around them. Filled with everything she could not bring herself to say aloud.

"I understand," Zachary said at last, breaking the silence with his calm voice. "I will ask my lawyer to handle him as you wish."

Sienna looked at him again. She could hear that there was no hesitation or doubt in his tone. No questioning expression. He simply believed her.

That alone loosened something inside her tight chest.

A small smile appeared on her lips when she heard how confident he sounded, but the smile slowly faded as another concern surfaced in her mind.

"But, Zach... I don’t want this matter to appear in the media or become the subject of wild rumors. I worry my work will be affected."

For a brief moment, surprise flashed across his face, but it disappeared quickly.

"Okay," he said calmly. "I will make sure no media or internet influencers cover this news. And you will be all right at your work."

Relief spread quietly through her.

"Thank you," she said sincerely.

"Anything else you want me to handle?"

Sienna paused for a moment and thought carefully.

Then she nodded.

"Zach, I think I’m much better now. I want to go home now..."

"Can you stay for one day?" Zachary said immediately, worry flashing in his gaze. "I’m worried you still need medical help."

Sienna shook her head without hesitation, rejecting the idea almost instinctively. "To be honest, I don’t like staying in hospitals, and I’m really okay now."

She forced a small smile, hoping it would convince him. But the truth was much deeper than simple dislike.

In the past, hospitals had practically been her second home. Cold hallways. White walls. The smell of medicine lingered in the air. Machines are beeping endlessly through sleepless nights.

Those things had once been a normal part of her life.

Her father had spent most of his time in hospitals because of his illness.

Because of that illness, their lives had slowly fallen apart.

They lost their money and house trying to pay medical bills. They lost their stability. She lost her future plans.

In the end, she had given up her dream and chosen an extreme path just to save him. She had carried someone else’s child as a surrogate mother because she needed money quickly for her father’s major surgery.

Back then, she believed sacrifice would change everything.

She believed helping her father would finally bring peace to their lives.

But what happened after her father recovered?

The man she fought so hard to save started gambling.

Then drinking.

Then, sinking deeper into addiction.

And once again, her life became a nightmare. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

Sienna quietly shook her head, trying to push those bitter memories away before they swallowed her whole.

No. She did not want to stay here.

If she spent even one more night inside this hospital room, the memories she had worked so hard to bury would surely come flooding back again.

’I’d rather go home than let those memories return and torture me again,’ she thought silently.

Sienna lifted her eyes toward Zachary again, preparing to speak.

But before she could say anything, he spoke first.

"You seem uncomfortable with staying in hospitals?"

The question caught her completely off guard. Her fingers tightened unconsciously around the handkerchief.

She wanted to tell him the truth, tell him everything. The painful memories. The years she spent carrying burdens too heavy for her age. The anger she still carried deep inside herself.

But when she opened her mouth, no words came out.

She could only offer him a faint smile.

Several seconds passed in silence.

Zachary watched her quietly.