For another moment, neither Kevin nor Ethan spoke or even made a sound. They simply stared at Zachary, then at Sienna, then back at Zachary again as if hoping they had misunderstood him.
"Hi, Sienna," Kevin was the first to recover. "...It’s nice to meet you. I’m really sorry to ask this, but are you really Zach’s wife?"
Kevin stood and politely extended his hand toward her. Before Sienna could respond, however, Zachary casually stepped between them and guided her toward the empty seat beside him.
"Please greet my wife without involving any handshake," Zachary said, with a completely straight face and devoid of emotion.
Sienna barely managed to hide her smile, secretly pleased that her husband was looking a bit jealous. At the same time, she enjoyed watching them share a lighthearted, amusing conversation.
Kevin lowered his hand and looked at him in disbelief. "Seriously, Zach?"
"What?"
"No handshake? I was only being polite."
"I know."
"And?"
Zachary ignored him.
Kevin let out an exaggerated sigh before dropping back into his seat. "You’ve been married for who knows how long, and you’re already this protective."
"Why not? I’m just setting boundaries," Zachary replied nonchalantly.
"You call that boundaries?" Kevin asked, shaking his head. "I didn’t even get within a meter of her."
Scott couldn’t help laughing from the side. "I think you’re wasting your breath, Kev. Once Zach makes up his mind, no one can change it. Not even the best hypnotherapist."
Ethan nodded in acceptance, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Nevertheless, I’ve never seen him act like this before."
Zachary looked at all three of them without the slightest embarrassment.
"Then get used to it," he said proudly, then glanced at Sienna and took her hand, holding it firmly.
Sienna couldn’t help but smile at their conversation. She found their friendship surprisingly easygoing despite all the teasing. Sitting beside Zachary, she turned to Kevin with an apologetic smile.
"It’s nice to meet you too, Kevin..." Sienna finally interrupted their argument. Then she turned to Ethan and said, "Nice to meet you, Ethan."
Kevin smiled back, deciding not to argue with Zachary any further.
But then—
"Oh...!" Kevin exclaimed, his eyes widening as something suddenly clicked in his mind. "I think I’ve seen you before."
Sienna looked at him in surprise, clearly caught off guard by his words. She searched her memory, trying to remember where they might have met, but no matter how hard she thought about it, she couldn’t recall seeing him before.
Before she could respond, Zachary spoke first. His voice remained calm, but the protective edge in his tone was impossible to miss.
"You’ve seen my wife before?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at Kevin. "Where? When?"
Kevin turned to him and immediately noticed how serious he looked. He couldn’t help laughing softly.
"Wow... relax, my friend." He raised both hands in surrender before smiling. "I never met her personally. I only saw her at a club."
"A nightclub?" Scott and Ethan asked at the same time, both staring at Kevin.
Sienna blinked in confusion because she had never stepped into a nightclub in her life.
"What nightclub?" she asked, looking genuinely puzzled.
Zachary, on the other hand, looked completely unfazed. "Hmm," he replied with a gentle smile as he gave Sienna’s hand a light squeeze. "You’re right, my wife..."
The tension that had appeared on his face earlier disappeared completely. Leaning back comfortably against the sofa, he finally looked relaxed enough to let his friends continue talking with Sienna without worrying unnecessarily.
Kevin watched the quiet exchange between the couple before letting out a dramatic sigh. "I’ve known Zach for years," he complained, "and I never thought I’d see the day he smiled like that."
Scott folded his arms with an amused expression. "I told you yesterday that the gossip was huge. You two just refused to believe me."
"We believed you," Ethan replied with a chuckle. "We just didn’t expect this."
Kevin nodded in agreement. "I was ready to hear that Zach secretly bought another company."
"You said he might adopt a child," Scott added with a straight face.
Ethan laughed. "Instead, the man secretly got married."
Kevin looked directly at Zachary and shook his head. "You really skipped every important step, didn’t you? No dating announcement. No engagement. No wedding invitation. You just showed up one day with a wife."
"I saved everyone their precious time," Zachary answered calmly.
Kevin stared at him for a second before looking at Scott and Ethan. "Did you hear that? He’s actually proud of it."
Scott shrugged. "That’s our Zach."
The four friends laughed together, and the atmosphere became much lighter than before.
Even Sienna found herself smiling as she watched them tease one another so naturally.
Although they came from different industries and lived busy lives, their friendship hadn’t changed over the years. They could joke with one another without anyone taking offense. That easy trust made her feel unexpectedly comfortable around them.

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