Eric's POV
The moment the car doors slammed shut, the noise outside became muted. My chest was still tight, adrenaline buzzed under my skin.
How the hell did the paparazzi know we'll be landing in New York today?
Sienna looked a bit pale and was breathing in and out too quickly.
I leaned towards her. "Are you alright?"
She blinked, swallowed, then nodded. "Yeah." She said, trying to catch her breath.
For a moment, I wanted to pull her into my arms and just hold her until the tremor left her shoulders.
Connor merged into traffic like the road belonged to him, one hand on the wheel, the other adjusting his earpiece. "Well, that was bloody mad," he muttered, shaking his head.
I narrowed my eyes. "Connor, what the hell are you doing in New York?"
He gave me a short, clipped shrug in the rearview mirror. "Work, obviously. Your father sent me to handle a meeting with the Paterson Group. I was at the arrivals hall waiting for their rep to come in, but then the bloke messaged that his flight was delayed in Washington." He snorted softly. "So I thought I'd grab a coffee, maybe enjoy five minutes of peace before dealing with corporate nonsense."
He slowed at a red light and turned his head slightly toward us.
"And then I see half the bloody airport crowding the entrance like Taylor Swift was about to step out."
Sienna let out a small, nervous laugh.
Connor continued, "I overheard someone say, 'The British billionaire's landing with his new bride!"
He shot me a pointed look.
"And before you ask," Connor continued, "yes, I saw the viral video."
Beside me, Sienna stiffened.
I glared back. "It's not like that."
"Mm-hm," Connor hummed, far too entertained. "Anyway, I rushed outside and lo and behold, there you were, looking like a deer in headlights with pap lenses shoved up your nose."
I swallowed before asking the next question.
"Did my parents see the video too?"
Connor frowned. "I'm not sure, actually. I haven't had a single call from either of them today."
That's strange. My father calls the second anything disrupts the family image and my mother, even faster.
Before I could overthink it, Connor spoke again, his tone suddenly softer.
"They're worried about you, you know. Everyone back home has been trying to reach you since you left." He raised a brow. "But someone blocked every bloody person connected to the Macmillan estate."
I didn't reply and refused to look at Sienna although I could feel the curiosity rolling off of her in waves from the way she was looking at me.
Connor glanced at Sienna through the rear-view mirror, his voice smooth. "Right, I should probably introduce myself before I go whisking you around New York like some mad chauffeur," he said with a polite smile.
"I'm Connor Davies, Eric's personal assistant, professional chaos-manager, and apparently your unofficial getaway driver for the day. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mrs. Macmillan.
I rolled my eyes.
Sienna gave a small smile. "It's nice to meet you too, Connor. You can call me Sienna."
Connor gave a small nod.
"Anyway," he added, eyes flicking back to me, "I'm glad I spotted the two of you before the vultures outside did anything worse." He paused. "Sienna, are you absolutely alright? You looked ready to faint back there."
"I'm okay. Thank you for helping."
"My pleasure, ma'am." Then with a small grin, he added "And if I may say, you handled that chaos far better than some of Mr. Macmillan's previous acquaintances."
Sienna blinked. "What do you mean?"
I shot him a warning glare. "Connor."
"I'm only complimenting her, sir." He wiggled his eyebrows. "She's remarkably composed."
Sienna bit her lip, trying to hide her smile.
Connor said, "So then, how did you meet, if I'm allowed that question at least? You two were all over the tabloids this morning. I assumed you'd gone full bachelor-mode, but turns out you went and got married rather swiftly."
"It's a long story," I answered.
"That's what you say when the story is either incredibly romantic or incredibly disastrous," Connor muttered mostly to himself. "Judging by the paparazzi death match back there, I'm leaning toward both."
I scrubbed a hand over my face.
Sienna muttered something inaudible under her breath and stared out the window, watching the city blur past. Her hands folded on her lap.
Staring at her, I felt something similar to butterflies dancing in my belly. I've never had this instant connection with any woman before.
Connor cleared his throat gently, breaking me out of my Sienna–induced trance. "Well... consider yourselves rescued from the fire, I suppose. Where are we going next?"
Sienna straightened a little beside me. "Um...my place," she said quietly. "Thirty-two Madison Avenue, Brooklyn."
Connor nodded. "Brooklyn it is." He tapped the address into the GPS. "Hold tight. I'll get you there in one piece."
He switched lanes, his voice softening only slightly as he said, "For what it's worth, you two looked genuinely good together out there. Even under all that madness."
Sienna tensed a little.
I didn't say anything but deep down, I believed so too.
