Under the Veil I Rule
Chapter 17

Amara clenched her fists tightly, her anger boiling over at Liliana's words. It felt like her heart and lungs were on fire.

Staring directly into Liliana's eyes, she enunciated every word, "I mind, I really do mind, and I mind a lot!"

Liliana was visibly taken aback, clearly not expecting this reaction. In her mind, Amara had always been the meek and mild type.

Amara felt like her chest was about to burst with rage. She bit her lip fiercely, forcing herself to calm down before speaking again, "Ms. Porter, you knew Finnian had a wife, yet you called him 'hubby' in front of everyone. How is that any different from being the homewrecker? You claim it was because you messed up in front of the director, but actresses mess up all the time. And you were feeling unwell no less; the director wouldn't have criticized you. You must know that, right?

You knew all of this! So when you called Finnian that in public, it was because you wanted to! Own up to your shameless behavior, will you? Instead of denying it, you come to me with this fake 'I hope you don't mind' nonsense. Can you not play the victim?"

Liliana's eyes shone with anger, but she found herself momentarily speechless. Within seconds, however, her anger vanished, replaced by a pitiful expression as she moved behind Amara. "Finn."

Amara's heart lurched. Turning her head, she saw Liliana leaning into Finnian's arms, looking frail and helpless, as if she'd just been wronged.

Finnian immediately took her arm, concern etched on his face. "What's wrong, are you still feeling unwell?"

Liliana looked up at him, her voice tinged with sadness as she replied, "I'm not feeling great. My head's still spinning, and Ms. Sullivan just yelled at me."

"You yelled at her?"

Finnian turned to Amara, his eyes frosty. That icy look pierced through Amara, making her heart feel like it was submerged in freezing water, struggling to recover.

Suppressing the pain in her chest, she looked at Liliana and said, "Yeah, I did yell at you!"

Her assertive stance was unexpected to Liliana, who had anticipated Amara would deny it. She had even planned what to say after Amara's denial. Yet Amara admitted it so bluntly?

"You keep insisting you're not the other woman, yet you call my lawful husband 'hubby' in front of everyone. If that's not being the other woman, what is? You act like a bitch and still want to be seen as virtuous? And I'm not supposed to call you out? And you," Amara turned her fiery gaze to Finnian. "I don't care what you're thinking, but legally, Liliana is not your wife, I am! She called you 'hubby', and you accepted it? Are you siding with her?"

As these words left Amara's mouth, Finnian's expression turned cold, his eyes dark and intimidating, his presence almost menacing.

Amara's heart pounded as she took a couple of steps back, shooting them both a fierce glare before bolting out.

Confronting Liliana and Finnian felt cathartic, but it also left her with a twinge of regret. Would they retaliate? Despite the momentary satisfaction, a deep-seated thorn remained lodged in her heart.

She knew as long as she couldn't forget Finnian, that thorn would stay. But when would she finally be able to pull it out?

Suddenly, applause echoed through the room. Startled, Amara turned to see a tall man entering the break room, clapping his hands.

The man leaned casually against the wall, his handsome face wearing a lazy grin. He gave her a thumbs-up. "Nice, you finally chose not to be a pushover!"

Amara was left speechless. Keith? Why was he here, and why was he saying that? Had he overheard her confrontation with Finnian and Liliana?

Amara felt a flush of awkwardness, though thankfully her mask hid it. Murmuring, "None of your business," she quickly slipped out the back door of the break room.

Her brief encounter with Keith didn't rattle her much. She returned to the set, watched the rest of the filming, and headed home once it wrapped up.

She went back to the Everly family home, but as she headed upstairs to her room, Finnian intercepted her.

His handsome face was shrouded in a thin layer of ice, an aura of authority making it hard to breathe. He spoke coolly, "We need to talk."