Under the Veil I Rule
Chapter 93

Celeste was silent, but Amara wasn't going to let her off the hook that easily. She kept on, her voice chilly, "If you can't say something nice, it's better you don't say anything at all.

Talking like that might fly in your own home where everyone's wrapped around your finger, but in the real world, someone might just knock you down a peg."

Celeste's face turned a deeper shade of red, and Martin and Andrea didn't look too pleased either. But Amara was past caring about their feelings.

After all, Celeste was their kid. Sure, they might have been too busy with work to keep an eye on her, and now they felt frustrated with a daughter like her. But did that mean Amara had to take Celeste's insults lying down?

"Martin, Andrea, I know my words are harsh, and they might have offended you. But I can't just sit back and let Celeste take digs at me without defending myself. I hope you understand."

Back in the day, when Amara was being picked on by Celeste, Hogan, and Peter, the rest of their family either joined in or watched with a judgmental smirk as if she deserved it.

But now that Amara was standing up for herself, folks were actually siding with her.

"Yeah, Celeste's comments were out of line. She's a grown woman; she should know better," said Cora, Finnian's aunt.

"Ama's right. Celeste's attitude won't get her far outside the family. The world won't coddle her, and picking on Ama was way out of bounds," Debby, their other aunt, chimed in.

Amara watched it all unfold with a cool detachment, realizing that self-respect was key. When people respected themselves, others would respect them too.

In the past, she'd been too scared to fight back, and no one came to her defense. But now that she was standing her ground, people were more willing to back her up.

While Amara was observing the show, Finnian sized her up and suddenly asked, "Celeste was giving you trouble earlier?"

"Yeah," Amara nodded. "Her words were pretty harsh."

Finnian knew all too well the kind of people his cousins were. He glanced over at Celeste, his eyes devoid of emotion, but somehow, they sent a chill down her spine.

Celeste clenched her fists so tightly, she was about to burst with anger. She couldn't believe that Amara had the nerve to stand up to her today, and even more so that others were backing Amara up.

What stung the most was that Finnian wasn't taking her side. He wasn't outright supporting Amara, but he wasn't defending Celeste either, leaving her feeling utterly baffled.

Seeing Celeste like this, Martin and Andrea were caught between anger, helplessness, and embarrassment.

"Don't be upset, Ama," Martin finally

said before musing it over momentarily. "Celeste has been really out of line. Who would've thought she'd be impolite at her age? She really needs a wake-up caff."

"Yeah, she's been acting up. We'll make sure to set her straight when we get home. Please, don't take her words to heart," Andrea added.

Amara nodded, leaving it unclear if she truly believed them or not, but she seemed willing to drop the matter for now, giving Martin and Andrea a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, Peter and Bess had been watching the whole scene unfold like it was their favorite drama fo them, watching the two families bicker was pure entertainment, the more heated, the better.