On his way, Finnian couldn''t shake off thoughts about Amara''s male friend in showbiz. He mentally ran through all the male actors he had met in their group, but none seemed to match the description.


    While waiting at a red light, he opened the photo Will had sent him, scrutinizing the man''s figure again, trying to remember if he''d seen someone simr.


    But suddenly, he realized how silly he was acting. Why was he even bothered? It was not like he cared about Amara enough to dig into this.


    Finnian let out a wry smile to himself as he put away his phone.


    Later that night, just as Amara was about to drift off to sleep, she received a call from Larry. Staring at the name "Dad" on her screen, it felt oddly foreign. How long had it been since she''d called him that?


    She lowered her eyes and pressed the answer button. "It''s prettyte. What''s up?"


    "Ama," Larry''s voice came through, stern andmanding. "Next Monday is my birthday. Make sure you bring Finn over for dinner."


    Amara''s brows knitted together. She wanted to say she''de alone, but there was no point in starting a fight with Larry over the phone.


    After all, what could Larry do if she showed up alone? He wouldn''t exactly drag Finnian back with her, so she simply responded with a cool, "Alright."


    Typically, Larry would hang up right then and there, but this time he surprised her by saying a few more words before ending the call.


    Amara sat on her bed, reying what Larry uttered in her head, feeling unsettled. She couldn''t believe Larry was going to go through with it that quickly. Regardless, she realized she needed Finnian to apany her.


    Minutester, shey down but barely slept a wink that night. The next morning, around seven, Amara guessed Finnian might be awake and gave him a call.


    "Hey, Mr. Everly, do you have a moment this morning? I''d like to talk."


    Finnian, just stepping out of his home gym, replied as he headed to the bathroom, "Sure,e by around nine-thirty."


    Amara hung up, pondering her approach. Deciding to go the extra mile, she whipped up some pastries in the kitchen before hailing acab to the Everly Group.


    Having been married to Finnian for three years and frequently dropping off meals at the office, she was


    familiar with the routine. She


    breezed into the CEO''s office, s


    the box of pastries on the table and said, "Mr. Everly, I made some e treats. If you don''t mind, give them a try."


    Finnian nced at her, a bit ufortable by her formal tone. Was she always this distant before?


    "Yeah, they''re good."


    Finnian took a bite of a cookie and


    savored


    it slowly. After finishing, he wiped his hands with a napkin and asked, "What do you need?"


    "My dad''s birthday is next Monday. Can youe with me to the party?"


    Finnian hadn''t expected that request, but he nodded. "Sure."


    Amara had joined him for a family gatheringst time, and it seemed only fair to return the favor, so Finnian agreed pleasantly.


    Yet, Amara seemed uneasy, adding, "I have an extra request. Could you, maybe, act like we''re closer?" Finnian looked up, his eyes meeting hers, inscrutable.


    "I don''t mean anything by it," Amara quickly rified. "It''s just a show. I simply want to maintain a good image in front of him."