As soon as Finnian pulled Amara aside, Elysia found herself alone. She nced at the pir that was now blocking her view of them, standing still and silent, not giving Dorian and Jessica the slightest bit of attention.


    Jessica tiptoed over, speaking softly, "Elysia, Dorian, Mr. Everly, and I were out on some errands today. I didn''t expect to run into you guys. Are you and Ms. Sullivan here for dinner?"


    "I''m not your sister, so why do you keep calling me that?" Elysia shot her a frosty look, shifting a bit to the side, making it crystal clear she had zero interest in talking to Jessica.


    Jessica seemed a bit hurt but persisted, "Elysia, I''ve always wondered why you dislike me. Is it because I''m close with Dorian? You see, the two of us..."


    Her voice was so innocent it could melt butter, which only made Elysia''s blood boil.


    Just as she was about to lose her temper, Amara came over and wrapped an arm around Elysia''s shoulder, signaling her to keep her cool. She then turned to Jessica, "Whatever you and Dorian are, it''s your business. Elysia isn''t your parent and doesn''t care about your love life, so stop assuming she does."


    Ignoring Jessica''s pitiful expression, Amara whisked Elysia away.


    "Well done! You''ve really mastered the art of dealing with drama queens," Elysia praised with a thumbs-up once they were outside.


    Amara chuckled, "You have to, or they''ll walk all over you."


    She had always been able to say things like that, but after a terrible ident left her feeling insecure, she''d lost her voice for a while. Now, with her confidence back, she might not be the strongest, but she knew how to stand up for herself.  s


    After dropping Elysia off, Amara headed home, where she found a text from Finnian waiting for her: "Did you make it home?"


    It was a simple check-in, but Amara felt their rtionship wasn''t quite at the level for casual exchanges like that, so she deleted it.


    A bitter, Finnian messaged again: "If you''re not home yet, get back soon. I checked the weather, and it looks like it might snow."<fnddee> This text is hosted at f?ndnovel</fnddee>


    A big boss like him-actually, now chairman-checking the weather himself? Amara found that amusing but still didn''t reply, opting instead to delete the message and head for bed after freshening up.


    The next afternoon, Amara got a call from Lisa asking her toe over for dinner and spend some time with Mr. Kevin Everly. She heard that Hoga was still unconscious, and figured Mr. Everly must be worried sick, probably not eating or sleeping well, so she decided to go.  s


    When she arrived, Finnian was the one who opened the door. Amara hesitated for


    a moment, ncing at her watch. "It''s only a little past four. Mr. Everly''s off work early today."


    "I didn''t go to the office. We were at the hospital discussing Hogan''s treatment n," Finnian exined as he ushered her inside. "Grandpa''s still napping. Maybe give it a bit before you head up."


    Mr. Kevin Everly still asleep? That was unusual. He typically woke up from his afternoon nap around two or three. But with Hogan''s situation, his routine was probably all over the ce, so a longer nap wasn''t surprising. Amara nodded and decided to wait on the couch for a bit.  s