Liliana froze, that single sentence leaving her rooted to the spot. Sensing the awkwardness, a crew member-someone who''d been fawning over Liliana ever since her rtionship with Finnian went public-stepped forward to smooth things


    over.


    "I remember Keith did a kissing scene before, didn''t he? Must''ve been back when he first started out. He didn''t seem to care much about that sort of thing at the time. Now that he''s a big star, I guess he''s more particres with the territory, right?" The woman let out a nervousugh.


    Her words offered Liliana a lifeline, and she quietly let out a breath she hadn''t realized she''d been holding.


    But Keith clearly had no intention of letting the matter drop. With a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth, he shot back, "That''s not it. I just don''t mind it with others. With her, I do."


    The silence that followed was deafening.


    If the earlier exchange had been a subtle game of chess, this was Keith upending the board in front of everyone. His wordsnded like a p across Liliana''s face.


    No matter howposed she tried to appear, Liliana''s hands balled into fists at her sides. She couldn''t get a single word out, her face paling with anger and humiliation.


    In an industry as cutthroat as this, few people were ever so openly ruthless. Most yed it safe-after all, today''s golden child could be tomorrow''s nobody, and vice versa. You learned to leave people a little dignity, in case you had to work together again down the line.


    But Keith''s words left Liliana not a shred of dignity. Was he really trying to burn this bridge for good?<fn6ab4> For more chapters visit find~novel</fn6ab4>


    As the room grew tense, Amara finally spoke up. She shot Keith a cool nce and said, "Enough. Let''s get this scene over with. Everyone''s ready to go home."


    Keith''s attitude shifted in an instant. "Of course, Ama. Whatever you say."


    The difference in his tone when he spoke to Amara was so stark it only made Liliana feel worse.


    Eventually, the scene wrapped. It was a little after midnight when Finnian arrived to pick Liliana up.


    He parked outside the studio and nced toward the entrance, as if searching for someone but the ce was deserted. He quickly masked any sign of curiosity and looked away.


    Liliana noticed Finnian''s fleeting nce. Who had he been looking for?


    She bit her lip, hiding her unease, and forced a smile. "Finn, something happened on set today. We were supposed to film a kissing scene, but Keith insisted on using a camera it he kept ncing at Amara."  s


    trick instead And when met


    "He didn''t spell it out, but it''s pretty obvious-he likes her. I think everyone can see it."


    Finnian paused, his expression as unreadable as ever, offering noment. Sensing she''d said enough, Liliana deftly steered the conversation elsewhere, though she was certain her words would linger in Finnian''s mind.


    The rest of the drive was silent. Finnian delivered Liliana home without saying a word. He''d always been the quiet type, but tonight, there was a heaviness about him that was hard to ignore.  s


    After dropping her off, Finnian circled back. But instead of heading home, he abruptly turned onto a different street, this one leading to the Everly family''s old estate.


    As he drove, Finnian mulled over Liliana''s story, his face growing colder.


    Keith came from the West family, one of the most prominent in Wye. They didn''t quite have the power or legacy of the Everlys, but they were certainly a step above the Sullivans.


    As the eldest son, Keith had been born with every advantage. Yet, instead of following the family into business, insisted on bing.


    an actor-a decision that had led to years of conflict at home, or so the story went.  s