After Elysia told Amara about it, Amara didn''t react with her usual curiosity or eagerness to dissect thetest gossip. Instead, her eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you serious? Hogan, interested in me? What a joke!"


    She could hardly imagine it. Hogan made no secret of his disdain for her; she was pretty sure he spent more time plotting her demise than thinking anything remotely affectionate. The idea he might actually like her wasughable.


    Elysia, however, had a different take. "Come on, you''re gorgeous. It''s not impossible for Hogan to have a crush on you. But honestly, I''d sooner trust Finnian than him. You should steer clear."


    Amara didn''t need Elysia to tell her that she didn''t believe Hogan liked her, not for a second. What really piqued her curiosity was who started the rumor and what they hoped to achieve.


    That evening, Hogan texted and asked to meet at a coffee shop. Amara, still wondering what he was up to, decided to go.


    Just as she''d expected, the moment they sat down Hogan cut to the chase. "Have you heard the rumor going around about us?"<fnb740> For more chapters visit FindN()vel</fnb740>


    He was dressed casually in a zer, but heavy shadows ringed his eyes-he clearly hadn''t slept well. Was it the gossip that kept him up?


    Amara pulled her gaze away, her voice cool. "Yeah, I heard."


    She kept her expression calm, as if the whole thing barely interested her. Hogan studied her for a moment, something odd flickering across his face. "What do you think about it?"


    She''d run through this question in her mind a hundred times. "Whoever started it must have a reason. My guess? They want to stir up trouble, maybe drive a wedge somewhere. Hard to say the specifics."


    Amara soundedpletely collected, as if the idea of her having feelings for him was utterly irrelevant. For some reason, that bothered Hogan more than he cared to admit. He pressed, "So you think the rumor''s false?"


    Amara gave him a puzzled look. "What else would I think?"


    Hogan had always made it clear he couldn''t stand her. If he really


    believed she liked him, he''d probably be furious not asking weird. questions like this. She couldn''t


    understand his logic at all.


    Watching her confusion, Hogan felt that strange difort only grow. He pressed


    his lips together, saying nothing.


    "What''s going on here?"


    A cold voice cut through the tension. Both Amara and Hogan turned to see Finnian striding toward them, stopping at their table with a dark, glowering stare. Amara blinked, surprised to see him. "It''s nothing. Did you need something?"


    Finnian''s eyes held hers for a moment before sliding to Hogan. He didn''t answer, just kept looking.


    Finnian''s presence was


    overwhelming; his brooding silence made the air feel heavy. Hogan shivered involuntarily and blurted,


    "There''s been some bad gossip


    going around, and I wanted to talk to. Amara about how to handle it. That''s all."


    He''d finally figured it out-Finnian really did care about Amara. The way he reacted to seeing them together was nothing like how he treated other women.


    Finnian''s voice was low and firm. "I''ll look into it. You don''t need to worry about this. You can go."


    Hogan opened his mouth, but thought better of it. Finnian wasn''t the type to meddle in other people''s business, so if he said he''d handle it, it was only because he didn''t want Amara spending time with him. Hogan had nothing left to say, so he nodded. "Alright. I''ll go..."


    After Hogan left, only Amara and Finnian remained at the table. The silence felt awkward. As she started to stand, Finnian caught her wrist. "What exactly were you two talking about?"