Back when they used to eat together, Keith was always looking out for Amara like this, so no one found it surprising. Still, someone couldn''t resist making a yfulment or two.


    But this time, something was different-Finnian had started looking after Liliana as well.


    He wasn''t nearly as attentive to Liliana as Keith was to Amara, but it was still a marked improvement from before.


    Louis, the producer, clearly remembered hisst slip-up. Wary of offending either Liliana or Finnian again, he seized the chance to smooth things over: "Mr. Everly, you really dote on Ms. Porter, don''t you? You haven''t stopped looking after her since we sat down. Only you young people are that close these days."


    "If it were me and my wife-old married couple that we are-forget about looking after each other at the table. We''d be sitting as far apart as we could manage, just waiting for the meal to end."


    Everyone burst outughing and ran with Louis''sments. "Mr. Everly, you''re so good to Ms. Porter-it''s true love!" "When''s the wedding?" The table hummed with cheerful banter.


    Keith knew that while Amara kept her expression calm, she had to be feeling a bit ufortable inside.


    Under the table, he quietly took her hand and leaned in, whispering, "Don''t you dare get teary-eyed on me. If you cry in front of everyone, I''ll never let you live it down."


    Amara had only been a little downhearted, but his words made herugh out loud. She nudged him and said, "Will you listen to yourself? I''m a grown woman. Why would I cry at a dinner like this?"


    Seeing her smile, Keith finally rxed. He gave her nose a yful squeeze and said, "You used to be such a crybaby, you know. Remember how many times you got picked on and ended up in tears? I was always the one avenging you."


    "Oh, please! That was only because I was self-conscious about my scars and people bullied me. The scars are gone now, I''ve got my confidence back, and I don''t cry anymore."


    Keith and Amara kept a low profile After taking their seats, they didn''t raise their voices, choosing instead to talk quietly and share little moments just between themselves.


    But their connection was obviousfortable, natural, and so close-knit that anyone watching could sense it, even if they didn draw attention like Finnian did and no one went out of their way to tter them.


    Still, people couldn''t help but nce over, some with curiosity, others with envy, even if no one said anything outright.


    Finnian wasn''t blind. He noticed every subtle interaction between Keith and Amara.


    He kept his face impassive, but from the moment he''d sat down, it felt like he was being roasted alive. The difort was almost unbearable.<fn0d03> Content originallyes from find·novel</fn0d03>


    Watching Keith serve food onto Amara''s te, Finnian wanted nothing more than to storm over, snatch the serving fork away, and toss everything off her te.


    When he caught Keith''s hand moving under the table, obviously teasing Amara, he had to fight the urge to break Keith''s fingers.


    And when he saw Keith grin at Amara and pinch her nose, Finnian''s murderous thoughts nearly boiled over.


    Violent, jealous impulses surged inside him like a riptide, but he had no choice but to keep them hidden.


    Beneath the table, Finnian''s fist clenched so hard his knuckles cracked, though no one seemed to notice.


    Amara remained oblivious to the storm brewing nearby. She was always quiet at gatherings like this, eating in silence, listening to the conversation without joining


    in.


    She did have a good rtionship


    with Cedric, though. Noticing she hadn''t said a word, Cedric leaned over and struck up a conversation. "Ama, your next project is with Barry Frost, right?"