She was practically glowing with triumph, one hand on her hip. "If you want to stop me, you''d better do a thorough job of it. Lock me up. Freeze my ounts. Cut off my money. Or better yet, just kill me!"


    "Because I''m telling you, unless you go to those extremes, I will find a way to get to Amara! Even if you send me abroad... hell, even if you ship me off to Antarctica, it won''t work!"


    "In this day and age, with modern technology, do you have any idea how easy it is to pull strings from overseas? So, consider your options. Lock me up, kill me, or marry Liliana!"


    "If you can''t bring yourself to do any of those, then you can start preparing to collect that little bitch''s body!"


    Finnian''s handsome features were contorted into a mask of pure fury. His hands were clenched so tightly that his knuckles cracked, a testament to the rage boiling within him. Emma watched him, not with a mother''s concern, but with a deep, twisted sense of satisfaction.


    When Finnian was a boy, he had been mostly obedient, respectful. But as he grew older, he had developed a will of his own, bing more and more defiant, treating her with anything but the reverence a mother deserved. It drove her mad. At the same time, having such an exceptional son filled her with an immense, perverse pride. Her feelings for him had always been a tangled mess of contradictions.


    Now, Amara''s face shed in her mind, and her eyes hardened. That little tramp was far too beautiful. A dark suspicion had always lingered in the back of her mind: her hatred for Amara wasn''t just because of the girl''s insolence. It was because of the way Andrew, that old lecher, looked at her.


    That little bitch had somehow managed to captivate the two most important men in her life with nothing but her pretty face. How could she not be furious? No, her anger was justified. Her desire to punish Amara waspletely warranted.


    With that thought, she felt even more righteous, her eyes shining with a chilling, predatory certainty.


    With a roar of frustration, Finnian shoved a nearby shelving unit. It crashed to the floor, the decorative objects on it shattering into a thousand pieces.


    Emma flinched, her eyes widening in disbelief. "You defiant brat! How dare you destroy my things?"


    Finnian was not known for his patience, but this was the first time in years he had resorted to such violence. He shot Emma onest look, his eyes filled with a burning hatred, then turned and mmed the door behind him the sound echoing through the apartment.


    Emma was fivid. How dare he give her that look? But then she remembered that through her entire tirade he hadn''t offered a single rebuttal He had listened. That..


    meant her words had hit their mark.


    All she had to do now was wait. He would agree to marry Liliana. And if, by some miracle, he didn''t... then she would officially begin her campaign against Amara.


    ***


    The next few days were rtively


    peaceful for Amara. But that evening, a piece of news sent shockwaves through her quiet Emma was hosting a grand banquet at a five star hotel in the city center to make a major announcement to all of Wye''s elite: the marriage of her eldest son, Finnian, to the famous actress, Liliana.


    The news detonated in Wye''s high society circles. Finnian''s status was, without question, paramount.