With Mr. Kevin Everly fully retired and Finnian having long since surpassed him in both influence and ambition, he was now the undisputed king of Wye''s business world. In fact, no one would argue if you expanded that to include all of Zephyria. He was that powerful.


    But it wasn''t just his power. He was also devastatingly handsome and famously discreet. Unlike other tycoons with a rotating cast of women, Finnian had only ever been linked to two names: Amara and Liliana. Thisbination of power, looks, and integrity made him the ultimate prize, and the number of women who dreamed of marrying him was countless.


    So, when the news of his impending marriage broke, the entire city was in an uproar.


    Amara sat staring at her phone, scrolling through articles detailing the significance of Finnian''s marriage, a bitter taste in her mouth. Just a few days ago, they had shared something so intimate. It hadn''t been entirely her choice, but with the feelings she still harbored for him, she couldn''t deny that it had affected her deeply, leaving an indelible mark.


    And now, just dayster, he was marrying Liliana. Was this really happening?


    She sat by the window, motionless, as the afternoon faded into evening. Her phone buzzed with notifications from various high-society group chats, all exploding with discussions about the wedding. She found herself obsessively monitoring the news about Emma''s banquet, waiting to see if it would actually go ahead. If Finnian didn''t step in to stop it, it would mean he had consented to his mother''s actions. It would mean he was really marrying Liliana.


    Amara couldn''t quite name the feeling in her chest. It was a mixture of heart- shattering pain and a strange, hollow emptiness, as if something had finally been settled. And then, a sudden, rebellious impulse took hold of her. She wanted to get married too. If Finnian could do it, so could she.


    The thought startled her, but then she remembered Larry''s ultimatum. She had to find a husband soon anyway. A bitter, ironic smile touched her lips.


    ***


    Meanwhile, Finnian, though he had


    allowed Emma''s banquet to proceed, had not, as she had


    demanded, attended. Instead, h


    was at home, drinking himself into a stupor. He was slumped on the rug in front of his sofa, dressed in loungewear, his feet bare, pouring ss after ss of liquor. After downing one, he tossed the ss aside and began drinking straight from the bottle.


    "What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to kill yourself?"


    A sharp voice cut through the haze. Finnian looked up to see Dorian snatching the bottle from his hand, his face a mask of fury. Dorian had a key to his apartment, so his sudden appearance wasn''t surprising. Finnian just nced at him before reaching for another, unopened bottle.


    Dorian saw the seven or eight empty bottles already littering the floor. Seeing Finnian reach for more, he


    snatched the new bottle away, then


    gathered the rest of the unopened liquor and locked it away in the fridge. He came back and tapped Finnian''s cheek with his cool phone. "Wake up. Tell me what''s going on."


    v


    He had heard about Emma''s banquet and had gone, fully expecting Einnian to show up and shut it down. But half an hour into the event, Finnian was still a no show. Emma holding Lilian hand, had made the grand announcement and was now graciously epting


    affres


    congrattions from the guests.