She was fuming. Aftering out of the restroom, she washed her hands at the sink, a headache already forming at the thought of returning to the private dining room to face Keith''s parents.


    "Why the long face? Are you upset?"


    A tall figure approached, his shadow cast onto the sink by the overhead lights. Amara froze for a second, then looked up at Finnian. "What are you doing here?"


    "I''m having dinner with Dorian," Finnian said.


    He gently lifted her chin, examining her face. "Why are you pouting?"


    Amara pulled away from his hand, annoyed. "I''m not upset, and I''m not pouting."


    She turned to leave, but Finnian blocked her path. "Nathan and Edith are not easy people to deal with. Nathan doesn''t say much, but he''s incredibly rigid and old- fashioned. He''s only fifty, but he''s more traditionalist than my grandfather."


    "And Edith is a domineering woman who can''t tolerate any imperfections. She tried to control Keith for years. He gave up a lot to escape her grasp and get into the entertainment industry, which finally gave him some temporary freedom."


    "But Edith won''t give up that easily. One day, she''ll drag Keith back under her thumb."


    "And if you marry Keith, Edith will see you as part of their family and try to control you too. Is that the kind of life you want?"


    "Amara, Keith really isn''t the right man for you. You should think about this carefully." After saying all this, Finnian looked down at Amara, his concern genuine.


    Amara thought to herself that Edith wasn''t just nning to drag Keith back one day —she was trying to do it right now, and she wanted to drag her along with him.


    But she certainly couldn''t tell Finnian that. She put on a stern face. "I''ll make my own judgment about Keith''s parents. I don''t need you to tell me."


    "My future is for me to decide."


    "Mr. Everly, I appreciate your good intentions, but you don''t need to persuade me."


    Finnian continued to watch her.


    Amara was indeed a smart and clear-headed person, but he feared she was caught up in the heat of her romance with Keith, idealizing certain things he truly didn''t want her to regret her decision one day


    Just as Finnian was about to speak again, a sharp voice cut through the air. "What are you two doing!"


    Amara turned to see Edith standing less than ten feet away, holding her phone. Her eyes, filled with rage, darted between Amara and Finnian.


    Amara''s heart sank. "Mrs. Winters, please let me exin—"


    "So you two, an ex-husband and ex-wife, are still in contact? And getting together to badmouth me?"


    Edith had no intention of listening to any exnations. "Amara, I thought you were a sweet, simple girl. I never would have guessed!"


    "The West family would never wee someone like you into our home. We wouldn''t want to hold you back. You should go find someone better!"


    Edith was a respectable woman and wouldn''t cause a scene in public She took a few steps forward, lowered her voice to deliver the harsh words, shot Amara a death re, and turned to leave.


    She mmed the door of the dining room open and walked in. Shoving her keys and other items from the table into her purse she announced, Let''s go. We''re re done with this


    dinner. That Ms. Sullivan has


    ambitions far too high for us to


    handle."