"I''ll allow Finnian and Liliana to host the dinner at home, but your ban is lifted for that day only. After that, unless I give my permission, you are still not allowed to enter the family estate."


    "And that actress-the rule applies to her as well. She cane tomorrow for one day, and that''s only because of Finnian. I have no intention of making any exceptions for her, understood?"


    Emma hesitated for a second, then replied, "Yes, Father. I''ll go tell Finnian and Liliana right away. They''ll be so happy to hear this."


    She hadn''t expected Mr. Kevin Everly to grant only a single day''s reprieve from the ban.


    But it didn''t matter. As long as she could get through the dinner party, she could worry about what came afterter.


    If Mr. Kevin Everly could relent once, surely he could do so again. There was still plenty of time. Sooner orter, she would make him ept Liliana and eventually forgive her as well.


    "Thank you, Dad. I promise I''ll make this dinner a true spectacle, something all of Wye''s elite will remember as they witness Finnian''s wedding. And from now on, I''ll do my best not to disappoint you or make you angry."


    Emma expressed her gratitude sincerely, then-with the help of a servant-got out of bed and returned to her own apartment.


    As soon as she entered, her demeanor changed. She grabbed a set of ceramic teacups from the table and smashed them to pieces.


    "That wretched little brat actually saw me kneeling and groveling at the door today! I could just kill her!"


    She spat curses at Amara, then hurled a vase to the floor, finally starting to calm down.


    Opening her eyes, a cold, dark glint shed in them. "Amara, just wait. I will find a way to bring you down..."


    With the wedding day approaching, Finnian was still taking no interest in any of the preparations. He workedte into the night, spending his days at the office and his nights bringing work home, as if he''d given up on having any personal life at all.


    Of course, he wasn''t truly that busy-everyone could see that he was simply using work to avoid something.


    That night, as usual, he was workingte, with Dorian sitting nearby, drinking.


    Dorian had been staying with Finnian for several days now. As he put it, he couldn''t stand being in that empty house anymore.


    Everywhere he looked, there were reminders of Elysia''s presence. The moment he set foot inside, he was forced to confront the reality that she was gone.


    These days, Dorian hardly went to the office. Instead, he spent his time at Finnian''s, drinking away the hours.


    On the coffee table in front of him


    mailed him an identical copy pl


    every


    day and every day he tore it up with


    his own hands.


    The next day, another would arrive, as if she knew he would destroy it, and she wouldn''t stop until he signed.


    He reached for a bottle to take another drink, but Finnian grabbed it from him and tossed it into the trash.


    "Enough. Go deal with Jessica first. Whether or not you want to pursue Elysia in the future, you still need to end things properly with Jessica."


    Dorian wobbled to his feet. "Fine. I''ll deal with it. I''ll go take care of her right now."


    Finnian pushed him back down. "Don''t do anything stupid in the middle of the night. If you''re going out, wait until you''re sober."


    Dorian slumped back onto the floor, staring nkly ahead, lost in thought.


    Just then, someone knocked at the door. Finnian went to open it—it was Hogan.


    Hogan had brought a wedding gift. Although he didn''t approve of Finniam marrying Liliana, family was family. And knowing this might be Finian''s only wedding, Hogan felt he had to show up and do his part.