"Apologize?"


    Amara looked genuinely surprised.


    Nora clutched the strap of her crossbody bag. With her head down and eyes on her shoes, she spoke in a nervous, uneasy voice. "There''s something I want to confess to you. Actually, I hurt you once in the past. Do you remember that day on the set of ''Whispers of Winter,'' when we were filming on location and you fell into the river?"


    Amara nodded silently, prompting Nora to go on.


    "Back then, you were still wearing your mask. You stood by the river, exining the scene to Liliana and Keith. When I walked over, I ''identally'' bumped into you. We both ended up falling in, and your mask came off, exposing your face to everyone..."


    Nora lifted her head slightly, guilt in in her eyes. "I knocked into you on purpose that day. Honestly, I wanted your mask toe off so everyone would see what you looked like after—well, after what happened to your face..."


    "Even though the way things turned out, everyone ended up being stunned by your beauty, the truth is what I did was wrong. I''ve always wanted to apologize to you for that..."


    The remorse in Nora''s eyes was unmistakable-there was nothing false about it.


    Amara was taken aback. “Why are you apologizing now? You don''t have to say any of this. I know Liliana put you up to it."


    Nora nodded. "Yes, it was Liliana who told me to do it. At first, I didn''t want to. I thought it was just too cruel. But Liliana threatened me..."


    "But still, no matter the reason, I went through with it. There''s no excuse. I really wanted to tell you I''m sorry, otherwise my conscience would have never let me forget it."


    Nora''s apology was sincere it was obvious she truly regretted it.


    Amara was quiet for a moment, then said, "I ept your apology. Let''s put that behind us. You don''t need to feel guilty about it any longer."


    Nora''s eyes lightened with relief and gratitude. "I knew you''d forgive me, Ms. Sullivan! I''ve always thought you were such a good person. You''re not just beautiful you''re so kind, too. If anyone fits the phrase ''beautiful inside and out,'' it''s definitely you!"


    Nora might have been a quiet, straightforward girl, but once she got to know someone, she became surprisingly chatty-especially when it came to givingpliments.


    She honestly felt that most people in the world were good at heart, and praising others was something she enjoyed.


    Amara couldn''t help but smile; Nora really was a delightful character.


    She asked, “I noticed you called Liliana by her full name just now. Did the two of you have a falling out? And what happened to your face?”


    “I''m just curious, of course. If it''s too personal, you don''t have to answer," Amara quickly added.


    Nora reflexively touched the two nearly two-inch scratches on her cheek, her smile faint. "Yeah-we did have a falling out. Liliana did this to me."


    “She almost attacked me—we nearly came to blows. To be honest, she tried to hit me, but I managed to get away just in time. Her nails are ''so long, though i still ended up with a Couple of scratches."


    Amara''s eyes widened in surprise. "... You two actually got into a fight?"


    "Pretty much. She''s already fired me,” Nora said with a shrug. “Now I have nothing


    to do with her anymore."


    As she said this, Nora felt both relieved and a little sad.


    The relief came from no longer


    having to do Liliana''s dirty work-her conscience was finally clear. The sadnessy in the fact that, while working as an A-list celebrity''s assistant wasn''t the most lucrative job, it certainly paid decently-and she wasn''t sure how soon she''d be able to find something simr.


    Amara asked, “So what happened how did you get fired? Were you just looking at job listings just now?"


    Nora nced at Amara. The real reason she was fired was somewhat rted to Amara herself, but it felt awkward to say directly. She kept quiet, preparing to make up another exnation.