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Chapter 21
Hogan couldn’t believe Amara dared to talk back to him, jumping up in anger. “Why are you being so aggressive? Didn’t anyone teach you manners?”
Amara laughed, a mix of amusement and exasperation. “Oh, I’ve got manners. But you? Seems like nobody taught you how to behave. You’re in your twenties and can’t even speak decently. I wonder how you were
raised.”
Her words aimed at both Peter and Bess, but strangely, they seemed not daring fight back even though irritated. Was it because Finnian was standing nearby?
Hogan sensed it too and spat out, “Amara, you’re acting all high and mighty because Finnian’s got your back, huh? Let me tell you, you’re no match for Finnian’s ex, Liliana! From head to toe, you’re out of your league! One day, Finnian will dump you and bring Liliana back to be my sister–in–law!”
Turned out, Hogan was a big fan of Liliana. Amara didn’t know before, but now she did. Not that it helped. Finnian must hold the same idea, she assumed. If she argued back, she might embarrass Finnian, and that was risky territory.
But then, Finnian shot Hogan a cold glare, his eyes dark and brooding.
“Amara’s right. You lack manners. How did you turn out like this?”
Except him, the Everly grandchildren were a disappointment, and Finnian felt it was a disgrace to the family
name.
Hogan didn’t like that. He exclaimed, “Finnian, why are you siding with an outsider?”
He was clearly referring to Amara, who responded with a sharp look, the words making Finnian frown.
As Finnian seemed about to speak, Amara jumped in, “An outsider? You mean anyone marrying into the Everly family is an outsider? Imagine how hurt Bess must feel.”
As she spoke, she cast a sympathetic glance at Bess, whose face turned sour.
Hogan panicked as he explained, “I didn’t mean it like that! My mom’s different. Mom, don’t get upset.”
“Enough.”
Finnian’s voice cut through the tension, his expression icy. His mood had evidently darkened, chilling the room. Hogan fell silent immediately.
Finnian’s gaze was piercing as he uttered in a deep voice, “Get out. Come back when you know how to speak properly.”
Hogan froze, anger and humiliation rushing through him. All these insults were Amara’s doing, and he burned with the urge to lash out at her.
But today, for some reason, Finnian seemed bewitched, siding with Amara, the outsider. Unable to defy Finnian, Hogan stomped out, sulking.
Once Hogan was gone, the party resumed, and Amara let out a discreet sigh of relief. It was her first time standing up to an Everly, and though she appeared calm, she’d been nervous inside. Thankfully, it was over.
Finnian sipped a glass of red wine, taking sidelong glances at Amara. He’d always thought of her as gentle, but when someone gave her a hard time, she returned with a fiery defense, which surprised him.
In the past, when Will talked about Amara, Finnian pictured her as quiet and easily bullied. Frankly, he didn’t respect those types of people even though they couldn’t be much of a threat to the society. If someone couldn’t defend themselves, how could they accomplish anything?
But Amara, while quiet, was unafraid to speak up when pushed. She knew when to push back and when to hold back, a rare quality he admired.
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He found himself studying her again, watching her ey es. Those slightly upturned eyes were captivating, drawing him in.
“I just saved you back there. Aren’t you going to thank me?”
As if possessed, Finnian made the remark, his gaze never leaving Amara’s eyes, a testament of him unwilling to miss out any change of her emotion.
Amara often wore a mask, hiding her expressions, so her eyes were the only window to her emotions.
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