16:19 

Chapter 14 

Finnian had just finished his soup when he walked over and asked, “Hey, what’s up with you?” 

Amara shook her head. “I’m fine.” 

She spoke without meeting Finnlan’s eyes, and then she worriedly headed upstairs. 

Watching her retreating figure, Finnian furrowed his brows. What’s going on with her? She’d been distracted ever since earlier. 

Back in her room, Amara scrolled through her contacts and found Keith, someone she hadn’t been in touch with for ages. 

When she checked Keith’s Facebook, she noticed she was blocked. No wonder she hadn’t seen any updates from him in so long. Amara couldn’t help but laugh wryly at the situation. 

Later that evening, Finnian was on his way back to the office for a late meeting when he received a call from Liliana. 

“Hey, Finn.” 

Liliana had this way of stretching out her words, adding a playful, almost flirtatious tone without overdoing it. 

“Do you know about the ‘Whispers of Winter‘ project? I really want to be in it. The director had initially picked me during auditions, but the scriptwriter vetoed it.” 

Finnian didn’t delve into the details, but since she wanted it, he simply said, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle this.” 

“Great. You’re the best.” 

After hanging up, Finnian instructed Will to get in touch with the “Whispers of Winter” production team and find a way to get Liliana a part. The name of the project seemed oddly familiar to him. Had he heard it somewhere -before, or was it just a figment of his imagination? 

The following days saw Amara moving to the Everly house, where she buried herself in her room rewriting scripts, rarely stepping out. 

Finnian was also busy with early starts and late returns, making it nearly impossible for them to cross paths, much to the dismay of Kevin. 

Finally, the first day of shooting arrived. Amara hailed a cab to the set, where Cedric greeted her with enthusiasm and pulled her along. 

“Come on, the actors for the lead roles are here. You have to see them.” 

Stella was an actress who had been in the business for a few years without much fanfare. Amara had met her once and wasn’t particularly impressed, but since Stella was cast as the character she had created, Amara was keen to give her a proper look. 

However, upon entering the set, she saw a striking woman with red lips, smiling at her and Cedric. Amara was taken aback. Wasn’t that Liliana? What was she doing here? 

“Ama, this is Liliana. She graduated from the Film Academy, modeled during college, and even did some acting abroad for a couple of years. She will be playing Isabella, and I’m sure she’ll bring the character to life.” 

“Cedric,” Amara interrupted, her face taut with tension. “Wasn’t it supposed to be Stella? Why did it change to Ms. Porter?” 

It wasn’t a question to be asked in front of others, but seeing Liliana’s smug demeanor and the gleam of triumph in her eyes made Amara’s anger bubble up. 

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Truth be told, when Cedric initially asked if Liliana was a good fit, Amara was hesitant. The thought of Liliana starring in her script was unsettling. 

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16:19 

Chapter 

However, her work ethic pushed her to thoroughly review Liliana’s acting clips, leading her to conclude that Liliana wasn’t suitable for Isabella’s role. Thus, she had vetoed Liliana’s casting primarily because the latter truly didn’t fit the part. 

But now, how had the lead role reverted to Liliana? 

“Oops, guess I forgot to mention…” Cedric smacked his forehead, saying, “The change happened a few days ago. Slipped my mind to tell you.” 

As Liliana listened to their conversation, her lips curled into a mocking smile, her attitude exuding superiority to the fullest. 

Amara was furious but struggled to maintain her composure. She uttered, “Cedric, I really don’t think Ms. Porter fits the role.” 

Liliana was gorgeous and a decent actress, certainly capable of playing a lead. But she had a sultry charm, occasionally softened with a touch of innocence. Isabella was pure in appearance yet inherently strong, a stark contrast to Liliana’s persona. 

Amara was usually timid, except when it came to her work, where she held her ground firmly. She considered it her only strength. 

“Ama, I know she’s not ideal, but there’s nothing we can do,” Cedric whispered, clearly troubled. “Some big shot invested specifically for Liliana. We can’t afford to offend the investor.” 

Investment? Amara’s head shot up, looking incredulously at Liliana. 

Just then, a cool voice echoed across the room. “I brought Liliana in. She wanted to do this project.”