Hogan Everly had arrived with them and was now seated next to Finnian, deep in thought, his expression slightly off. Mr. Kevin Everly gave him a hearty slap on the back. “Finnian’s getting married and to the woman you always hoped he’d marry! Aren’t you happy? Why the long face?”

Startled by the slap, Hogan cried out, “Grandpa, that’s ancient history! I might have supported Liliana before, but later I hoped my brother would marry… well, you know who.” He trailed off, not wanting to mention Amara’s name in this setting, and let out a sigh.

Just then, Hogan’s mind drifted back to the events of the previous day. He kept turning things over, convinced there was one crucial detail he’d missed—something that would tie everything together and bring the truth to light. But what was it? No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

At that moment, Liliana finished having her makeup done, and Emma came by. “Finn, what took you so long?” she asked. “Liliana’s ready, and it’s almost time. You two should go greet the guests. After that, freshen up and start making the rounds for toasts.”

The main part of this small reception was greeting and toasting the guests—once the toasts began, so did the celebration.

Finnian offered no response, but stood up and followed Emma out.

With Finnian and Liliana off receiving guests, Hogan stayed behind for a bit, as he’d be following Finnian during the toasts to help out with wine bottles and anything else needed.

Mr. Kevin Everly excused himself to the restroom, leaving Hogan alone in the room to stew over yesterday’s events.

Suddenly, a house staff member entered with a bright smile. “Mr. Hogan Everly- guess who’s back!”

Who could that be? Hogan looked up in confusion toward the doorway. There, a woman in an elegant cocktail dress stepped in. Her

expression was chilly, er en net

Somber it was none other the

than

Celeste Everly, whom he hadn’t seen in quite some time.

Hogan sprang to his feet. “Celeste-why are you back?”

Celeste had grown up with the family, and she and Hogan had once been as close as siblings, sharing everything. But not long ago, Celeste had orchestrated a scheme to get him and Amara together. Afterward, shed apologized to Amara and left the country. They hadn’t heard from her since-so why was she suddenly home?

It had only been a short time, but Celeste’s delicate, princess-like features now looked more severe, almost bitter.

She sat down beside Hogan, poured herself a glass of water, and took a sip before speaking—her voice heavy with displeasure. “What’s wrong? Not happy to see me? Is that really the look you give me?”

“Oh, are you still mad at me for setting you up with Amara?” Celeste scoffed, her laugh cold and humorless. “That wasn’t even me. I took the blame for someone else -I was the fool!”

“And the real joke? After I took the fall, the actual culprit walked away unharmed and, on top of that, is about to climb the social ladder for better life. Meanwhile, I was shipped overseas to scrape by, and my parents wouldn’t ever let me come back. I had to sneak home on my own…”

The longer Celeste spoke, the more agitated she grew, her beautiful face twisting

with anger.