It proved, without a doubt, that she held a significant place in his heart.

But so what?

She might be important to him, but she wasn’t the only one who was important. That was exactly why Amara remained resolute in her rejection.

She got up, marched to the door, and spoke through the wood. “Mr. Everly, please leave. I don’t want to see you, and I am not opening this door.”

Finnian was nothing if not stubborn. “Amara, open the door. If you don’t, I’m not leaving.”

He knew he sounded like a total creep, but he desperately needed to see her. He just wanted to talk.

Amara bit her lip hard, cursing him under her breath.

She used to think Finnian was a cold, aloof, untouchable billionaire. How had he suddenly turned into such a shameless rogue?

Finnian kept knocking with methodical persistence. It wasn’t aggressively loud, and his voice wasn’t shouting, but the sheer unrelenting rhythm was bound to attract attention eventually.

Amara gripped the door handle, weighing her options. Did she open the door, let him in, hash it out, and then kick him out? Or did she just leave it locked and let him knock himself out in the hallway?

After a moment’s thought, she chose the latter.

She refused to see him. First, she was still furious that he had blocked her late-term abortion procedure. She had no desire to give him the time of day, let alone look at his face.

Second, she knew she couldn’t afford to keep engaging with him.

Her feelings for him hadn’t entirely vanished. And lately, he had been so good to her —always stepping in to help, offering money, bringing gifts.

If they kept seeing each other constantly, she couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t start developing feelings again.

So, to keep herself from falling back into the fiery pit that was Finnian Everly, it was best they didn’t see each other at all.

Amara retreated to the bed, lay down, and yanked the blanket up.

Her mood was entirely wrecked, and with Finnian refusing to leave the hallway, work was out of the question. She pulled the covers over her head, curled up and tried to sleep.

She had lain down in a state of pure frustration, fully expecting to just toss and turn. Surprisingly, after a few minutes, she drifted off into a restless slumber.

By the time she woke up, it was already noon. She got out of bed and peeked into

the hallway. Finnian was gone. She had no idea when he had finally given up.

She checked her phone, hoping to

see a message from Mr. Frost.

There was nothing from the director.

Instead, there was

a trending

notification. It was about herand

Finnian.

The hashtag was simple and direct: #Amara&Finnian#.

Amara froze, a bad feeling settling in her stomach. She tapped the notification.

Sure enough, the top post was from the gossip tabloids. The article detailed how Finnian was currently pursuing her, even showing up on set that very morning to woo her.

“Word on the street is that Mr. Everly was knocking on Amarise’s door desperate for a meeting, but she

refused to let him in. Looks like the

bulionaires chasing a heart of ice

ル

“We have to wonder what exactly Amarise finds so objectionable about Mr. Everly. Is there still a chance for these two?”

The article painted a vivid picture of Finnian’s devoted persistence and Amara’s cold rejection.

The comments section was flooded with netizens, the vast majority of them siding with Finnian.