Chapter 391

He hadn’t forgotten the last time he and Amara were in the kitchen, cooking together, when Emma suddenly burst in and unleashed a tirade on Amara.

Amara had been so humiliated and furious that day, and her anger had lit a fire in him as well. He swore to himself he’d never let her go through something like that again.

Emma, for her part, remembered the incident too. In her mind, she’d only said a few words to Amara, and that as a mother, she had every right. What infuriated her was that her own son had dared to snap back at her in front of that little tramp and half the household staff, even threatening her outright. The memory made her blood boil all over again.

But today wasn’t about lecturing Amara. Emma wasn’t in the mood for

unnecessary drama, and she forced herself to bite back the urge to lash out at her. Turning to Finnian, she said, “Come here. There’s something important I need you to take care of p>

Finnian didn’t budge. “What is it p>

Realizing she couldn’t even command her own son anymore only made Emma more exasperated.

Still, she reminded herself of her real purpose today and swallowed her irritation. “It’s important, just come with me. I’ll explain everything when we get there p>

Without waiting for his reply, Emma moved over and grabbed Finnian by the wrist, steering him toward the door.

Finnian’s brow furrowed in obvious reluctance he clearly had no interest in going anywhere with his mother.

But Emma was still his mother, and she hadn’t done anything yet except ask him to come along. With a resigned sigh, he decided not to refuse and followed her out.

Emma’s car was waiting at the curb. She ushered Finnian inside and instructed the driver to go. With a press of the gas pedal, they were off.

About fifteen minutes later, the car pulled up outside a restaurant. Emma and Finnian got out together, and as they walked toward the entrance, Emma said, “We’re almost there. When we go in, I want you to be on your best behavior-be warm, be polite, none of that cold attitude you usually have p>

Finnian had no idea what Emma was getting at, but he had a sinking feeling in his stomach and his frown deepened.

Still, they were already here. He might as well see what his mother was up to, so he followed her into a private dining room.

When the door opened, he

immediately spotted Liliana, Jenny, and Ethan sitting around a large

round table inside. All three were dressed in formal clothes and suddenly everything clicked.

He stopped in his tracks and said coldly, “Mother, what is this supposed to be p>

Emma had dragged him here just to have dinner with Liliana’s family? What on earth was she planning?

Jenny and Ethan

were both from

working-class backgrounds. Even though their fortunes had changed thanks to Billana, their sense of styre:

hadn’t quite caught up-they still

looked awkward in their fancy clothes.

Still, they’d managed to produce a beautiful daughter. Both had decent features,

even if their manners were a bit rough around the edges.

As soon as Emma and Finnian walked in, Jenny and Ethan jumped up from their

seats. “Finn! Mrs. Everly! You’re here, come sit down p>

Jenny strode over and reached for Emma’s arm.

Emma’s eyes flicked to Jenny’s

rough hand and the garish red lace

on her sleeve and a flicker of

distaste crossed her face. Still, she didn’t pull away, but Liliana noticed the whole exchange.

Liliana quickly stepped forward and gently freed her mother’s hand from Emma’s, smiling nervously. “Mrs. Everly, I’m so glad you could make it. Here, please have a seat p>

Then she glanced anxiously at Finnian. “Finn, did you come here with Mrs. Everly p>

Finnian didn’t answer. His face remained set in a hard line as he asked again, “What’s going on here p>