Under the Veil I Rule (Amara) novel Chapter 370

Liliana froze, that single sentence leaving her rooted to the spot. Sensing the awkwardness, a crew member—someone who’d been fawning over Liliana ever since her relationship with Finnian went public—stepped forward to smooth things over.

“I remember Keith did a kissing scene before, didn’t he? Must’ve been back when he first started out. He didn’t seem to care much about that sort of thing at the time. Now that he’s a big star, I guess he’s more particular—comes with the territory, right?” The woman let out a nervous laugh.

Her words offered Liliana a lifeline, and she quietly let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

But Keith clearly had no intention of letting the matter drop. With a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth, he shot back, “That’s not it. I just don’t mind it with others. With her, I do.”

The silence that followed was deafening.

If the earlier exchange had been a subtle game of chess, this was Keith upending the board in front of everyone. His words landed like a slap across Liliana’s face.

No matter how composed she tried to appear, Liliana’s hands balled into fists at her sides. She couldn’t get a single word out, her face paling with anger and humiliation.

In an industry as cutthroat as this, few people were ever so openly ruthless. Most played it safe—after all, today’s golden child could be tomorrow’s nobody, and vice versa. You learned to leave people a little dignity, in case you had to work together again down the line.

But Keith’s words left Liliana not a shred of dignity. Was he really trying to burn this bridge for good?

As the room grew tense, Amara finally spoke up. She shot Keith a cool glance and said, “Enough. Let’s get this scene over with. Everyone’s ready to go home.”

Keith’s attitude shifted in an instant. “Of course, Ama. Whatever you say.”

The difference in his tone when he spoke to Amara was so stark it only made Liliana feel worse.

The rest of the drive was silent. Finnian delivered Liliana home without saying a word. He’d always been the quiet type, but tonight, there was a heaviness about him that was hard to ignore.

After dropping her off, Finnian circled back. But instead of heading home, he abruptly turned onto a different street, this one leading to the Everly family’s old estate.

As he drove, Finnian mulled over Liliana’s story, his face growing colder.

Keith came from the West family, one of the most prominent in Wye. They didn’t quite have the power or legacy of the Everlys, but they were certainly a step above the Sullivans.

As the eldest son, Keith had been born with every advantage. Yet, instead of following the family into business, he’d insisted on becoming an actor—a decision that had led to years of conflict at home, or so the story went.