Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

Chapter 53

In the lavish estate of Valentine Manor, nestled atop the rolling hills of a prestigious neighborhood.

ngagement party preparations were a testament to opulence, with friends and family filling every seat.”

Yvonne and Monica had scrambled out of the award ceremony, bruised and battered, fleeing back to the sanctuary of the Valentine family. The sight of the romantic engagement feast ignited Monica’s fury, and she nearly crushed the invitation in her clenched fist.

The reporters she had invited had already watched the live broadcast of the ceremony, and they were now converging on Monica with pressing questions.

Preston descended the stairs from the second–floor conference room. Seeing his wife and daughter return, he asked excitedly. “Did you bring home the grand prize? Then let’s get the engagement party started! Where’s Simon? And Phebe, and the elders of the Perlman clan-”

Monica trembled violently, hiding behind Yvonne.

Yvonne saw the unusual excitement on Preston’s face. She knew how much he valued his reputation. With today’s engagement ruined, she dared not tell the truth. Glancing nervously at the gathered relatives and friends, she said hesitantly, “Honey, come here first. There’s something I need to discuss with you.”

“It’s not the time for discussions!” Preston’s face was flushed with anticipation, though a frown soon creased his brow. “T’ve waited all morning. Where are those investors who said they’d support Valentine Corp days ago? My daughter is about to marry into the Perlman family. They wouldn’t dare snub us! I’ll give them a push.”

“Darling!” Yvonne couldn’t let him make that call!

But Preston had already picked up the phone, his voice commanding as he dialed, “Mr. Wendt, Monica’s back with the grand prize. Why haven’t you come for the engagement ceremony?”

Silence met him from the other end of the line.

After a long pause, a mocking voice came through, “Preston, have you been offline? Your daughter had made such a fool of herself at the awards. You still expect us to invest? Haven’t you heard? Phebe had called off the engagement!”

“What?” Preston froze. He turned with a fierce glare at Yvonne.

“Darling, listen to me, it was all Whitney’s wrong.”

her aside, reaching for his smartphone to

headline screamed Monica’s plagiarism, her attempt to bribe Imperial Gem Corporation exposed by Mr. Lippert, her broken engagement with the Perlman family, and Preston’s failure to raise his daughter–scandal upon scandal

veins throbbed with anger, humiliation engulfing

Yvonne shrieked as Preston dragged her

temper and his obsession with fame. Her mother had just kept the truth from him, and

tarnished reputation, the humiliation from the investors, and feeling played for a fool by his wife and daughter,

and you thought you could conceal it from me? I was waiting for those investors, fool! Do you know how much I’ve borrowed from the banks these days? Now look, Monica’s engagement is off. You can’t even raise a daughter right. If

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Yvonne had been brewing. She had repeatedly

straw, and he vented all his anger on

how can you talk to mom like this? She’s given everything for the Valentine family. Why didn’t you find us useless when we made you proud? How can you be so heartless,

what you’ve done?” Preston swung

hypocritical!” Yvonne had wanted to, but her wild youth had taken its toll. She couldn’t

up!” Preston roared in

then did he realize his family scandal was

late to realize

sofa. His phone rang, “Sir, Valentine Corp’s stocks are dropping. Monica’s scandal can’t be contained,

stone, he stormed out, “Look at the mess you two made.

each other and sobbed, each with

left them stripped and broken by Whitney, with little

help that wretch Whitney?” Monica couldn’t fathom, “He’s rumored to be the influential third son of the Lippert family! How could Whitney possibly

was just

She opened her phone only to find her social media accounts

campaign to buy Monica a prison jumpsuit,

had joined the

nearly fainted with

as she scrolled through the