Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

Chapter 139

Whitney’s breath hitched as the man’s brooding exhalation traveled across the phone line. He didn’t hung up which meant he’d give her a few seconds to explain

“Listen, this is the last time I went to see him Whitney rushed to explain. “I needed to retrieve a family heirloom from him, something of my grandpa’s. Then I have to track down my uncle. He’s all the family I have left. And I’ve got it now, so can you please not get all jealous?”

The man on the other end paused, his voice still frosty. “Looking for family? Fine, I’ll forgive you. Now get yourself home!

“I’m on my way,” she muttered, driving with a mixture of irritation and resignation. “You’re being paranoid. Everyone has some secrets, and you’ve already dug into mine. But you…”

Whitney trailed off, her thoughts suddenly snagging on something Elaine had said before leaving–something utterly baffling

She’d hinted that ‘L‘ was harboring a secret about someone who had once saved his life.

Whitney pursed her lips, blurting out without thinking, “And speaking of the past, what about you? Do you harbor someone in your heart?”

Silence came from the other end of the line.

Then the flight attendant’s announcement filtered through.

Felix reminded him that it was time to board his plane.

His response to Whitney was clipped. “Enough talk. I’m off on a business trip. While I’m gone, stay out of

trouble.”

And with that, he hung up.

Whitney stared at her phone, her delicate brows knitting together. Did he react to her question, or was he hiding something?

Could there really be such a saviour in his life? Or maybe Elaine was just stirring the pot? Whitney let out a sigh, realizing there was no point in clinging to his past.

Resolved, she pressed down harder on the gas pedal, her spirits lifting as she drove.

Back at the villa, Whitney pulled out the small, well–worn contact book from her bag, cradling it like a precious relic. She stroked its cover, her eyes welling up with tears.

was like seeing her grandpa and

for middle school. By the time she returned, a

was just 13 when she found that all of her grandpa and mother’s belongings had disappeared. She’d secretly been searching for her grandpa’s personal assistant, Torin, but to no avail. But it was Simon who had found her grandpa’s

reputation that preceded him and extensive properties. Not adept

and slowly opened

in her grandpa’s handwriting. Her eyes

book was thin, with several pages clearly

had ripped them out or if

1/4

look for

name “Keegan“. Below it was a sequence

remembered playing letter puzzles with her grandpa as a child, and quickly decoded the letters into

numbers came to life on the

page.

grandpa hidden it? Was

dialed

the call connected, and a voice spoke through the veil

was her uncle’s voice!

and she nodded vigorously, “Uncle Keegan,

was laced with joy and sorrow, almost quivering. “Whitney, you finally called. Do you

had been waiting

dad told me to go into hiding abroad. He said when you grew up, if you could find this number, it would mean

hit Whitney’s brain.

behind her grandpa and mother’s deaths? Were they killed by the Valentine family?

are you coming back?”

and grandpa’s anniversary,” her uncle replied with a mix of excitement and a hint of a cold laugh. “Ten

nothing of the past. “Uncle, what happened to you? Is it related to the

idea what I’ve been through these years. But now that I’ve found you, I’ll explain everything to you when I return. Wait

yet filled with anticipation, Whitney ended the call, still unsure of

she had finally connected with her

number to her phone, Whitney continued to flip through the contact book. Her grandpa had recorded

end, one name kept cropping up: