Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

Chapter 287

Within the oppressive walls of Banyan City Penitentiary, Bryce, accompanied by a lawyer, discreetly escorted Whitney inside.

The visiting room was steeped in a cold, unnerving silence. When Whitney laid eyes on her uncle, now a mere shadow of his former self-gaunt and pale as if life had been drained out of him-tears cascaded down her cheeks uncontrollably. "Uncle..." she choked out.

Keegan, equally overwhelmed, struggled to sit down with the aid of a cane. His eyes were rimmed red as he stammered, "Whitney, it's been three years... I feared Ludwik had sought his revenge on you, making your life a living hell." Indeed, Whitney's last three years were a tale too complex and painful for simple words.

Bryce, having bribed the guards for a momentary reprieve, returned and comforted Whitney with a gentle pat on the shoulder. "Let's focus on the matter at hand."

"Uncle, this is the lawyer I've hired. He's recording our conversation. There are no bugs here, so quickly, tell us everything about what happened a month ago. You're the only one who knows the truth."

"It was a setup!" Keegan slammed his hand on the table, his voice laced with urgency. "A month ago, my cellmate was suddenly thrown into solitary without explanation. Then, they brought in a new inmate, Lyle, a burly ex-truck driver. I kept my distance, fearing him... But that very night, he forced pills down my throat!"

Whitney clenched her fists.

Keegan continued, "I didn't know what those pills were, but after three days, I began feeling violent and delirious. Then, they accused me of starting a fight with Lyle, a segment of time I have no memory of. Later, Lyle coerced me into the bathroom where he gave me one final pill, and I blacked out. When I came to, I was holding a sharpened toothbrush, its end buried in Lyle's throat."

The room was heavy with a silence that bore the weight of injustice and despair.

"Drugs are the key," Kelvin, the lawyer, deduced grimly.

from her uncle, hoping to find traces of the drugs used against

bragged about his nephew being wealthy, working as a secretary for some high-profile lady and about how his family had settled abroad after receiving a fortune," Keegan recalled bitterly. "A clear case of hiring a

mapped out their next steps, including investigating Lyle's

heavy heart, offered words of encouragement and appreciation for her tireless efforts to exonerate her uncle and reclaim Skye Gem Ltd. "Thank you," Whitney expressed, her spirits lifted by the prospect of the company's relaunch. She extended an invitation to Bryce to join Skye Gem Ltd. as

embrace, her protests fading into muffled acquiescence under the fervent advances of a mysterious man. As the encounter escalated, Elaine's initial shock gave way to a smoldering intrigue, revealed

power, and revenge intertwined, setting the stage for a confrontation that would unravel the tightly wound secrets of Banyan City and its inhabitants, each maneuvering in a high-stakes game where the lines between ally and enemy blurred.

between us is ancient history. We went our separate ways. What are you doing

her, his tall frame blocking the view of the glasses on the table. His eyes narrowed slightly as he discreetly dropped a powder into one of the glasses. Elaine observed his silhouette and posture; he was indeed a top-tier catch back in New York, especially being the adopted son of Jason Lippert, a high-profile general. But compared to

fling with him was

fiancée now. We're getting

approached her with a teasing smile, grabbed her

Elaine's face flushed instantly.

he was married, so you turned

not doing so well. Can you really handle playing the

in for a

was abrupt, especially given he

and slid off his lap, "I love Ludwik. Everyone in our circle knows he's the only one

"But we can at least share a drink for old times' sake, right?" Elaine