Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

Chapter 322

Bryce blurted out, "Jaxon has escaped."

"What?" Whitney stood up abruptly, causing every executive in the room to turn their gaze towards her.

Whitney's face went through a quick succession of changes, making it clear the meeting couldn't proceed. She gestured dismissively, effectively adjourning the meeting, and headed straight back to her office. "How could we let him escape? The bodyguards..." "He took off when the guards were switching shifts. It's my oversight; I only assigned two of them to watch him. I thought, given his severe lung injury, and considering he was under investigation for manslaughter, he wouldn't run!" "...," Whitney was taken aback.

She squinted her eyes in thought, piecing it together-Jaxon saw her as a lifeline, a way to get out of the Bartels family's clutches only to ditch her when he saw fit!

She had overlooked something crucial: If Jaxon testified against the Bartels family and admitted his guilt, securing her uncle's release from prison, he'd still face a harsh sentence or even life imprisonment. People can be so cunning and treacherous. Jaxon wanted to escape scot-free, to save his own skin.

Damn it!

Fury and frustration swirled in her mind as she thought about her uncle still languishing in jail. Without Jaxon coming forward, her uncle's chance for a retrial was slim to none.

He would face the death penalty, while the Bartels family continued to roam free...

Whitney's eyes reddened with emotion, "Bryce, we have to find him, no matter what!"

"I'll have people search the city discreetly right away."

Whitney nodded, her brow furrowed in worry, "Now that he's out, he's a wanted man. With his ID, there's no way he could leave the country, unless he plans to blackmail the Bartels family..."

"If that fool tries to approach the Bartels, it's as good as signing his own death warrant. They'll make sure he doesn't see the courtroom!"

"My fear is that he's not thinking straight, trying to extort both of us for a quick payout. Playing both sides to escape justice."

Whitney spoke coldly, enveloped in anxiety. She felt powerless as she dashed out, "I'm on my way now. Let's try to pick up his trail. I hope he tries to blackmail me first within these three days..."

-

It was 8 PM by the time Whitney dragged her exhausted body back to her apartment.

kick off her shoes, the nanny

upon seeing Whitney, the nanny's expression shifted, becoming evasive, "Ms.

Whitney glanced towards

her son's usual playful figure

turning to

he..." the nanny blocked

sensed something was wrong from her tone. She searched the master bedroom and the

isn't

Ms. Valentine... Sammy

told me he was going out to a bridal boutique

not the first time he's done something like this, he always came back early on

he'd be back before you got

been no word from Sammy, and he's not answering his smartwatch. I was afraid of your reaction..." Whitney's face turned

PM, and her three-and-a-half-year-old son

bedroom to check her

Had he been sneaking out

could

quickly turned to the nanny, "Split up and look for him. He might have

that Ludwik saw him sneak out and took

speculated, unaware of the nanny's hesitant

by Bryce to help Whitney care for her

to strictly prevent Sammy from going out alone if he

Lutz's reasoning but chose to

-

and made countless calls to his smartwatch, all to no

local police station, she overheard officers discussing, "This afternoon, a child abduction case occurred at a bridal boutique in the suburbs. We've redirected all available police resources there..." Whitney froze, remembering the nanny's

could it

visit a bridal boutique, she hailed a cab and rushed to the

Mr. Lippert have staged the abduction to make you give up on Sammy, to drive you to

her way. If that were the case, and Sammy