Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

Chapter 465

"Yeah, he reached out to me too. The kid's got a way with words, should be fine."

Ludwik leaned on her car window, his towering presence offering an unspoken reassurance. "Are you going in, or should I? Grandma's inside; she went back to the Lippert place this afternoon and just got here." It wouldn't look good if they both went in together.

"I'll go in!"

Understanding her urgency to see her son, Ludwik stepped aside to let her through.

His gaze softened a fraction. "Call me if you need anything. I'll be right here."

As Whitney rushed in, she caught a glimpse of him lighting a cigarette, his watchful eyes following her sprint towards the mansion.

"Danny?!" Whitney burst in, calling out.

In the Sheldon family's living room, Camilla, the venerable matriarch, had just arrived and was inquiring about something.

Holly, with a plastered smile, appeared clueless. "A problem? The young master has been playing in the backyard. What trouble could he possibly find? Dear Mrs. Sheldon, perhaps a cup of tea first..." "Holly! The child got in touch with me; he said he fell into the pond!" Whitney bypassed the small talk and got straight to the point.

"Ludwik called me, said Danny fell into the water. Seems like it's true!" Camilla's expression turned grave.

A flicker of discomfort crossed Holly's face before she quickly replaced it with a smile, looking at Whitney. "And you are...? How does Danny know to contact you?"

Her question was clearly designed to stir doubt in the elderly lady.

Whitney, aware of Holly's game, retorted with a cold laugh, "Danny and I are close. And you're here worrying about formalities when he's in trouble at the Sheldon place?"

Camilla, catching Whitney's urgency, didn't dwell on the details. Her voice carried a hint of authority, "Mrs. Sheldon, have your staff check where Danny is on the Sheldon property, now!"

been tied up in the study with some

signaled the butler who came running, a look of panic on his face. "Madam, Danny is by the pond on the east

almost convincing. "The young master hasn't actually drowned,

a cold look and dashed towards the

by a servant, and Holly followed at a slower

side featured a large pond, a scenic highlight of the Sheldon's garden

trying to fish something out of the water with

"Danny!"

from atop a protruding artificial

the rock was dangerously sharp; a wrong move could

move, wait for them to get you," Whitney

one who

Molly, worthless as ever...

she deserved," Danny said with righteous indignation, peering down at the struggling girl in the water. "Did you find

A male servant heaved

me!" Molly's weak cries cut through the

What brought you to

from the pond, lying on the grass, Whitney quickly checked Danny for any signs of water ingestion and started CPR to expel any excess water.

from a severe case of water inhalation and a gashed forehead from the

did Molly arrive at the Sheldon property? Both children ended up in the water under your watch.

I thought she came to play with Danny, so I let them be in the backyard. As for the drowning, dear Mrs. Sheldon, you saw it yourself, I

before she turned to her son. "Danny,

red-eyed. "I was playing by myself when Molly stormed in, looking for trouble like she knew

pond initially. She started shoving me towards it.

when we started fighting, and she ended up