Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

Chapter 479

Whitney's assistant suddenly clamped her hand over her mouth in shock, but Whitney seemed not to hear her. However, once Whitney got into her car and drove off, the vehicle quickly picked up speed, causing Sandy to worry immensely. Under the cover of night, Whitney's car pulled up in front of a bar.

"Whitney?"

"Yeah, I need a drink. You shouldn't drink; head on back," Whitney said, forcing a strained smile though she looked pale.

Sandy glanced at her own burn injury and shook her head, "It's okay, I'll drink less. I'll keep you company!"

Together, they walked into the dimly lit booth of the bar.

-

At the airport, Florence arrived at the VIP lounge and sneaked into the restroom to send Holly a text, "Mom, Ludwik is leaving Emperor City for at least two days. Whitney's vulnerable now, maybe tonight's the time to tell Uncle about it..." After sending the text, she methodically deleted the message, her eyes narrowing fiercely.

-

Soon, the outside sky was pitch black. The bar was alight with dazzling lights, and Whitney, after two cocktails, was still relatively sober. She leaned half over the table, the dim lighting hiding her tears which she shed unabashedly. Sandy remained silent for a while before finally asking, "Whitney, do you and Ludwik have some sort of private issue?"

Whitney forced a

I heard you crying in the restroom, and Ludwik wasn't at the banquet. Plus, today, seeing you upset over him pulling strings for Florence, I think there's something

froze over as she drank and confessed, "It's more than just issues, we

eyes widened in

after Ludwik's influence. So, you're back in the Sheldon family to compete for the inheritance of

do understand

conversation got cut off last time. Today, tell me more about how

lab stuff. She's very secretive, and no one in the Sheldon family

Danny had once

Florence has a few helpers behind the scenes, like Myra who seems to be a maid but does a lot for her, and a guy named Drew. She used to travel abroad often, supposedly for treatment, but who knows what she was really up to. Moreover, she's got everyone in the Sheldon family wrapped around her finger, like Uncle Hugh, who's especially fond of her. I've always thought her illness was a ruse to conceal her ambitions and gain sympathy, waiting for Uncle to hand over

she versed in medicine, or

center herself within the

but desires everything behind the scenes. Sienna may be known for her jealousy and tyranny, but she's nothing compared to Florence, who's more subtle and manipulative, winning over

enchanted by Florence, compromising his principles for her! Returning to her initial point,

the strong alcohol, staggering toward the restroom. Whitney, slow to react initially, remembered they were in a bar and followed,

kissed on the neck by a man! And that man was Shane! Shane, tall and imposing, pressed Sandy against the wall, lingering on her lips and neck with a dark

about Shane before, and Sandy had seemed unfamiliar with him. As an illegitimate daughter, it seemed unlikely she'd have connections with someone like Shane, a top-tier heir. What was going on? In Whitney's confused mind, a wave of anger began to rise. She realized something: Shane's pursuit might not have been about her at