Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

"Actually, if Whitney would just hurry up and marry Bryce, my threat would be gone," Florence spat venomously, her eyes simmering with resentment. "That witch, if she's already given up on Ludwik, why keep him dangling?"

"If she knew Sammy's been found, she wouldn't be under my thumb anymore."

"I bet Ludwik won't tell her, he can't even face Whitney now. Did you forget, Whitney went public with her new relationship? With the two of them at each other's throats, communication's practically impossible."

Holly pondered, patting her daughter on the shoulder, "Calm down. Besides, isn't Sammy a bit of a lost cause? How would Ludwik just hand him back to Whitney?"

Florence considered this, her frustration slightly easing as she furrowed her brows, "I need to find a way to test Whitney."

Just then, Myra rushed in, her iPad alight with breaking news, "Ms. Sheldon. Whitney tracked down the paparazzi who was stalking her and traced it back to you. She's hit back with a news piece exposing your actions, mocking that if you can't keep your man, you should look at yourself rather than framing her."

"What?" Florence's face hardened, trouble following trouble. That witch Whitney.

"Show me that tablet!"

---

At noon, Ludwik stepped out of a meeting at Pearl Plaza, uncharacteristically flustered with mistakes made not once, but twice during the conference. Parker and Felix waited to catch him. "Ludwik, let's grab some lunch."

mood, his mind elsewhere, "Felix, I need

chimed in, "Looking for a shrink for Sammy? What's

he's been hypnotized," Ludwik's

come from the source. Ryan operated on

How do I explain this to Danny? How do I respond to his hopeful gaze?" Parker remained silent as they settled into a restaurant on the second

the subject, "This is actually what I wanted to ask you. You've found your son, but are you going to tell Whitney? Even though Sammy's situation is complicated, and he's refusing to come back, Whitney

grip on his cup

icy, "Why tell her? She's busy playing lovebirds! If Sammy was her priority, she wouldn't rush to marry another man! What about our child? Did

Parker got his answer.

he had promised to return a whole son to her. He feared Whitney's collapse upon seeing Sammy's condition, which was the real reason behind Ludwik's tough exterior. He couldn't bear to break

the mall below-a high-society lady making

life with grace and assertiveness, debunking the accusations of being a homewrecker

woman's aggressive behavior with a cool, commanding presence, drawing a line

as

push me?! You must

from yesterday, calling each other boyfriend

is just playing the field, keeping you around to sell her jewelry! Caught

ove