Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

Chapter 653

Hugh felt as if Whitney's words had stripped him bare, exposing his true self. His teeth chattered, his volatile temper no longer containable as he sneered venomously, "You wretch, do you have any proof of your accusations? I've always held my brother in the highest esteem, how dare you slander me with just a few sentences?

A faked paternity test, that's all it is. Dad, don't believe her. You've seen her manipulations. She wants to see the Sheldon family fall apart, to destabilize the company!

As far as I know, she's never even come close to Florence. How could she possibly get her hands on Florence's hair for this test?"

Florence, tears streaming down her face, stood up, "Grandma, Grandpa, she never got my hair, yet she presents this test to smear my name. I demand my innocence be restored!"

Emma, who had always been fond of her, though doubtful, said softly, "Florence..."

Whitney, with a cold glare, scoffed, "I never got your hair? Think hard, Florence... We met two months ago.

I had everything prepared much earlier than you think."

Two months back? Florence's mind raced. Damn it, that was the only time she met Whitney, threatening her to marry Bryce Lutz.

That wretch, she had taken her hair then, without her noticing!

"As for the paternity test, that's easy to solve! The truth can't be faked, and since you deny the father-daughter relationship, why don't we just take your hair now and have Grandpa send it for a test, shall we?"

Whitney crossed her arms, her gaze challenging Hugh as if to say: Did you really think I'd invite Florence here for no reason?

Not just Florence, even Hugh went pale at that.

Jared, his emotions a whirlwind of fury teetering on the edge of collapse, demanded, "Hugh, I want you to tell me, to my face, that you have not had an affair with Holly, and that Florence is not your child. Otherwise, I'm taking hair from both of you right now to clear your brother's name!" Hugh panicked, "Dad..."

"Holly, you know the truth better than anyone. Tell me, whose daughter is Florence, Hudson's or Hugh's?"

Jared was livid, feeling played by this woman, seeing his family manipulated.

glared at Whitney, wishing her gaze could be lethal. Yet, her only

his hand slamming onto the table, exclaimed, "This is outrageous! Holly, you harlot, you've seduced my

by this witch, for

nothing of the sort! Mom, Dad, my brother's death was an accident, wasn't that

all this for the Sheldon

Cody burst in, pointing at Hugh with a stern voice, "I have

prove that Hugh and Holly are

the chairman was returning from the cemetery and he called me, intending to

prepared for his signature upon his return, he was

Hugh and Holly, having caught wind of this, cruelly sought to kill the chairman to secure the shares

so-called evidence? Ridiculous, basing your accusations on mere

you'll see after

gestured, and behind him, several former shareholders whom Hugh

so-called resolution of Hugh's shooting

brother, Hank Walker, to hire a hitman to

I've traced the connections!

if you need more concrete proof,

fired you and you confronted him, what did you

me, I went to his villa, hoping for justice, only to witness him and

overheard Holly saying, 'Florence is your daughter, we need to silence

knowing Mr. Rufus to be a man of

"Mr. Rufus, firing you was procedural. To think you'd fabricate

at death's door,

nothing but adulterers.

with the evidence, waiting for the right moment, I would've exposed your affair in

indignantly, then turned to

Holly's sake, murdered his own brother, an