Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

That little bit of sweetness seemed to give him the courage he needed to finally open that locked drawer. Hudson Sheldon lowered his head, unlocked it, and with all the strength he could muster, carefully took out the photograph he'd cherished for years. "Whitney, look, this is a picture of your mom and me from back when we were classmates."

It wasn't just the two of them in the photo, though.

It was a group graduation photo, with several students standing in a row.

The young Hudson was indeed dashing, handsome in a boyish way, standing at the far left with an air of youthful innocence.

Whitney Valentine scanned the faces until she found her mother. Her beauty was undeniable, with her delicate features and almond-shaped eyes that seemed to sparkle with a mix of snow and ice. When she smiled, it was as if that ice was about to melt.

Her mother wasn't looking at her father, but in the photo, her father had slightly tilted his head towards her.

"Did you fall for her first?"

"Of course," Hudson reminisced, a rare hint of bashfulness in his deep-set eyes. "Parisa was never the type to make the first move. She didn't know how."

"I chased her for ages. At first, I even tricked her into pretending to be my girlfriend. It wasn't until we graduated that she finally started to like me back."

Talking about Parisa was like talking about a treasure.

Whitney was touched by the tenderness in his eyes. Back then, her father's unrequited love must have been sweet and sincere. He was from a wealthy family, and she remembered him saying that the Tennyson family wasn't quite up to par with the Sheldon family's prominence.

Prejudices like Emma's tore them apart.

Holly Walker, with her ruthless schemes, swooped in and stole what wasn't hers...

Whitney felt a whirlwind of emotions. They had been each other's first love, such a beautiful love. Her mother had been deeply loved, surely it had been sweet.

"If only mom were still here..." she murmured, heartbroken.

Hudson blinked away the emptiness in his eyes, forcing back tears. "If I could trade my life for hers, I would do it in a heartbeat."

"Dad!"

Sheldon family. Hugh Sheldon was disabled, and your grandmother was too traditional to let your aunt join the

responsibility to the Sheldon Group that kept me going. But deep down, I'm just a hopeless romantic. Whitney, now the Sheldon Group has you. I've decided, once I officially pass it on to you, I'll head to Banyan City and buy a place by your mom's

sidelong glance. In the soft light, she looked so much like

his eyes warm with affection. "How am I still middle-aged? This gunshot wound

Group to me just yet. You need to

that regard. You've inherited my youthful arrogance

it, but the years had faded its colors, leaving only a dull yellow. In the photo, both her father and mother smiled, shy yet

gone now,

you 'left her.' Maybe she

years and has already for

weigh you down. People can't live only in the

to move on, but Hudson replied, "I'm free now and can remember your mom. Á lifetime isn't enough

bordered on

how, when she first returned to the Sheldon family, she thought

family but took her back out of guilt, using her resemblance to

night, she heard Hudson say he wanted to divorce Holly, but couldn't because of the family. This had been his thought for

Whitney began to

to

to be, but circumstances tore them

this, understanding your thoughts, I suddenly wish mom

a

I said, I'd trade my

leaned back in

with a gentle resignation, his tall frame slumping into a weary posture. "I've lived long enough on my own. Even if she never tooks my way again, even if she hates me, as long as she's alive,

that same

this trip down memory lane had drained him emotionally. She didn't want to hurt him any