Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

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Chapter 58
Tiana flipped through the menu, her eyes darting up at the sound of Whitney’s phone buzzing.
It was a call from a director at Skye Gem Ltd.
Whitney squinted, excusing herself from the table to take the call.
When she returned. Tiana gestured to a headline flashing on her tablet. “Monica’s plagiarism scandal is blowing up, dragging
down Skye Gem Ltd’s stocks. The Valentine family’s shares took a nosedive today. Are the shareholders getting restless?”
Whitney nodded with a wry smile. “Monica’s got the Valentines backing her, but with a scandal this big, the shareholders I know
aren’t fools. With the Valentine family’s fall, Skye Gem Ltd. is in turmoil, and they’re worried about their stakes.”
“So, they’re reaching out to you, the former CEO of Skye Gem Ltd.? Typical.”
“Many shareholders are clueless. For years, Monica’s been riding on my coattails, and now they’re finally realizing who the real
expert is.”
As if on cue, another Skye Gem Ltd. shareholder called.
It was a good sign, Whitney thought as she patiently answered, her eyes narrowing. This could be her chance to reclaim Skye
Gem Ltd.
After hanging up, Tiana suddenly waved her laptop, calling out, “Holy smokes, Whitney! You had me tail Roselyn last night, and
you won’t believe what she led us to!”
Whitney watched intently as Tiana excitedly booted up a surveillance feed, showing Roselyn’s movements exactly as Whitney
had instructed to be monitored.
Roselyn, having successfully wormed her way into Preston’s favor, was bound to make a move. Whitney wanted to have
leverage over Roselyn, turning her into the blade to slice into the Valentine family’s core.
However, the footage was also showing that Roselyn was tailing Preston?
She trailed Preston to the front of a villa, and Preston remained oblivious. Soon, a captivating scene played out.

An elderly lady, with a young boy in tow, stepped out of the villa. The boy was carefully shielded by a hat, his identity evidently
meant to be kept secret.
Preston, after ensuring the coast was clear, emerged from his luxury car and scooped the boy up in a fatherly embrace.
Soon after, a beautiful young woman appeared at the gate. Preston greeted her with a hug and a cheeky pat on the rear,
undoubtedly the boy’s mother.

“Is that a secret love child of your dad!” Tiana gasped, shocked.
Whitney checked the scene and nodded, “It seems likely.”
Preston was renowned for his traditional values, consistently favoring sons over daughters. Whitney vividly remembered the
strictly management imposed by Yvonne when she lived with the Valentines.
It came as a surprise to her that, under such watchful eyes, her father had managed to father a secret child, now around five or
six years old.
The elderly lady was none other than Violet, Preston’s mother and Whitney’s grandmother, who had supposedly retreated to the
countryside to recover her health. In reality, she’d been hiding away, raising her grandson- a woman known for her sharp tongue
and manipulative ways.
Back in the day, she had never approved of Whitney or Monica, and even less so of Yvonne, her daughter–in–law.
Regrettably, the old lady couldn’t contend with Yerine, and when Preston was utterly captivated by her he could silence his
mother even if she couldn’t give birth to a son.

But times had changed, and it seemed the old lady had finally one upper Yvonne by secretly introducing a new woman to her
son’s life, bearing him the male her he’d always wanted
Whitney observed the drama with detached amusement.
actually feel sorry for Roselyn,” Tiana chuckled. “She wanted to climb the ladder, but turns out the man’s already got a son. What
can she possibly achieve now?”
Whitney’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “We should thank her for this discovery. Tiana, can you find out where Violet’s staying with
the child?”
Tiana nodded, understanding the assignment, and gave a thumbs–up.
Meanwhile, Roselyn hid behind a bush in the villa compound, trembling with rage,
Her detour had led to an unexpected discovery; however, this love child could be the downfall of Yvonne and Monica.
“I feel like we’re being watched. Let’s head back,” Preston said cautiously, urging the woman to take the child inside.
Violet hesitated before speaking, “Preston, I don’t know much about stocks, but I heard the neighbors talking about the Valentine
Corporation’s shares plummeting. Monica’s made a mess with her scandal. What’s going on? I always said that vixen Yvonne
was a bad omen, bound to bleed the Valentine family dry.”
“Enough, Mom,” Preston snapped, annoyed by his mother’s superstitious and cunning nature,
“I only said a few words about her, so what?” she retorted defensively. “You’ve been bewitched by that woman since you were
young! You’re my son, and I know you. We owe our fortune to your father’s beginnings and everything else is...” She trailed off,

intimidated by Preston’s glare.Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm

After a moment, she added worriedly, “You even let her persuade you to harm Whitney. Don’t mistreat Whitney like that, Son.
What happened to her granddad and mom was an unexpected ‘bonus‘ to us, and even though she is not really connected to
you, you still shouldn’t take it out on her. I know you despise Whitney, but if you harm her, her mother’s spirit will come looking
for...”
“Enough!” Preston shouted; his face contorted with fury.
With a clenched fist, he stormed off to his car and drove away.
Hidden, Roselyn didn’t catch the whole conversation, but through the car window, she saw Preston pull out a pocket watch.
Inside was a photo of a woman who bore an uncanny resemblance to Whitney.
It was Whitney’s mother, a woman he could never have, who met her end through foul play.
At the diner, Whitney glanced at the clock and realized it was already two in the afternoon.
She hurriedly called the villa where Taryn was, to find out when L had left.
Tiana smirked and asked, “So what’s next on the agenda?”
“We tail L. If he shows up at Imperial Gem Corporation’s tower claiming to ‘work‘, he’ll be in hot water!”
The two transformed into detectives, fully armed, and swiftly switched their ride, trailing the Bentley that had rolled out of the
mansion’s gates.
In the Bentley, Felix noticed the CEO looking quite worn and gloomy.
Did Ms. Valentine not let him in last night? The CEO hadn’t slept properly in days.
Suddenly, the man in the back seat spoke, “Who’s in that car behind us?”
Only then did Felix notice a BYD stealthily tailing them.
“I’m sorry, Sir. I didn’t notice them. I’ll have it surrounded immediately,” Felix apologized.
“Wait a second.”
Ludwik lifted his eyelids, curiously eyeing the BYD before making a call to the mansion..

Taryn picked up. “Ms. Valentine did call to ask about the car you drove today and what time you left for work?”
The man’s eyes narrowed slightly, his lips curling into a tantalizing smile.
He looked up. “Let them follow.”
“In the BYD... is that Ms. Valentine? She swapped her car to tail you?” Felix asked, surprised.
The man looked down, his gaze obscured by his lashes as he propped his chin on one hand, a mysterious chuckle escaping his
throat. “We won’t be going to the Imperial Gem Corporation, Take us around the overpass.”
Felix’s hand twitched as he sneaked a glance at the suddenly mischievous man.
Was he planning to lead Ms. Valentine on a merry chase?
Naughty.
But why skip the trip to Imperial Gem Corporation? Felix thought he had an inkling.
Was the cat about to be let out of the bag?