Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

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Chapter 112
“Yep!” Tiana watched Whitney quickly regain her composure, returning to the familiar friend she knew and loved. “You think
Elaine put Hannah up to framing you at the party? Let’s dig up some proof.”
“There’s more to it,” Whitney mused, sensing that Elaine’s preparedness meant her hostility ran deeper than it seemed. She was
certain Elaine had designs on L, a possessive desire to steal him away.
“Oh, right, let me just butt in for a second.” Tiana, beaming, booted up her laptop. “Haven’t you been waiting for Valerie’s
investigation? About how Monica got propped up by foreign Judges, and who’s the bigwig backing her? Valerie got in touch with
me today. Just hang on...”
Tiana immediately connected with Valerie, who was halfway across the world.
Whitney frowned slightly, a thought from Tiana earlier that morning echoing in her head, “You’ve been like a trouble magnet
lately!“.
Monica’s miraculous comeback in the competition, followed by the scheme framing her for buying fake gemstones and landing
her in jail, seemed unrelated to her recent entanglements with L
But were they truly unrelated?
A bold idea sprouted in Whitney’s mind–if the person behind Monica was...
At that moment, the call connected, and Valerie’s voice came through. She was the epitome of sophistication, and even after a
long absence, there was no excitement in her greeting, just a slight smile and pressed lips. “Whitney, long time no see.”
Among the three, Tiana was bubbly, Whitney mischievous, but Valerie was always the grounded one, like a glass of clear water
with a few floating leaves–understated at first glance but with a lingering, mellow taste. If Whitney’s edge lay beneath the
surface, Valerie’s was right out in the open.
Among the three of them, Valerie contacted the least, having been abroad for studies and only briefly reuniting with them when
she returned home.
But that was how their friendship was–Stella, despite being in constant touch, turned out to be nothing more than a fair–weather
friend.

“How’s the investigation into the judges going, Valerie?” Tiana asked eagerly.
“There was definitely someone pulling strings to get those foreign judges to boost Monica, Valerie said, taking a sip of water. A
hint of amusement crossed her face.
“Can you find out who it was?” Whitney pressed, certain that this person was either Monica’s backer or closely connected to

them.
Doubt flickered in Valerie’s eyes, and she gave a thin smile. “It’s my husband, Ashton Fuller.”
“What?”
“Valerie, you’re married?” Whitney and Tiana gaped in unison.
A bittersweet smile crossed Valerie’s lean face. “Sorry, it’s hardly what you’d call a marriage. I did not see the point in bringing it
up.”
“Ashton, isn’t he the man you’ve always loved?” Despite Valerie’s private nature, Whitney remembered bits and pieces. “When
did you marry him?”
“A year ago.”
Tiana was stunned. “Girl, how much have you kept from us while studying abroad? That’s not cool. But Ashton–he’s the Fuller
family’s eldest son, right? Why would he help that bitch Monica...”
Whitney was just as puzzled, but a very elegant male hand appeared on Valerie’s screen before they could inquire further.
The man roughly pulled Valerie up, and the laptop fell to the floor, cutting to black.

“Valerie? Was that handsome hand Ashton’s, Banyan City’s second–most handsome man after Mr. Lippert?”
Whitney stared at the black screen, deep in thought.
On the other side of the ocean, in the middle of the night, Valerie was lifted effortlessly. She was slender, with a model’s
physique: delicate in front, striking curves behind, and legs that were a sight to behold.
Ashton’s eyes were bloodshot with drink. He was tall and Imposing, with sharp features and a cropped haircut that accented his
chiseled bone structure.
He tossed Valerie onto the bed without a hint of tenderness and collapsed on top of her.
He kissed her fiercely, murmuring another woman’s name in his fervor.
Valerie’s eyes, which had been distant, suddenly froze with pain, a pain that felt like a knife twisting in her heart. This agony had
never stopped torturing her.
And so, tired of the torment, she grabbed his sturdy neck, her face cold with rage. “Open your eyes, Ashton! I’m not her, not your
first love. If you’re drunk, go find a hooker You’ve got plenty of lovers, don’t you?”
Ashton sobered slightly, his gaze filled with deep loathing as he saw her cool, detached expression.
He sneered. “Valerie, you’ve been whispering poison in Dad’s ear, saying I’ve neglected you since our wedding a year ago.
Aren’t you just lonely and desperate? Forced by him to come here for a honeymoon, I ignore you, so you start digging into that
judge’s affair, trying to get my attention at all costs. Now that I’m giving you what you want, you’re not happy? It’s been a year
since you crawled into my bed–are you that thirsty?”

His insults cut through her like a cold wind.Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm

Valerie’s heart was as cold as her radiant, forced smile. She wrapped her arms around his neck. “You’re overthinking. I just don’t
want to catch anything.”
“You think you’re so clean? I despise women like you. If it weren’t for her needing a liver transplant urgently, do you think I
would’ve married you under duress? You’re just like your mother, all high and mighty on the outside but a whore on the inside. I
hate being threatened. Just wait and see how miserable I’ll make this marriage for you!”
Indeed, it had been a mere year, but she had gone from a foolish hope that he might fall in love with her to experiencing a living
hell.
Initially, she had manipulated the situation, forcing him away from his first love. No, that was not true. Valerie scoffed bitterly,
enduring the pain as she glared at him,
“Ashton, don’t act like I stole your love. Her heart was never with you; she was sweet on another man, and oh, that man happens
to be your best friend. In the end, you’re just a pitiable man.”
A sharp slap across her face silenced her for good.
Ashton’s eyes reddened, the emotion lingering until the very end.
He roughly pulled out a cigarette, lighting it up as he coldly pinched her pale chin, examining her face with a mocking sneer.
“You’re nothing like her.”
Valerie shut her eyes, her lashes quivering. He always knew how to wound her with his icy words.
“Don’t you dare go running to Dad, he warned, his voice dripping with disgust as he started to dress. “The very thought of
touching you makes my skin crawl!”
Wrapped in a blanket that only highlighted the patches of red on her skin, Valerie was an irritating sight to him, yet she defiantly
lifted her chin, biting back, “Make your skin crawl? Yet you can’t seem to stay away, can you? Hypocrite and shameless–that’s
what you are, Ashton Fuller!”
Ashton glared at her coldly, his departure punctuated by the slamming door and a phone call. “Get the private jet ready. I can’t
stand another second around this woman,”
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19:03
Chapter IIZ
Well, if he was disgusted, she would make sure to repulse him further.
Valerie booked her own flight home immediately. She was curious how Ashton would orchestrate the overseas judges to boost
Monica.
Whose side was he really on?
Only one person could manipulate Ashton into unconditional aid – the woman he loved.
Besides, Tiana had contacted her not long ago, and Valerie learned about the major crisis Whitney had been through in the past
months. She had to return and check on her friend.
Whitney and Tiana had been waiting at the café for an hour when Valerie finally came back online.