Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

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Chapter 120
“What are you doing here?” Monica’s voice was a mix of hatred and fear as she saw Whitney standing at the door. The once
robust figure had withered away after a long recovery from a broken rib and leg.
Ever since that scuffle with her husband, she had grown wary of Whitney.
Whitney lifted her eyebrows and smirked, “Step outside for a second. We need to talk.”
“You’re not cooking up some scheme, are you?” Monica could not help but feel suspicious.
Whitney dangled the bait. “It’s about your shares in Skye Gem. Don’t you care about that anymore?”
That got Monica’s attention. Clenching her jaw with resentment, she followed Whitney out of the room.
Whitney glanced upwards, plotting her next move. Monica’s room was on the fourth floor, orthopedics, while L’s private suite was
on the eighth. It was about time Elaine would be making an appearance.
She led Monica upstairs, making her way to the sixth floor. At the elevator, Whitney excused herself to take a call, leaving
Monica to wait.
As the elevator door opened, Monica caught a glimpse of Elaine inside.
The news had just broken that Monica’s spot in the jewelry competition semifinals was in jeopardy.
Desperation had set in, and although her mother had tried to reach out to Elaine, she would not give them the time of day.
Now, unexpectedly facing Elaine, Monica mustered her courage and stepped into the elevator.
Elaine’s eyes held a warning.
When the elevator reached the ground floor, Elaine strode out quickly, with Monica hot on her heels.

At a corner, Elaine paused, her cold gaze meeting Monica’s
“Elaine...” Monica began tentatively. “The competition is going to disqualify me! You promised you’d help me win...”
Without a word, Elaine looked around cautiously and just nodded impatiently.
Monica’s spirits lifted. Elaine had power, and that was all she needed to know.
Elaine left quickly
As Monica returned to the sixth floor, she realized Whitney was nowhere to be seen. Meanwhile, Whitney was already retrieving
the security footage with Tiana. The camera had captured everything, including Elaine’s face and Monica’s pleading.
“Elaine’s cunning, all right,” Tiana remarked. “Without her saying a word, we can’t prove she’s behind any of this to Mr. L, and
Monica’s words alone aren’t enough to show Elaine was the one who instructed Monica to plot against you and send you to jail!”

Whitney nodded. This charade was just to show the connection between Elaine and Monica. She had ways to make Monica
confess everything Elaine had her do.
“Tiana, round up some muscle for me. I have a plan for tomorrow night.”
The following evening. Tiana brought the hired muscle as requested. Whitney Instructed them to split into two groups: one to
abduct Monica from the hospital and the other to snatch Yvonne from the Valentine Mansion. The mother and daughter were
taken aback by their sudden kidnapping, ending up in a desolate warehouse where they faced a brutal interrogation. Whitney
had her thugs pretend to be Elaine’s men.
Yvonne, sharp as ever, deduced that this must be retribution from Elaine for Monica’s brash demands at the hospital, which had
offended Elaine. Thus, Elaine no longer wanted to help them and even considered them obstacles..

They were just pawns from the Valentine family of Banyan City, and Elaine could easily discard them.
Whitney then had her men leave a phone with the captive pair. Overwhelmed by their predicament, Yvonne snatched the phone
and dialed a number, which Tiana intercepted, allowing the call to go through.
Monica screamed into the phone, “Elaine, why are you doing this to us?”
“You’ve gone too far, Elaine, Yvonne’s voice crackled through the line. “Just because you’re the heiress from Emperor City
doesn’t mean we’re at your mercy. You came to us with Kyler, promising to help Monica in the competition, to take down
Whitney. You used the Lutz family, instructed Monica to get Whitney jailed, and arranged for her beating in custody... We’ve
been your weapon, but now you want us dead. It won’t be that easy!”
With the confession recorded, Whitney had what she needed.
“What do we do with them now?” Tiana asked.
“Let the muscle reveal the truth–it was not Elaine who kidnapped them,” Whitney replied coolly
“But won’t they realize they’ve been deceived and possibly snitch to Elaine?” Tiana was puzzled. Whitney merely smiled. “If they
snitch, even better.”
Tiana could not grasp Whitney’s strategy, but she followed along as Whitney called Valerie, inquiring about Elaine’s expertise in
jewelry design.
Valerie confirmed that Elaine had a background in jewelry design and traditional medicine. After moving to Banyan City, Elaine
helped her beloved manage his business, quickly rising to a position of power and influence.
Indeed, Elaine was quite similar to Whitney.

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Whitney then handed Monica’s ‘design draft‘ to Tiana, “Check this out. Elaine would not use her work. She must have bought
these designs; there will be a trail.”

The next day, Whitney arrived at Felix’s room to discuss recent developments in United Realty Corporation, especially the
worker’s death at the Elate City Sea Bay project. As they chatted outside, Ludwik watched from the window with displeasure.
Elaine, signing papers for Ludwik, noticed Whitney and Felix talking. “What could Whitney and Felix be discussing so intently?”
She mused.
Whitney and Felix eventually returned to the room, their conversation hidden, their plans unknown.
Ludwik’s features were clouded with gloom as he confronted Whitney. “Really? Chatting up some other guy right in front of me?”
Whitney was momentarily speechless.
He could be so petty.
Felix shuddered, about to reveal the topic of their conversation, but Whitney interrupted him in a timely manner, stepping forward
to massage the man’s shoulders. “Felix and I were talking about you, silly, What else?”
Ludwik’s icy gaze was filled with disbelief. He snorted, “Do you think I’m that easy to fool? You’ve been all secretive these past
days, always disappearing. You and your bestie, sneaking around, up to who knows what.”
It was merely a complaint.
Elaine’s eyes shifted to Whitney, and she paused, slightly startled.
Whitney had intended to let something slip inadvertently, but L had unwittingly touched upon the truth. She looked up at Elaine,
offering a calm smile.
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Chapter 120
That smile sent a chill through Elaine, a foreboding sense of dread creeping up on her.

Ludwik glanced at Whitney, reminding her, “I’m getting discharged this afternoon. Don’t you run off on me. Before that, we have
our four–month prenatal appointment.”
“Okay. I’m nearly done with what I needed to do anyway.” Whitney puckered her lips obediently, then cast another glance at
Elaine.
Elaine’s brows furrowed at that look.
Stepping out of the hospital room, Elaine could not shake the feeling that Whitney’s gaze had been off. Mulling it over, she was
about to reach out to her assistant, Jaxon.
Suddenly, her phone rang. It was Jaxon. “Elaine, there’s trouble with Monica and her mother. They’re looking for you. Should I
take the call or not?”
Elaine had always kept her distance, directing all communications with Yvonne through her assistant, Jaxon.
Elaine’s expression shifted, her face paling slightly. “Isn’t Monica supposed to be in the hospital? What trouble could she possibly
be in?”
*She claims she was kidnapped last night.”
Elaine’s eyes narrowed as she felt the situation growing more ominous. “Patch her through!”