Love beyond the mask (Whitney)



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..."noveldrama

"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.

Holly, beads of cold sweat on her forehead, glared at Whitney, wishing her gaze could be lethal. Yet, her only move now was to shield Florence, preventing anyone from taking her hair.

Jared, witnessing all this, his hand slamming onto the table, exclaimed, "This is outrageous! Holly, you harlot, you've seduced my two sons! Hugh, tell me... were you led astray by this witch, for Florence's sake, did you..."

Hugh insisted, "I did nothing of the sort! Mom, Dad, my brother's death was an accident, wasn't that proven?

Whitney's accusations are baseless. She's doing all this for the Sheldon Group's inheritance. Don't let her fool you with her lies!"

"Jared!" Just then, Cody burst in, pointing at Hugh with a stern voice, "I have evidence!

I can prove that Hugh and Holly are linked to the chairman's shooting.

The day of the incident, the chairman was returning from the cemetery and he called me, intending to transfer all his shares to Whitney. Perhaps he sensed something?

But as the agreement was being prepared for his signature upon his return, he was shot.

Clearly, Hugh and Holly, having caught wind of this, cruelly sought to kill the chairman to secure the shares for Florence!"

Hugh retorted, "Is that your so-called evidence? Ridiculous, basing your accusations on mere speculation?"

"Whether I'm framing you, you'll see after I finish."

Cody gestured, and behind him, several former shareholders whom Hugh had fired, stepped forward with documents.

Cody, with a cold smirk, spread them out, "The so-called resolution of Hugh's shooting incident... the perpetrator found wasn't the real culprit.

It was a simple matter of Holly getting her brother, Hank Walker, to hire a hitman to kill Mr. Sheldon.

I've traced the connections!

And Hugh, about your illicit relationship with Holly, if you need more concrete proof, I won't hold back.

Mr. Rufus, after Hugh fired you and you confronted him, what did you see?"

Mr. Rufus threw several photos onto the table with disdain, "The day after Hugh fired me, I went to his villa, hoping for justice, only to witness him and Holly in a compromising situation in the garden.

I even overheard Holly saying, 'Florence is your daughter, we need to silence Hudson soon.' Such words."

Jared staggered back, knowing Mr. Rufus to be a man of integrity.

Hugh, face ashen, fought back, "Mr. Rufus, firing you was procedural. To think you'd fabricate these photos for revenge?"

"Even at death's door, you're still smooth-talking!

You and Holly, nothing but adulterers. I feel so sorry for Hudson!

If it weren't for Whitney reaching out with the evidence, waiting for the right moment, I would've exposed your affair in the company long ago!"

Mr. Rufus said indignantly, then turned to Jared, "Sir, Hudson deserved better.

He cherished his brother all his life, and yet Hugh, for Holly's sake, murdered his own brother, an unforgivable act, and had a child with his sister-in- law.

Such is the disgraceful truth of Florence's identity! As shareholders, we cannot allow her to inherit the Sheldon Group.

Although a family business, without Hudson, there would be no Sheldon Group today.

Since Florence is not Hudson's daughter, she and Hugh cannot be allowed to take over the company!

Sir, you must see Hugh for who he truly is!"

Florence felt a chill run down her

spine, as if she had been plunged into an ice-cold lake, when Mr. Rufus voiced his opposition. The thing she had feared the most was unfolding before her eyes: her secret of being a love child was being torn open for all to see. She could almost feel the shock and disbelief in the gaze of every shareholder in the foom as they turned on her. In that moment, it was clear they no longer recognized her as the rightful heir.

“Hugh, do you have anything else to say for yourself? How could you, time and again, plot against your own brother's life?" Jared was at his breaking

point.

He had harbored doubts before, but

with Cody and Mr. Rufus-both pillars of the company and trusted old-timers standing against Hugh those doubts began to solidify into belief t came to light that before Hudson's accident, he had intended to pass his shares to Whitney, and Holly had harbored murderous intentions towards him!

It was entirely plausible that Hugh, under Holly's influence, could have gone through with such a plan.

After Mr. Rufus finished speaking, other dismissed shareholders also stepped forward. "Sir, in your absence from the company, you wouldn't believe the extent to which Hugh has plundered it.

We, who fought alongside Hudson to build this company from the ground up, have been ousted.

Hugh has completely overhauled the company's personnel structure.

Now, by stealing the company seal and seizing Hudson's shares, his aim is nothing short of renaming The Sheldon Group and turning it over to his illegitimate daughter, Florence."

"We will never stand for this!"