Love beyond the mask (Whitney)



Shane and Sandy's tale sounded like something straight out of a soap opera, with more twists than a mountain road. And Whitney was smack dab in the middle of it, trying to decipher the truth hidden beneath layers of secrets and lies. Shane, a scion of the prestigious Nelson family, known for their vast estates and wealth rivaling the Rockefellers, was a catch by any standards. And poor Sandy, she was just a small-town girl, swept up in the whirlwind that was Shane Nelson.

After pouring over the Sheldon Group's financials all night, Whitney devised a plan to get Sandy out of the picture momentarily to confront Shane directly. "Are you sure she's yours?" Whitney asked, skepticism lacing her voice as she spoke to Shane.

"Of course, she is," Shane replied, his voice as smooth as whiskey, even as he stubbed out his cigarette.

"But she denies it," Whitney pressed on, her brow furrowed.

Shane sighed, the weight of the world seemingly on his shoulders. "If she remembered even a bit of our past, she wouldn't treat me like a stranger." Whitney couldn't help but wonder if Sandy's amnesia was somehow connected to her time abroad with Florence, a woman whose reputation was as dubious as they come. Shane's concern for Sandy, tangled with the complicated web of their past, made Whitney uneasy.noveldrama

Yet, when Shane mentioned his daughter, a spitting image of Sandy, Whitney's heart softened slightly. But she remained firm in her stance, refusing to pry into Sandy's past out of respect for her privacy.

As the early morning light crept through the curtains, Whitney, exhausted, crashed on her couch at Delight Mansion, only to wake up days later, feverish and disoriented. Her son, Danny, and Keegan Tennyson, a family friend as solid as an oak, were by her side, worried sick. The mention of Tiana Melford missing brought Whitney back to full alertness. The situation was further complicated by the arrival of Endora Melford, a woman as thorny as a rose bush, claiming to be the fiancée of the missing Parker Doonan and accusing Tiana of foul play.

Whitney's resolve hardened. She would do whatever it took to protect her family and friends from the storm that was brewing, even if it meant facing off against Endora and her goons parked outside Delight Mansion, demanding Tiana's return. The drama of high society, with its dark secrets and convoluted relationships, was unfolding right at Whitney's doorstep, and she was ready to face it head-on.

Mr. Doonan had vanished into thin air in Crown City, and I was beside myself with worry.

"I bet Tiana knows something about it. Get her out here, now!" I demanded, my voice tinged with desperation.

"If she doesn't show herself, I'll just have to call Barclay Doonan to come and fetch her and that brat, and take them back to Oakwood," I threatened.

"You wouldn't dare," Whitney

retorted, her icy blue eyes flashing

as she shrugged off my grasp. "If you dare bring Barclay into this and endanger Tiana, you'll regretat, Endora."

I couldn't help but smirk at her naivety. "Mr. Doonan is the ninth heir to the Doonan legacy. You have no idea how deep their roots go. If Ludwik managed to lose Parker, do you really think he can escape their wrath? Believe it or not."

Whitney, unfazed, shot back, "Keep scaring me with tales of doom."

In Whitney's mind, the Doonans might rule Oakwood with an iron fist, but they were just a powerful family from another city. Could they really stretch their influence all the way to Crown City to deal with Ludwik?

swne

Had anyone heard of the Doonans having some mysterious power?

"Where are you off to? Looking for that tramp Tiana?" I sneered, catching up to her.

Whitney instructed the security at Delight Mansion to block us, then hopped into her car and sped off.

Her brows furrowed in concern. If Tiana wasn't with me, then... could she still be with Ludwik?

That man had broken his promise. He hadn't released Tiana!

Gripping the steering wheel tightly, Whitney wasn't keen on facing Ludwik, but frustration took over as she dialed his number.

No answer. Whitney couldn't tell if he was deliberately ignoring her, forcing her to come to him.

Now that I was after Tiana, Whitney knew she had to find her even faster.

Left with no choice, Whitney rerouted her car, heading straight for the Lippert family's corporation.