Love beyond the mask (Whitney) novel Chapter 405

Ash gently placed her on the bed, nodding as he shared his findings. "It was tough tracking her from just a silhouette, but I managed. The girl is Ms. Sheldon, heiress to the Sheldon Group in Emperor City."

Elaine froze at his words, her mind buzzing as pieces of information clicked together. Her mother had mentioned that Jason was planning to arrange a new alliance for Ludwik, with Florence being the chosen one. The kidnapping... the shadowy figure behind it? And now, Florence, making her moves on Ludwik.

A cold loathing surfaced in Elaine's eyes. She understood everything now; she had been played by Florence, turned into a mere pawn! This girl, despite her young age, harbored a ruthlessness that surpassed even Elaine's, silently sharpening her blade and striking at both her and Whitney, sweeping away the women around Ludwik. And then, she made her move...

Biting her lip in frustration, Elaine thought of Whitney's downfall with a twisted sense of satisfaction.

"Ash, how could he secretly meet with Florence?" Ashton wondered aloud, puzzled as he looked at Elaine. "Elaine, were you hoping to somehow win Ludwik back by asking me to look into this girl?"

Of course, that was Elaine's wish, but her expression softened as she shook her head. "After the way Ludwik has treated me, my heart has grown cold. This is what I've become, and only you, Ash, have stayed by my side, making me see who truly cares. I was merely curious about this girl, and also, it's a pity about Whitney. I heard she and Ludwik had a falling out. It seemed like she was so close to finally seeing the light."

Ash sighed, looking at her. "Elaine, you're too soft-hearted. Whitney was willing to cut you out of the picture for her gain, and here you are feeling sorry for her? You need to look after yourself."

Elaine replied innocently, "I've always been soft. I can't hold onto hatred like Valerie does. I tend to forget those who've wronged me quickly."

Ash's expression flickered at the mention of Valerie. Lately, he had been running back and forth to the hospital to take care of Elaine. Despite her mistakes, Ludwik's account was only one side of the story. Ash believed Elaine wasn't inherently bad; after all, she had saved him from drowning in the lake when they were kids. How bad could she be? Yet Valerie kept giving him the cold shoulder, which was getting on his nerves.

-

After Ash left, Elaine immediately called Delphine, sharing everything about the puppet master behind the scenes, her voice filled with vexation. "This Florence is no simple character! It must've been her who kidnapped Whitney's son. Well, Whitney had it coming. How did Florence manage to get so close to Ludwik without raising any suspicions? Mom, you need to dig deeper into this Ms. Sheldon in Emperor City."

Delphine was in disbelief. "Ms. Sheldon has a good reputation in Emperor City, known to be frail and confined to her home, innocent and uninvolved with the world. To think she's outmaneuvered both you and Whitney. It's no surprise though. Recently, I heard Jared is about to acknowledge an illegitimate daughter, guess who?"

"Whitney," Elaine said bitterly.

"That's right! This woman's background is more significant than we thought. Jared values her highly, planning to grant her a substantial share of the stocks, and he's headed to Banyan City today. It's the talk of Emperor City. If this illegitimate daughter returns, Mrs. Sheldon and Ms. Sheldon will feel threatened. But don’t underestimate Mrs. Sheldon; she’s a formidable opponent."

Delphine shared with a cold laugh, "Remember when your father took over the Tennyson family's medical empire? It was when Parisa broke up with Hudson, and Mrs. Sheldon rose to power. Do you think the Tennyson family's collapse was without Mrs. Sheldon's involvement? We, the Bartels family, benefited silently. Even Parisa's mysterious death wasn’t our doing; Mrs. Sheldon was involved."

Elaine was stunned by the depth of these family secrets. Interesting, Whitney's birth mother was ruined by Mrs. Sheldon? Then even if that wretch returns to the Sheldon family, she'll have 'wonderful' days ahead. Elaine plotted darkly...

-

Two days later, Ludwik finalized the appointment of the new CEO for Skyfaith Group and its chief acting officers, swiftly settling the company's internal and external affairs. After a marathon ten-hour transition meeting, Ludwik returned home with a grave demeanor.

Felix had packed the young master's belongings into a suitcase, ready for departure. Ludwik lit a cigarette, then turned to face his son, who stood coldly on the staircase. "Daddy's heading to Emperor City tomorrow. You'll stay with mommy for now."