Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

hapter 1

On the eve of her wedding, Whitney Valentine and her younger stepsister were kidnapped, but her fiancé only

rescued her sister.

The kidnapper lunged at her with a sneer, tearing at her clothes with a vicious rip.

Still in disbelief. Whitney waited foolishly, yelling, “No! Please wait more… Simon Perlman said he’d pay the ransom.”

With a mocking laugh, the kidnapper dialed a number and barked, “Monica Valentine, your elder sister sure is a fool!”

Whitney froze.

Her sister’s mocking voice came through the phone. “You really believed that knight–in–shining–armor crap? Let me tell you the truth: I’m carrying Simon’s baby!”

Whitney’s face turned ashen. “When… When did you two get together?”

“Simon’s always loved me. He only used you to start his business! Now that he’s CEO, guess why you’re the one kidnapped?”

Chills crawled up Whitney’s arms as she shook her head in disbelief. “I don’t believe it. Put Simon on the phone!”

Then a man’s voice that came through was cold and remorseless. “Whitney, you’re no longer of any value to me. Take care on your ‘journey.”

Boom!

Whitney’s world collapsed into a pallor of despair.

Eight years of love, all just a ploy? He wanted her dead so he could take over the company!

Whitney’s tears fell down her cheeks.

Monica’s twisted laugh cut through. “He wanted to leave you a pretty corpse, but I’ll make sure you die ugly. Have your fun with her, then leave her to the wolves!”

“Monica, I treated you like my own sister. Why are you doing this? Mom and Dad won’t let you get away with

this!”

“Do you think Mom and Dad really loved you?” Monica sneered coldly.

that? Before she could ponder, she was dragged

down on her with sinister grins. Whitney trembled with fear, unwilling to

fate.

in Simon and Monica’s scheme,

let

she saw a car parked strangely with its door ajar on the dark roadside below

back seat, his large silhouette vague, but the

tension.

tumbled down the hill toward the car,

“Get lost.”

man’s icy gaze half–closed, his breath

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kidnappers were closing

clung to his leg, crawling into the car and slamming the door shut!

the man’s slacks, but she was

the man’s Adam’s apple bobbed, “You’re not getting out?”

She shook

was a dark, cold chuckle. “Don’t regret it.” In an instant,

to, the man was still asleep; dawn had not

picked up her clothes and fled from

lost something precious. With a wretched wipe of her eyes, Whitney did

finally made it back to the Valentine family

nothing to her name, she endured hunger and cold,

her fist. In ten days, she hadn’t seen a single piece of news about

loved her. Recalling the injustices

to believe it, so she returned to confront

of the Valentine Mansion, Whitney entered with a cold gaze. Before she could

until we find the

as she said, “Dad, if you’re worried about her haunting us, let’s arrange a ‘ghost marriage‘ for her! We’ll make a profit and bind her spirit. She won’t dare come

her father, Preston Valentine,

slumped to the floor, her expressionless face stripped bare by the cold, and her fantasies of a

squeeze value out of her even in death, discussing using a ‘ghost marriage‘ to trap

born to shield Monica from misfortune, a life cheaper than dirt! Besides, we know what happened to her

alive, I’ll make sure she doesn’t leave here today,” Preston’s voice

Simon will take over her company. Her

was empty, and devils walked the

to keep