Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

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Chapter 49
“There’s gotta be a reason for it!” Tiana rubbed her hands vigorously, her eyes alight with excitement. “Whitney, this sham
marriage of yours is just too wild. I can’t even begin to guess who he’ll turn out to be when the mask. comes off, or if you’ll do a
double–take in shock. But I’ve gotta say, L’s move today was bold–I dig it. He fired his secretary without a second thought just to
clear the air with you! I bet he’d spoil you rotten if there’s real affection between you two.”
Whitney felt her cheeks burn, and her heartbeat quickened at the thought of real affection with him.
“What are you on about, Tiana? That’s just crazy talk. Him and me? We’re worlds apart,” Plus, she was not about to open her
heart again just to get hurt.
Tiana knew Whitney’s sore spots and changed the subject. “Let’s talk about that jewelry competition. Have you asked L for
help?”
“I haven’t, and he hasn’t offered.”
Tiana’s voice took on a sharp edge. “He knows you’ve been wronged, and yet he doesn’t offer to grease some palms for you?
What a jerk!”
Whitney defended him, albeit weakly, “I told him I wanted to keep things professional. Do you really think a guy like him would be
so shameless as to offer help after I said something like that? I’m better off relying on myself.”
Despite saying this to Tiana, Whitney’s heart held different thoughts.
In the following days, L was rarely home and never brought up the sabotage during the preliminary round, nor did he offer any
assistance.
Whitney could not help feeling a twinge of disappointment.
As the day of the preliminary awards ceremony drew near, the online vitriol against Whitney grew more frenzied, with many
digging up her supposed sordid past–fabrications spun by Monica.
The internet trolls launched a vicious campaign against her, making her infamous throughout Banyan City as a plagiarist.
On the Monday of the awards ceremony, Whitney arrived at the Imperial Gem Corporation exhibition hall to a crowd of angry
netizens who had camped out waiting for her. The moment she stepped out of the car, she was met with jeers and nearly pelted

with eggs.
Thankfully, her driver and Tiana shielded her, sneaking Whitney safely into the awards hall.
“The die is cast, and that witch Monica has won. What are you even doing here?” Tiana’s face was a picture of
misery.
Whitney pulled out a voice recorder from her bag and played it.

Tiana listened, astonished. “You’re a genius, Whitney! Exposing Stella at the Royal One Club wasn’t enough; you even thought
of recording it?”
Whitney frowned. “I just wish I’d thought of it sooner to start recording right after the competition when Monica first spoke to me.”
FEW FO WEF 330 F
“This is Monica’s indirect confession! If we could just get it to the judges...”
Whitney was not optimistic. “Aaron’s definitely in their pocket. I doubt we can get it to them. And this evidence will only cause a
small ripple.” She had Stella’s testimony but could not risk Tiana getting hurt over Stella’s leverage with Gunner.
Tiana understood. “A small ripple is enough to nauseate Monica, and that’s why we’re here! Even if we can’t
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Chapter 49.

turn the tide, we’ve got to shake them up!”
Whitney nodded bleakly. “I plan to approach Aaron as soon as he arrives and beg for a chance to prove myself by sketching on
the spot.”
Tiana’s eyes lit up. “That’s the perfect way to showcase your talent!”
“What perfect way? Sis, you’re here for the awards ceremony, too?” A familiar, mocking voice intruded.
Whitney turned to see Monica striding down the red carpet, flanked by a posse. To Whitney’s dismay, Phebe was in attendance.
Phebe was schmoozing with Aaron, who lavished Monica with compliments. To Phebe, the more praise Monica received from
the press as a “genius designer,” the more she shone in her eyes.
Monica’s face showed none of the defeat from that night at the Golden Hue Bar–she was the picture of triumph.
The accolades of winning first prize seemed to buoy her spirits.
As Monica passed by Whitney, she loudly lamented, “Sis, reflect on your actions! Are you still plotting ‘perfect way‘ with your
BFF? Are you waiting to be kicked out of the competition to admit your plagiarism? To snatch Skye Gem away, you’re stooping
so low. Please, just stop!”
Her insinuations stirred the crowd into a fresh uproar. “What? Whitney’s trying to take over Monica’s company? Is she here to
harm Monica? That’s outrageous!”
“Whitney, get lost if you have any sense left. Don’t disgrace yourself here. You’re definitely getting booted from the competition!”

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“Check out the trending hashtags–netizens are crowdfunding a prison suit for Whitney, the plagiarizing dog. She belongs behind
bars, and it’s so clever.”
“Ah, breaking news! Is Simon going to propose to Monica after she wins?”
“Don’t you see Phebe’s here to support Monica? Trending number one: ‘The Perlman family is preparing for the golden couple’s

engagement.‘ Monica, congratulations! You’re really hitting it big today!” The socialites fawned over Monica, green with envy.
Monica feigned modesty, but inside, she was gloating. She had bought those trending topics the night before.
The scandal at the Golden Hue Bar had been contained; Phebe was none the wiser.
Monica had spun new stories to win over Simon, rapidly pushing forward with their engagement.
Today, she would claim her prize and immediately hold the engagement party afterward. Only when the dust settled would she
feel secure.
Her parents were busy prepping the engagement venue; with the Perlman family alliance, many influential figures were seeking
to collaborate with her father. She was about to make waves in Banyan City. She had bought media coverage for both the
awards ceremony and the engagement party–it was her big day!
With Whitney, the fallen rival, as a backdrop, Monica could not have been more pleased.
Undeterred by the spectacle, Whitney squeezed through the crowd to reach Aaron, pleading earnestly, “Aaron, I know I lack the
evidence to prove Monica stole my work, but please give me a chance to sketch right here and now. I just need one chance to
show my ability.”
Aaron did not even flinch before having the security escort Whitney away, promptly resuming his conversation with Phebe.
Whitney’s face paled, her fists clenched tight.
Monica’s smirk was barely concealed.
Amid the cacophony of a bustling crowd, Whitney refused to give up. She and Tiana made their way backstage,
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hoping to find another judge to hand over their voice recorder.
But just as they reached the shadowed folds of the curtain, two burly security guards approached them, snatched the recorder
from their grasp, and snapped it in half!
The guards‘ firm grip immobilized them, and then Monica appeared, a sinister smirk playing on her lips. “So, you had a recorder
up your sleeve. That must be your last desperate move, huh? Luckily, I had a contingency plan! Now you’ve got nothing. Enjoy
watching me take first place while you get ready to be expelled!”
Monica strutted off, smugly satisfied with her handiwork.
Tiana pounded the wall in frustration. “Damn it, I couldn’t even take down a couple of guards!”
The spark in Whitney’s eyes slowly faded, and she mocked herself, “We were so desperate for help, it was easy for her to spot
the flaw in our plan. I’ve really hit rock bottom this time, haven’t I?”
Tears welled up in Tiana’s eyes. “She has her minions and her cliques while we stand alone, powerless. The judges won’t give
us the time of day. It’s not your fault, Whitney. It’s Stella’s! Look, there will be other jewelry competitions. Don’t let this get to you.”
But Whitney knew how hard it would be to enter any other contest after today. She closed her eyes, weighed down by the agony
of defeat.
The award ceremony began with the sound of roaring applause, but suddenly, there was an eerie silence.
This was followed by a collective gasp from the audience of thousands and then high–pitched screams of excitement.
“Look! The CEO of Imperial Gem Corporation has just arrived!”