Love beyond the mask (Whitney) novel Chapter 305

Danny cocked an elbow and smirked, "The only person I'd ever marry is my mom!"

Whitney and Tiana exchanged helpless glances at the kids' banter.

"Boys are something else," Tiana sighed, shaking her head. "They grow up dreaming of marrying their moms. Meanwhile, Cherry, at the tender age of two, is already swooning over heartthrobs. The other day, she saw Parker on TV and her eyes nearly popped out of her head. She started shouting 'daddy' at the screen, and I had to rush to turn it off."

Whitney, while listening to Tiana's complaint, glanced over at Cherry's delicate features, a thought lingering in her mind. Could Cherry really be Barclay's child?

---

Upon arriving in South City, Whitney booked three rooms at the Weldon Hotel, each on a different floor, just to be on the safe side. Tiana and her daughter took one room, Whitney and her son another, but they had a plan to switch rooms with the bodyguard and the kids if anything went south.

Once they settled in, Danny snuck into the bathroom to call his buddy.

"Sammy, guess where I am?" He snapped a photo of the view from the window with his smartwatch and sent it over.

Back in his room, Sammy quickly uploaded the photo to his computer and zoomed in. The landmarks gave it away: South City!

Danny's voice, trying to sound cool but betraying a hint of shyness, came through, "This is my first time stepping out of Banyan City, first time on a business trip with mom. The view's not bad."

Sammy couldn't help but chuckle, "Has your deadbeat dad never taken you out of state before? He's kept you locked up like a prisoner!"

"Well, I was sickly as a kid, and dad was just too protective, worried I couldn't handle flying," Danny offered a sheepish explanation, hoping Sammy wouldn't think less of his dad.

"Huh, guess he's not that bad then," Sammy replied, understanding Danny's intent.

"Wanna sneak out to South City too?" Danny sounded hopeful.

"Would have been easy if deadbeat dad hadn't left for another city on a business trip without me. Now I'm stuck with the evil stepmom."

Danny groaned, "So what do we do?"

"Don't worry, the evil stepmom seems to be up to something shady, like what you mentioned last time. There might be a chance I can make it to you!"

---

After hanging up, Sammy pondered for a moment before a mischievous smile played on his lips. He couldn't believe his dad wouldn't care about mom at all.

Sammy found an article about Imperial Gem Corporation attending a conference in South City, with a photo of his mom leading the team at the airport. He sneakily sent the article link to his dad on Facebook without a word.

---

In Riverlyn City, Ludwik, having dealt with a subsidiary's issue, poured himself a glass of red wine and relaxed in his hotel room.

Ding-dong, a message from his son popped up. Opening it, Ludwik's face turned stormy. The photo showed Whitney, dressed sharply, at the side of Orion, arriving in South City for the jewelry expo.

Daniel didn't say anything. Nor did he. But the more Ludwik stared at Whitney and Orion together, the angrier he got.

Ding-dong, the doorbell rang. Ludwik signaled Felix, who ran to open the door to find Parker, suggesting a trip to South City for a project on behalf of his old man.

Ludwik hesitated, then agreed, "Might as well."

Parker was surprised, knowing Ludwik's workaholic nature. "Wait, you actually want to go to South City, don't you? Ah, I get it. Imperial Gem snatched the Gemstone Exhibit Project from your Skyfaith, and Ms. Valentine is all over it?"

Ludwik, gripping his wine glass, stared out the window, his jaw tight. "Get out!"