Love beyond the mask (Whitney) novel Chapter 53

11.50 

Chapter 53 

In the lavish estate of Valentine Manor, nestled atop the rolling hills of a prestigious neighborhood. 

ngagement party preparations were a testament to opulence, with friends and family filling every seat.” 

Yvonne and Monica had scrambled out of the award ceremony, bruised and battered, fleeing back to the sanctuary of the Valentine family. The sight of the romantic engagement feast ignited Monica’s fury, and she nearly crushed the invitation in her clenched fist. 

The reporters she had invited had already watched the live broadcast of the ceremony, and they were now converging on Monica with pressing questions. 

Preston descended the stairs from the second–floor conference room. Seeing his wife and daughter return, he asked excitedly. “Did you bring home the grand prize? Then let’s get the engagement party started! Where’s Simon? And Phebe, and the elders of the Perlman clan-” 

Monica trembled violently, hiding behind Yvonne. 

Yvonne saw the unusual excitement on Preston’s face. She knew how much he valued his reputation. With today’s engagement ruined, she dared not tell the truth. Glancing nervously at the gathered relatives and friends, she said hesitantly, “Honey, come here first. There’s something I need to discuss with you.” 

“It’s not the time for discussions!” Preston’s face was flushed with anticipation, though a frown soon creased his brow. “T’ve waited all morning. Where are those investors who said they’d support Valentine Corp days ago? My daughter is about to marry into the Perlman family. They wouldn’t dare snub us! I’ll give them a push.” 

“Darling!” Yvonne couldn’t let him make that call! 

But Preston had already picked up the phone, his voice commanding as he dialed, “Mr. Wendt, Monica’s back with the grand prize. Why haven’t you come for the engagement ceremony?” 

Silence met him from the other end of the line. 

After a long pause, a mocking voice came through, “Preston, have you been offline? Your daughter had made such a fool of herself at the awards. You still expect us to invest? Haven’t you heard? Phebe had called off the engagement!” 

“What?” Preston froze. He turned with a fierce glare at Yvonne. 

“Darling, listen to me, it was all Whitney’s wrong.” 

Preston shoved her aside, reaching for his smartphone to check the news. 

Every headline screamed Monica’s plagiarism, her attempt to bribe Imperial Gem Corporation exposed by Mr. Lippert, her broken engagement with the Perlman family, and Preston’s failure to raise his daughter–scandal upon scandal for Valentine Corp. 

Preston’s veins throbbed with anger, humiliation engulfing him. 

“Darling!” Yvonne shrieked as Preston dragged her down the stairs. 

Monica watched from the doorway, shivering. She knew her father’s temper and his obsession with fame. Her mother had just kept the truth from him, and now Preston was furious. Before Monica could escape, Preston grabbed her. 

Blinded by rage and thinking of Valentine Corp’s tarnished reputation, the humiliation from the investors, and feeling played for a fool by his wife and daughter, he lashed out. 

He threw them to the ground and slapped Yvonne, ignoring the relatives and reporters, “You brought such disgrace upon us and you thought you could conceal it from me? I was waiting for those investors, fool! Do you know how much I’ve borrowed from the banks these days? Now look, Monica’s engagement is off. You can’t even raise a daughter right. If I had known how useless you both were, I should have locked you up after the last charity ball!” 

1/3 

11.59 

Preston’s dissatisfaction with Yvonne had been brewing. She had repeatedly failed against Whitney, not to mention her scandalous past 

Today’s humitation was the last straw, and he vented all his anger on her. 

Yvonne’s face ewelled from the stap. With so many eyes upon them, Monica had never felt such humiliation. Furious, she yelled, “Dad, how can you talk to mom like this? She’s given everything for the Valentine family. Why didn’t you find us useless when we made you proud? How can you be so heartless, caring only for your precious Valentine Corp?” 

“You dare talk back after what you’ve done?” Preston swung again. “You’re just a worthless daughter? 

“You just resent me for not giving you a son, Preston. You’re feudalistic and hypocritical!” Yvonne had wanted to, but her wild youth had taken its toll. She couldn’t conceive again. 

Shut up!” Preston roared in fury. 

Only then did he realize his family scandal was on full display to friends and reporters. 

It’s too late to realize it. 

He dismissed everyone and collapsed into the sofa. His phone rang, “Sir, Valentine Corp’s stocks are dropping. Monica’s scandal can’t be contained, the media is all over it…” 

Preston’s face turned to stone, he stormed out, “Look at the mess you two made. If Valentine Corp is broken, you’ll have hell to pay!” 

On the carpet, Yvonne and Monica clung to each other and sobbed, each with a red handprint on their cheeks. 

This failure left them stripped and broken by Whitney, with little hope of rising again. 

“Mom, why would Mr. Lippert help that wretch Whitney?” Monica couldn’t fathom, “He’s rumored to be the influential third son of the Lippert family! How could Whitney possibly reach someone of his stature?” 

Yvonne was just as baffled. 

Monica’s face was pale. She opened her phone only to find her social media accounts besieged, her inbox filled with insults. 

One trending tweet caught her eye: a crowdfunding campaign to buy Monica a prison jumpsuit, sending the plagiarist behind bars for just a penny! 

Below, 80,000 people had joined the cause. 

Monica nearly fainted with rage. 

“Ha! This generation of netizens is on fire!” Tiana exclaimed as she scrolled through the flood of comments on her Twitter feed. 

Whitney glanced at the screen and chuckled. “You sure know how to bite back fast.” 

“Well, I’m an expert on this,” Tiana replied, her fingers dancing across the keyboard as she deftly inserted Monica’s scandal into the trending searches with a few swift clicks.