Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
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 replace 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!"

Parker, intrigued by the drama, teased, "Better hurry then. The conference starts tonight. If you wanna mess with her, now's your chance."

Ludwik, though outwardly dismissive, was already changing into his suit, ready to catch the next flight to South City with Parker.

---

The conference was held at Weldon Hotel's grand banquet hall. By afternoon, the hotel buzzed with entrepreneurs.

After leaving the kids with a nanny, Whitney and Tiana headed to the restaurant to network, aiming to connect Tiana with potential investors and to pave the way for her own company, Skye Gem Ltd.

Orion, noticing Whitney's multitasking, couldn't hide his annoyance. "So, this whole trip wasn't just for work but also for your Skye Gem Ltd., and to drum up business for your friend?"

Whitney, unfazed, retorted, "Jealous? I can handle three things at once, something you'd never manage, Orion. Just shows who's really incapable here."

"Look, you better knock the Gemstone Exhibit Project out of the park. I'm counting on it to turn things around for me."

Orion, lacking in business acumen, could only nod in agreement.

"Got it. You're just trying to one-up Ludwik, aren't you?" Whitney said casually, her slender fingers reaching for another glass of wine.

She was like a social butterfly, effortlessly charming everyone around her. One could only wonder if Ludwik would turn green with envy seeing his ex-wife so at ease. Unfortunately, Ludwik was nowhere to be seen in South City... Orion was internally ranting about this when, speak of the devil, he suddenly caught sight of two dashing men checking into the Weldon Hotel right across from the restaurant. If that wasn't Ludwik and Parker, he'd eat his hat! Well, well, well. Look who decided to show up!

Orion was about to call Whitney over to share the juicy news and watch her reaction unfold. But Whitney had already disappeared into the crowd.

Ah well, he'd save it as a surprise for later. Orion licked his lips with a mischievous grin, savoring his drink. Tonight's gathering just got a whole lot more interesting.

"What do you mean, Ludwik made a detour to South City on his way back?"

Elaine, upon receiving a call from Skyfaith's assistant, angrily tossed aside a flimsy camisole she was holding. She had been meticulously planning to seduce Ludwik with a little pharmaceutical assistance upon his return tonight. She had been busy all day preparing. And now, he was off to South City!

What's worse, Elaine knew that Whitney and Orion were attending some summit in South City. A cold shiver ran down her spine. There was no doubt in her mind that Ludwik's sudden detour was because of that woman.

Just the thought of them spending the night together in South City made Elaine lose her cool. She couldn't let Whitney lure Ludwik away. She had to act fast!

Elaine stormed out of her room, yelling at Lyra, "Book me a flight to South City, now!"

"Wait." She paused, realizing that showing up unannounced would only anger Ludwik, especially since he had been quite cold to her lately. What to do...

That's when Sammy sauntered out from the playroom, overhearing Elaine's frustrated demand for a flight to South City. The little guy said nothing, just stood there until Elaine noticed him in her vexation.

An idea struck Elaine, and she turned to Lyria, "Make that two tickets! Sammy, how would you like to visit South City, maybe see your dad?"

Elaine had her excuse to show up ready. Meanwhile, Sammy smirked unseen, coldly nodding in agreement.

Ah, so his little tip to dear old dad worked. Daddy dearest was clearly rattled by the capable and beautiful mommy. As for this wicked woman, she surely had a scheme up her sleeve.

He'd love to see what it was. Once he and Danny teamed up, they'd surely spoil her plans. Humph.