Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
Chapter 491

"Daddy..." Holly turned her head and suddenly saw Hudson's bloodshot eyes, evidence of a sleepless night. He hadn't been home the previous night. She had specifically asked the butler, who mentioned that Hudson had gone to visit Grandma at the family estate.

A sense of foreboding surged through Holly. It seemed Hudson had not gone to the estate after all. Her fingers tightened, "What are you talking about?" Slap

A heavy slap landed on her cheek!

Hudson, panting heavily, pointed at her in fury, "Look at what you've done, and you still pretend to be innocent! You had Hank hire thugs to kidnap Whitney, nearly violated her, and even tried to get her killed. You're a viper, and I won't let you get away with this!" Holly was knocked to the ground by the force of the slap, momentarily stunned.

When she came to, she felt the blood at the corner of her mouth and was both frightened and furious, "Hudson, how dare you hit me? You've made me bleed!"

"I'll do more than just slap you; I want a divorce!"

Hudson loomed over her, his anger palpable, his usually composed demeanor shattered. "I thought your scheme against Whitney at the Lippert family banquet was the worst you could do, but you've ignored my warnings time and time again! You've gone too far! Your family actually wants Whitney dead! If I hadn't followed your brother Hank last night and seen him dealing with Blake from the Blue Gang, slipping him money to silence the criminals... I can't believe how low you've sunk! Holly, after over twenty years of marriage, this is the end! We're getting a divorce immediately!"

"I'm innocent!" Holly trembled violently, refusing to admit her guilt. She lunged at Hudson, grabbing his hand desperately, tears streaming down her face. "Darling! What does all this have to do with me? I don't know any Blake. My brother was just in debt over his head; you've misunderstood! Did Whitney tell you something? Why do you always believe her? You don't trust me!"

Whitney sat on the hospital bed, watching Holly's futile struggle with Danny, coldly observing.

From Hudson's fragmented accounts, Whitney knew Holly had fallen into her trap.

Sure enough, Hudson angrily pushed Holly away, "You've repeatedly targeted Whitney; how can I believe you! You still want to argue? I checked your call log. You called Florence yesterday afternoon, and immediately after, you called Hank! There's also the receipt for the $3 million you wired to Hank's wife! Last night, Hank handed Blake the same $3 million! You knew Hank was involved with criminals, so you directed him to have someone kill Whitney."

"I didn't... I wired money to Hank to cover his gambling debts! You're going to destroy over 20 years of our relationship based on a single wire transfer and Whitney's instigation? Hudson, I don't agree with the divorce!"

Whitney watched Holly's relentless denial and said, "Holly, Dad didn't just rely on the wire transfer. He saw with his own eyes last night your brother paying off the villain. Actually, I never saw the faces of those thugs; it was a trap. But you got nervous, desperately trying to cover it up. So, you couldn't wait any longer and wired the money to your brother to silence them!"

Holly's face changed, what?

Florence was right, Whitney had laid a trap!

She had been so careful, yet Hudson had watched her closely, even personally following Hank!

"You're spouting nonsense! I never wanted to kill you!" Holly roared.

Whitney ignored her, turning to Hudson, "Dad, this isn't the first time Holly has tried to take a life. Remember, last time at the Sheldon family's villa, Danny nearly drowned..."

That reminder sent a chill through Hudson!

His eyes reddened as he looked at Holly, his disappointment in her reaching its peak. The last bit of marital affection vanished, and he pushed her away, "Enough! Security, take her back to the Sheldon family to be detained! I'll draft the divorce papers right now. Holly, you should know, not handing you over to the authorities is already me being considerate of our past relationship."

"I won't! Hudson, I won't let you get away with this, Florence, my fate is so bitter..."

Holly screamed, dragged away by security, directly out of the hospital.

Whitney looked at Hudson, standing at the door, still dignified but suddenly aged.

"Dad, don't blame yourself..."

Hudson turned, facing her, his eyes slightly red, "Had I not seen Hank's actions last night with my own eyes, I would have never believed Holly could be this evil. All these years, I've shared my life with a venomous woman. Just thinking about how you were nearly killed that night, it pains me! I failed to protect you."

Whitney's smile was tinged with sadness, "The more you try to treat me well, the more they see me as a threat and want to eliminate me. It was inevitable."

"They?" Indeed, Hudson was intrigued by her words.

Whitney looked up, "Dad, you mentioned checking Holly's calls; she first called her sister, then Hank. Think about it, could this situation be unrelated to her sister? Why would mother and daughter urgently contact each other?" Hudson paused sharply.

He had always thought Florence, despite her chronic illness and gentle nature, stayed out of conflicts. Could she have conspired with Holly to harm her sister Whitney?

Just as Whitney speculated, if Florence was unaware, why did Holly need to contact Florence at that critical moment yesterday?

His doubts and hesitations were visible to Whitney.

She couldn't help but say, "Dad, maybe sister isn't as innocent as you think. If she was truly non-confrontational, she wouldn't have tried to ensure her victory in the S-T Group competition by getting Ludwik to support her. She really wants that 4% stake! Because she's been ill since childhood and never interned at the Sheldon Group to climb the ladder. By the time I got back, she finally felt the heat. Without me, the Sheldon Group would've been hers, right?" Hudson remained silent.

Indeed, before he found Whitney, Florence was his only daughter. Even though she was ill and not great at managing the company, she was the sole heir.

Whitney's eyes grew cold, "Do you really believe, Dad, that Holly tried to sabotage me multiple times and Florence knew nothing about it? If she was genuinely kind, she would've persuaded Holly not to stir up trouble in the family. If she was only pretending to be kind, then she would've secretly helped her mom against me, only to skillfully wash her hands off the matter when things went south."

For the first time, Hudson pondered over his younger daughter, focusing on the call Holly made to Florence yesterday afternoon.

What could Holly and Florence have discussed during that call?

Hudson's expression darkened, "Dad understands now. I just wish Florence didn't think this way, that she could get along with you, her sister. In the future, she could enjoy her dividends, and you could run the company. She could focus on her health, and you could make your mark."

Whitney looked at her dad. He wasn't playing favorites; he had considered both his daughters thoroughly.

But deep down, she scoffed. Florence's appetite was much bigger than Hudson realized.

"Dad, I'm not encouraging you to divorce or break up your family. But if you think a divorce would give you some peace, I support you! Besides, with a mom like Holly, it's bad influence through and through for my sister!" Whitney advised sincerely, yet with her own motives. Florence and Holly, like allies in opposition, if they could be divided, they should be!