Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
Chapter 495

"Who's that kid? The one that barged in with Whitney, yelling at Florence about some kidnapping?" Emma muttered irritably from downstairs.

Hudson descended the stairs, a frown etched on his face as he spoke to Hugh, "Hugh, take Mother to the guest room to rest. I've got some family matters to attend to."

Firstly, Hudson wasn't sure how much of what Whitney said was true. Secondly, this was something Emma couldn't replace out about, let alone get involved in. With a few of the house staff in tow, he headed straight for the Sheldon estate's backyard.

"Dad! You can't just open up my storage room because my sister wants to take a peek. The Sheldons have our own rules. She storms in here, demanding to search the place - on what grounds? It makes me wonder what you're thinking." Holly was also obstructing, "Exactly, my love! Everything in this house is in perfect order. Why should we let Whitney dictate a search just like that?"

"Do you really not know why? You're suspected of kidnapping my son, and the evidence points to you," Whitney said coldly, looking at Florence who had caught up. Both she and Holly's desperate attempts to stop the search, and the guilty looks in their eyes, made their unease all too apparent.

Florence must have been caught off guard: she had the evidence. After all, she and Danny had kept their replaceings about Florence and Sammy's disappearance a secret, stumbling upon it by chance. Their conversation with Parker at the hospital yesterday was something Florence couldn't possibly know about. The more she tried to stop them, the more likely it was that Sammy was being held in that mansion.

"Grandpa! Sammy's in there. We might as well err on the side of caution. Please, let them break down the door!" Danny pleaded, gripping Hudson's hand in desperation.

Hudson's heart softened. Sammy was a little life, his grandson that he hadn't yet had the chance to meet. What harm was there in checking an old mansion that hadn't been opened for years?

"Break down the door, open all the windows," Hudson ordered.

Florence and Holly's faces went pale. Whitney saw it all. She contacted Parker. Soon enough, Parker arrived with a few of his best men, ready to search every possible hiding spot with utmost diligence. If Sammy was there, they were determined to replace him. Whitney and Danny rushed in, heading straight for the basement that Danny had noticed before. The mansion, modest from the outside, was surprisingly expansive on the inside. The basement was deep, the stench of dust and mildew nearly suffocating. Whitney covered Danny's mouth and nose with a damp cloth, turned on the flashlight, and instructed Parker's men, "Search everywhere, and collect fingerprints as you go."

"Understood, Ms. Valentine!"

Two hours later-

Parker received a call from Ludwik, who had returned to Emperor City and was on his way to the Sheldon estate. After delegating his men, Parker stepped outside to meet Ludwik at the bend in the driveway. Ludwik's Bentley pulled up, his appearance notably paler, his handsome features worn from the past few days. He attempted to rise, visibly in pain. Parker, noticing his discomfort, dissuaded him, joining him in the car to explain, "Whitney and I have made a significant discovery. Let me fill you in."

-

Back at the Sheldon estate. After nearly three hours of searching, Whitney hadn't found Sammy! Parker's men, experts in reconnaissance and evidence collection, had turned every stone. But they reported back to Whitney, "We didn't replace any fingerprints belonging to a child."

Whitney, heartbroken and frustrated, emerged from the mansion dirt-streaked and defeated. By now, Florence had adopted a different demeanor. Her face was relaxed, streaked with tears of self-pity, yet there was a hint of triumph in her eyes. She cried to Hudson, "Dad, how could I possibly kidnap my niece's child? I didn't even know she had a child. Sister, you suspected me of hiding the child here. Now that you've searched everywhere, did you replace him? If not, I deserve an apology for the accusations."

Whitney and Danny glared at her. Whitney wanted to confront her, to demand where she had moved Sammy. Sammy wasn't there. But he had definitely been there before!

Danny, tears streaming down his face, clutched her arm, "Mom, you've got to believe me! I wasn't making things up! The first time I got close to this mansion, I felt something strange. I regret not shouting for Sammy then; maybe he would have heard me! The second time, that feeling was gone. Today, I was too hasty, didn't think it through. Now that we can't replace Sammy, Florence must have moved him. She couldn't have known we were onto her, so when did she do it?"

It couldn't have been today. It was the day Danny had the accident at the Sheldon estate! Whitney realized then that Danny's intrusion must have alarmed Florence, prompting her to move Sammy that very day. Florence and Holly's obstruction earlier was intentional; they were putting on a show! Caught up in their urgency, Whitney and Danny had fallen right into their trap! Insisting Hudson open the mansion only to replace nothing was a calculated move. Whitney clenched her fists, and Danny's eyes burned with anger, "Give my brother back!"

"Father, I've done nothing wrong, yet my sister and her child continue to pressure me..." Florence coughed weakly, her face pale. Hudson was caught in a dilemma.

Whitney stepped forward, her voice cold, "You've done nothing wrong? Then how come my child's handkerchief, which he tore off during the kidnapping, ended up in the kidnappers' car with your presence? The handkerchief with the tiger orchid pattern, a poisonous flower you planted in front of your storeroom in this mansion, filled with bottles and jars?

"We don't call it kidnapping, sis, what exactly have you been 'researching' on the down-low? A $10,000 per plant poisonous flower, does Dad know you've been buying them to grow? I just checked out the mansion, the basement is deep, and there's even an underground tunnel that leads to the backwoods. This is no ordinary storage space, sis. You could hide someone, or even sneak someone in and out, with ease! How do you explain all of this?!"

Hudson's eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, his gaze icy as he looked toward Florence. He had no idea how the mansion's interior had been transformed into what it was, "Florence, you don't know the first thing about medicine, why are you growing these flowers?" "It's a misunderstanding, Father, I don't recognize these flowers..." Florence's voice was weak, almost tearful.

"Your handkerchief is embroidered with this flower! And you still deny it, the fabric Sammy pulled down is made of the exact same material as your handkerchief!" Danny argued with reason.

Florence's lips pressed into a thin line, her eyes brimming with tears, "Just because of a handkerchief, Sister, you're blaming me? I cough, I need to use a handkerchief often, and mine are bought in bulk. There are millions like it on the market. What's so strange about that embroidery? As for the flowers planted in front of the mansion, I had no idea, Father. As for the basement, what underground passages, I've never gone in to look, maybe it was the Sheldon family's servants who modified it when the house was built? I've only used it as a storage room, to have the servants move some old stuff. I've never been inside that house. Sister has said so much, but you haven't found any children here! Father, do you really let Sister blame me like this?"

Whitney's glance was frosty.