Love Beyond the Mask

Chapter 49

“There’s gotta be a reason for it!” Tiana rubbed her hands vigorously, her eyes alight with excitement.

“Whitney, this sham marriage of yours is just too wild. I can’t even begin to guess who he’ll turn out to

be when the mask. comes off, or if you’ll do a double–take in shock. But I’ve gotta say, L’s move today

was bold–I dig it. He fired his secretary without a second thought just to clear the air with you! I bet he’d

spoil you rotten if there’s real affection between you two.”

Whitney felt her cheeks burn, and her heartbeat quickened at the thought of real affection with him.

“What are you on about, Tiana? That’s just crazy talk. Him and me? We’re worlds apart,” Plus, she was

not about to open her heart again just to get hurt.

Tiana knew Whitney’s sore spots and changed the subject. “Let’s talk about that jewelry competition.

Have you asked L for help?”

“I haven’t, and he hasn’t offered.”

Tiana’s voice took on a sharp edge. “He knows you’ve been wronged, and yet he doesn’t offer to

grease some palms for you? What a jerk!”

Whitney defended him, albeit weakly, “I told him I wanted to keep things professional. Do you really

think a guy like him would be so shameless as to offer help after I said something like that? I’m better

off relying on myself.”

Despite saying this to Tiana, Whitney’s heart held different thoughts.

In the following days, L was rarely home and never brought up the sabotage during the preliminary

round, nor did he offer any assistance.

Whitney could not help feeling a twinge of disappointment.

As the day of the preliminary awards ceremony drew near, the online vitriol against Whitney grew more

frenzied, with many digging up her supposed sordid past–fabrications spun by Monica.

The internet trolls launched a vicious campaign against her, making her infamous throughout Banyan

City as a plagiarist.

On the Monday of the awards ceremony, Whitney arrived at the Imperial Gem Corporation exhibition

hall to a crowd of angry netizens who had camped out waiting for her. The moment she stepped out of

the car, she was met with jeers and nearly pelted with eggs.

Thankfully, her driver and Tiana shielded her, sneaking Whitney safely into the awards hall.

“The die is cast, and that witch Monica has won. What are you even doing here?” Tiana’s face was a

picture of

misery.

Whitney pulled out a voice recorder from her bag and played it.

Tiana listened, astonished. “You’re a genius, Whitney! Exposing Stella at the Royal One Club wasn’t

enough; you even thought of recording it?”

Whitney frowned. “I just wish I’d thought of it sooner to start recording right after the competition when

Monica first spoke to me.”

FEW FO WEF 330 F

“This is Monica’s indirect confession! If we could just get it to the judges…”

Whitney was not optimistic. “Aaron’s definitely in their pocket. I doubt we can get it to them. And this

evidence will only cause a small ripple.” She had Stella’s testimony but could not risk Tiana getting hurt

over Stella’s leverage with Gunner.

Tiana understood. “A small ripple is enough to nauseate Monica, and that’s why we’re here! Even if we

can’t

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turn the tide, we’ve got to shake them up!”

Whitney nodded bleakly. “I plan to approach Aaron as soon as he arrives and beg for a chance to

prove myself by sketching on the spot.”

Tiana’s eyes lit up. “That’s the perfect way to showcase your talent!”

“What perfect way? Sis, you’re here for the awards ceremony, too?” A familiar, mocking voice intruded.

Whitney turned to see Monica striding down the red carpet, flanked by a posse. To Whitney’s dismay,

Phebe was in attendance.

Phebe was schmoozing with Aaron, who lavished Monica with compliments. To Phebe, the more praise

Monica received from the press as a “genius designer,” the more she shone in her eyes.

Monica’s face showed none of the defeat from that night at the Golden Hue Bar–she was the picture of

triumph.

The accolades of winning first prize seemed to buoy her spirits.

As Monica passed by Whitney, she loudly lamented, “Sis, reflect on your actions! Are you still plotting

‘perfect way‘ with your BFF? Are you waiting to be kicked out of the competition to admit your

plagiarism? To snatch Skye Gem away, you’re stooping so low. Please, just stop!”

Her insinuations stirred the crowd into a fresh uproar. “What? Whitney’s trying to take over Monica’s

company? Is she here to harm Monica? That’s outrageous!”

“Whitney, get lost if you have any sense left. Don’t disgrace yourself here. You’re definitely getting

booted from the competition!”

“Check out the trending hashtags–netizens are crowdfunding a prison suit for Whitney, the plagiarizing

dog. She belongs behind bars, and it’s so clever.”

“Ah, breaking news! Is Simon going to propose to Monica after she wins?”

“Don’t you see Phebe’s here to support Monica? Trending number one: ‘The Perlman family is

preparing for the golden couple’s engagement.‘ Monica, congratulations! You’re really hitting it big

today!” The socialites fawned over Monica, green with envy.

Monica feigned modesty, but inside, she was gloating. She had bought those trending topics the night

before.

The scandal at the Golden Hue Bar had been contained; Phebe was none the wiser.

Monica had spun new stories to win over Simon, rapidly pushing forward with their engagement.

Today, she would claim her prize and immediately hold the engagement party afterward. Only when the

dust settled would she feel secure.

Her parents were busy prepping the engagement venue; with the Perlman family alliance, many

influential figures were seeking to collaborate with her father. She was about to make waves in Banyan

City. She had bought media coverage for both the awards ceremony and the engagement party–it was

her big day!

With Whitney, the fallen rival, as a backdrop, Monica could not have been more pleased.

Undeterred by the spectacle, Whitney squeezed through the crowd to reach Aaron, pleading earnestly,

“Aaron, I know I lack the evidence to prove Monica stole my work, but please give me a chance to

sketch right here and now. I just need one chance to show my ability.”

Aaron did not even flinch before having the security escort Whitney away, promptly resuming his

conversation with Phebe.

Whitney’s face paled, her fists clenched tight.

Monica’s smirk was barely concealed.

Amid the cacophony of a bustling crowd, Whitney refused to give up. She and Tiana made their way

backstage,

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hoping to find another judge to hand over their voice recorder. Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

But just as they reached the shadowed folds of the curtain, two burly security guards approached them,

snatched the recorder from their grasp, and snapped it in half!

The guards‘ firm grip immobilized them, and then Monica appeared, a sinister smirk playing on her lips.

“So, you had a recorder up your sleeve. That must be your last desperate move, huh? Luckily, I had a

contingency plan! Now you’ve got nothing. Enjoy watching me take first place while you get ready to be

expelled!”

Monica strutted off, smugly satisfied with her handiwork.

Tiana pounded the wall in frustration. “Damn it, I couldn’t even take down a couple of guards!”

The spark in Whitney’s eyes slowly faded, and she mocked herself, “We were so desperate for help, it

was easy for her to spot the flaw in our plan. I’ve really hit rock bottom this time, haven’t I?”

Tears welled up in Tiana’s eyes. “She has her minions and her cliques while we stand alone,

powerless. The judges won’t give us the time of day. It’s not your fault, Whitney. It’s Stella’s! Look, there

will be other jewelry competitions. Don’t let this get to you.”

But Whitney knew how hard it would be to enter any other contest after today. She closed her eyes,

weighed down by the agony of defeat.

The award ceremony began with the sound of roaring applause, but suddenly, there was an eerie

silence.

This was followed by a collective gasp from the audience of thousands and then high–pitched screams

of excitement.

“Look! The CEO of Imperial Gem Corporation has just arrived!”