Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

Chapter 1176
Whitney's heart ached for her mom.
She understood, of course. For her mother, this wasn't just a job—it was a decade-long career. There was no way she could just
walk away from the main company. She'd heard Inko Group was everything her mom's late husband had left behind when he
passed.
That thought sent Whitney's mind drifting to her own father, Hudson...
She snapped back and reached for Parisa's hand. "I get what you're going through, Mom. Bryce is like a ticking time bomb-if only
he'd just disappear for good... But if he doesn't, we'll have to make our move. Cut off those shareholders before they even think
about betraying you. Don't worry. Ludwik and I aren't going anywhere."
Parisa glanced over at Ludwik, still pale and battered in the hospital bed, and let out a tired laugh. "So, Mr. Lippert, you're
deciding for him now? Not that you're really an outsider, are you?"
Why was her mom suddenly turning the spotlight on her?
Whitney flushed, frowning slightly. "Well, Ludwik and Bryce have a score to settle. It's not something he can just let go."

"Is it because of you?" Parisa's voice dropped, full of knowing.
Whitney froze, not sure how to explain all the messy things from the past.
Ludwik seemed to sense her hesitation and jumped in, "Yes, there's a personal feud. It needs to be settled. Ms. Tennyson, you
just focus on getting better. You'll get all the updates you need from your assistant back in Germinia, and I have my own
channels. We've already figured out Bryce has teamed up with a few Germinia shareholders. Finding him won't be hard."
That's exactly what Parisa was thinking.
Earlier that morning, she'd heard Erik say Ludwik needed surgery after a serious injury, and that Parker and Phineas had rushed
over to Saltland Island, risking everything to chase Bryce down.
She wanted to tell these kids to slow down-things weren't as simple as they looked.
Truth was, the prison break had never really been about Bryce. The real target had always been her.

"Bryce is definitely in hiding," Parisa
said quietly
have my people in
Tel
Germinia searching for him under the radar. Eventually, I'll have to go back. When I do, this will all be sorted out. I swear I won't

let the company end up in the wrong hands."
"Mom, you've got broken ribs and a fractured leg-you almost died. There's no way you're getting out of bed this month. If you
stay put, the enem will too. I'll have Dad... get the Sheldon family's security to lock down St. Nelson Hospital. No one's getting
near you."
She'd only just found her mother again-there was no way she'd let her slip into danger now.
Ludwik nodded in agreement. "Within New York, the Lippert family's influence is still strong. You can rest easy."
When Whitney mentioned "Dad" and "the Sheldon family," Parisa's expression shifted-just a flicker, but Whitney caught it.
So, Mom wasn't as clueless about Hudson as she'd pretended.
Something was going through her head.
Parisa seemed to come back to herself, suddenly exhausted. "Mr. Lippert, you've done more than enough by coming out here.
Focus on getting better. If it wasn't for you finding me so early, I wouldn't have made it out of that ravine. Thank you."
"Ms. Tennyson, you don't need to thank me. You're Whitney's mom, and that means "
"Enough!" Whitney cut him off, her cheeks pink. She knew exactly where this was headed—he'd definitely say "mother-in-law" or
something equally cringe. Could he be any more obvious?
When did this guy become so calculating—and such a suck-up, too?
Whitney turned to Parker, who'd been trying to blend into the wallpaper. "Parker, take him back to his room."

Parker rolled his eyes. "Jeez, Whitney. You're acting like you're just tossing him out now that you're done with him." He gave
Ludwik a sympathetic look. "Poor guy. Tries to score a few points with the mother-in-law and gets the boot.”
No way Whitney was going to let Ludwik win Parisa's favor that easily.