Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

Chapter 1183
After just a few minutes of conversation, it was clear he could strategize circles around me. Honestly, the way he thinks, the way
he maps out every move, he's always three steps ahead of everyone else.
A guy like that? Throw him into the business world and he'd be a shark-ruthless, efficient, unstoppable. Give him a bigger stage,
and it's only a matter of time before he's running the whole show. ...I was just thinking, once I get this Germinia business settled,
maybe it'd make more sense to let him and you take over the family corporation."
"Mom..." Whitney blinked, surprised. She hadn't realized Parisa thought so highly of Ludwik.
Sure, Whitney had dabbled in running Skye Gem Ltd., but compared to her mom, her business sense always felt a little...
amateur.
She'd always known Ludwik was talented. But her mother, it seemed, admired not just his skill, but his drive-and maybe even his
edge.
Parisa was already thinking that far ahead.
"Isn't that a little... premature?" Whitney managed, flustered. “Ludwik and I aren't even... We're nowhere near that. You're talking
about putting him in charge of a global corporation. Don't you think that's a bit much?"

Parisa laughed softly, her eyes-sharp from a lifetime of experience-suddenly clouded with a hint of sadness. "Sweetheart, I'm not
going to be around forever. It took me years to find you again. From now on, I'll be your safety net-but you'll be mine, too.
That's a huge company. Ludwik's more than capable; he'd be the right person to run it. But only if you two remarried, settled
down, made a real family."
Parisa patted Whitney's hand gently.
Whitney felt her cheeks heat up under her mother's gaze. Remarry? Seriously? That was a long way off. Ludwik still had a ton of
flaws to work on, and she wasn't about to just jump back in. Plus... he wasn't exactly in perfect health right now.
She flushed, thinking about his... condition. Not that it really bothered her, but still -he might not need to be perfect, but he should
at least be healthy.
Ugh, stop it, Whitney told herself, pinching her cheek. Where was her mind even going?

She glanced at her mom, worried she'd catch on, and hurried to change the subject. "Mom, it's getting late. I'm going to run down
to the cafeteria and grab Ludwik some soup. I'll call in the nurse and Erik, too, and-"
Parisa just looked at her, clearly aware of what Whitney was really up to.
She didn't say anything, just nodded, staring out the window, lost in thought.
Whitney could tell her mom's mind wasn't at ease. She gave her a quiet look, then slipped out of the room.
Of course, getting Ludwik food wasn't her top priority. He'd just come out of surgery, and whether he ate or not didn't really

matter-besides, Parker was around to help.
Whitney headed straight for Hudson's room.
He was up on the top floor, in a private suite.
Both her parents had been rushed into surgery at the same time, but afterwards, Hudson had insisted on separate rooms.
Maybe he just didn't want to make things harder for Mom.
He'd always been thoughtful like that.
It really showed how much he treasured her mom-putting her comfort above his
own.
Whitney stepped out of the elevator,
letting out a quiet sigh. Her dad's
room was at the end of the hall, the door closed, everything eerily calm. Just one of the Sheldon family's staff sat quietly on a
bench outside.
Her grandparents must've visited already; there were several takeout boxes from
a local deli on the bench, each stamped with the Sheldon family crest.
Hudson liked his peace and quiet-Whitney knew that. Ever since the divorce, from Holly, Grandma Emma had tried to talk him
into

getting back together, and the net
between her dad and Emmachad gotten tense. He wasn't much for conversation these days.
The staff member saw Whitney approach and stood up quickly. "Miss Whitney—"
She smiled and put a finger to her lips. "It's okay. I'm just here to check on Dad. He's inside, right?"
.