Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

Chapter 1197
Emma glanced back at Florence's body as the coroner prepared for the autopsy. Holly collapsed in sobs, wailing like her world
had ended.
A shadow of resentment flickered in Emma's eyes. "Whitney's just heartless. If it weren't for her, Florence never would've ended
up on this path... I'm not letting this go. She's not getting away with it, and she sure as hell isn't lording over me."
"You're right, ma'am. The Sheldon family is yours and your father's to run. Who does she think she is, causing all this trouble?"
Sienna spat out the words like they tasted bitter, her lips twisting into a cold, encouraging smirk.
Arm in arm, the grandmother and granddaughter left the funeral home, their family's black sedan waiting at the curb.
Beneath the old oak outside, Whitney's figure was all sharp lines and iciness as she walked away. Her face was calm,
unreadable, but her eyes carried a storm. So this was Emma's plan all along-trying to push Sienna into marrying Shane. It all
made sense now.
Whitney could only shake her head. Emma never failed to come up with new dramas. Honestly, the idea of taking over the
Sheldon family had never even crossed Whitney's mind. Her dad was still alive, her mom had come back-she wasn't exactly
interested in whatever scraps the family had left.

Was Emma just getting paranoid with age?
Whitney let out a small, sarcastic laugh. Deep down, Emma had never really accepted her. What was with the holier-than-thou
attitude, anyway?
She guarded against Whitney like she was some kind of thief, and now Emma was plotting to pull the Nelsons onto her side by
dangling Sienna in front of Shane, just to keep herself in the game.
The realization left Whitney cold. No matter how hard she worked, she'd never truly belong in Emma's eyes.
But whatever. She had bigger things to worry about.
It was one thing for Emma, the so-called lady of the Sheldon house, to scheme for power, but she actually had the nerve to
suggest Sienna drug Shane to force his hand... The whole thing was so low, Whitney could barely believe her ears. And judging
by Sienna's shift from panic to smugness, she was clearly planning to go through with it.

The real question was when?
Whitney frowned, thinking of Shane's awkward not-quite-relationship with Sandy. The guy's pursuit of love was going to be a
long road, and Whitney wasn't about to play chaperone.
If Sienna caught Shane off guard, who knew what trouble could happen?
As she slid into her car, Whitney mentally mapped out her next moves. She needed to stop by the Nelsons' place soon-Mrs.
Nelson's opinion mattered, and someone needed to keep a close eye on Sienna.

But the main concern was Shane. The guy was so oblivious, he'd probably walk right into Sienna's trap. Sienna had every
advantage, and she was practically a regular at the Nelsons' house.
Honestly, Whitney hoped that blockhead would just get it together and win Sandy over today. She couldn't help but roll her eyes
as she pulled out her phone and shot Shane a text:
like
"Are you still trailing Sandy or what? Stop being a coward and make a move already! Be bold-show up the hero, shut down all
her other admirers. Wasn't it you who once pinned her against a bar walband kissed her senseless? Go do that again-when
she's actually sober this time!"
Shane: "..."
Whitney frowned, fingers flying over the screen. "I'm serious. My grandma and Sienna aren't going to let you off easy."
"What's that supposed to mean? I've already laid down the law with Sienna."
"Don't you get it? Telling her 'no'
might just push her to do something drastic." Whitney kept typing,
"There's a lot riding on this
Sheldî-Nelson match-up. Play this wrong, and you could lose everything-your daughter needs her real mom, Sandy doesn't
deserve to be painted as the villain, and Natalie's future relationship with you all depends on how you handle this.”

"So tell me, do + have enough pressure on me or what?" Shane shot back, his frustration clear. "When I suddenly brought my
daughter home, my mom keptel
demanding to know who her real mother was. She can't accept the idea that some woman might try to marry into the family by
using her kid as leverage. She's always had her suspicions, so I kept the whole Sandy thing