Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
Chapter 835

Endora's face went pale!

She glared at the little tyke with utter disdain. At just over two, the kid might stumble over his words, but he made his point crystal clear.

Damn it.

"Parker, it's not that I didn't come looking for you, it's just that Tiana kept it from me. I had no clue where to find you..." Endora was on a roll, playing the victim card.

Parker barely listened to her sob story, his eyes fixated on Tiana as she walked away, her demeanor cool and distant.

He felt a tightening in his chest, as if he was losing something vital.

He cut Endora off, agitated, "Enough with the crying, I'll take you back."

"Parker, you're the best to me! I'll stop crying. I'm staying at the Royal Hotel, come over there!" Endora boasted loudly, making sure Tiana, who was walking away, could hear her.

A sly plan crossed her mind. As long as Parker went to the hotel with her, she could spin the story any way she wanted.

Then Tiana's little scheme would fall apart. Dream on if she thought she could steal her man.

-

"Mummy! I don't want to go home, why do you let that mean lady hog Daddy Parker?"

Standing at the entrance of Delight Mansion, Cherry was throwing a tantrum, refusing to go inside.

Tiana was already feeling lost, and her daughter's whining was giving her a headache, making her mood even worse. She held her daughter's hand, "Honey, Mr. Doonan was already engaged to that woman. You need to face reality!" "But I can tell she's mean, not a nice lady at all.

I heard her, she's been the one making your life difficult these past few years.

Mummy, why are you giving up?

Didn't you see how Daddy Parker's gaze followed you as you left? He didn't want you to go!" Cherry pleaded earnestly.

Tiana met her daughter's gaze, a self-mocking smile flickering at the corners of her eyes, "What does it matter if he didn't want me to go? Didn't you hear him say he was going to take his fiancée home? Why should I stand there, thick-skinned, just for a scrap of his attention?" Cherry saw a glint of red in her mummy's eyes, a deep-seated desolation hiding within.

The little one paused, struggling to articulate a heartfelt sigh, "Mummy, you're not Daddy Parker, how can you be sure he's being indecisive? Don't be so fragile, even I, not yet three, can see Daddy Parker cares about you. But when he looks at that woman, he's clearly impatient! Maybe Daddy Parker said he'd take that woman home to clear the air?

I overheard in the car, Daddy Parker asking if you liked him. If you'd said yes, I bet Daddy Parker would want to be with you."

Her daughter's earnest words made Tiana laugh and cry at the same time.

She took a moment to calm down.

Back in the mall, her pride had indeed gotten the better of her. Seeing Parker so gentle with Endora, her heart ached.

And with all the slander from Endora, and Parker's silence on the matter...

The things Endora had done behind his back, he never questioned.

Tiana couldn't figure it out. Was Parker really in love with this woman, or was it because Endora had saved him three years ago? Her daughter said Parker seemed to care when she left... Did he?

At least he seemed unhappy, she could feel that much..

"Mummy! Why can't you fight for yourself? I can see you like Daddy Parker too, or why else would you blush around him?"

"..." Tiana glared at her little troublemaker.

Cherry earnestly advised, "And his fiancée is just too mean, always speaking ill of you. If he marries her, Daddy Parker will regret it!"

That much was true.

Endora's family was the epitome of snobbery and opportunism.

Marrying into Parker's family, who knew how many fires would start in his backyard.

Tiana frowned, her heart swayed by her daughter's words. She tried to suppress her racing heart, pondering. Even if not for her own sake, some truths needed to be told to Parker. Endora's misdeeds weren't just a recent thing.

But now wasn't like the past three years; her relationship with Parker had thawed.

If she presented evidence, Parker surely wouldn't turn a blind eye!

With that thought, Tiana sat down, pulling out her laptop. As a hacker, digging up dirt on someone could be quick work.

In no time, she had traced Endora's movements over the past month, revealing a rich tapestry of scandal.

Seeing Endora's questionable lifestyle laid out, a cold sneer crossed Tiana's face.

Still playing the innocent in front of Parker after all this time?

I'll show you.

-

At the Royal Hotel, in a luxurious suite.

Parker had just escorted Endora inside, his staff neatly arranging her myriad bags and purchases.

As Parker stood looking out the floor-to-ceiling window, Endora had already dismissed his staff on the sly. She shed her wool coat, revealing a thin dress underneath, and silently approached him. When Parker felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist, he stiffened.

Looking down, his gaze turned icy, and he immediately shook off Endora's embrace.

"Endora, what are you doing?"

His voice was too cold, sending a shiver through Endora. She tried to mask her jealousy with a wounded look, inching closer to his chest again, "I missed you, Parker. After you finally came back from danger, can't I even hug you?" Parker's expression remained frosty as he stepped back, maintaining a safe distance, "You know I don't like this!"

Endora's heart was ablaze with jealousy, her eyes brimming with tears, "Then why can you be so close to Tiana? Parker, do you despise me? In these three years, you've never wanted to be close to me. Except for the night you saved me, we've hardly even held hands. It hurts me too!"

Parker's brow furrowed. Some truths he had never understood, thinking himself just naturally detached.

But after nearly pushing Tiana too far last night, he realized it wasn't that he lacked passion.

It was just that with Endora, there was truly nothing there.

Parker's adam's apple bobbed with restraint, his dark eyes casting a detached glow beneath his glasses. He blurted out, "Endora, there's something I need to make clear to you. Since you saw me today..." Endora's face stiffened, sensing something serious from his solemn demeanor.

Was he about to break up with her?

No, that couldn't be!

She feigned confusion, shaking her head, "We've just met up; we have the whole night to talk. Parker, please, take a seat. I've been sweating buckets; let me freshen up first, will you wait for me?" Panic set in, as she calculated how to win over Parker that night.

It was too late to buy any... enhancements, but then she remembered Barclay, that guy who was always up to no good, surely he'd have something up his sleeve.

Barclay was currently at the Emperor City Casino, nearly blowing through the billion Jarvis had entrusted to him!

Endora, ruthless as ever, decided to use the news of Parker's return to manipulate Barclay into marrying Tiana, that despicable mother-daughter duo, clearing her path to victory.

With this thought, Endora glanced at Parker's lean, toned physique, her gaze warming with determination, as she plotted her next move.