Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
Chapter 859

Thea realized she'd been caught in Wade's web of love for far too long, and nothing was as simple as it seemed.

Now, with the Patrick Group in trouble, the foundations of their home were crumbling before they could even unite as a family. This wasn't the outcome Thea had envisioned. Her initial alliance with Wade to bring down Jason was meant to secure a better life and win her true love.

But hardly two months into enjoying her status as the first lady of the Patrick Group, was she about to lose it all?

Thea refused to be down and out. Meanwhile, Jason, who had hit rock bottom, was making a comeback with the help of his resourceful son, reviving the Lippert family fortunes!

Thea couldn't stomach this turn of events, nor could she imagine what Jason thought of her now.

She knew she had to rely on Wade for the sake of her son. She understood Wade all too well; the man was strategic and cunning, not impulsive like Jarvis.

"Jarvis, now that you're aware of your father's presence, call him dad and then leave us. Your father and I need to discuss some things."

"Mom..." Jarvis clearly disliked his mother's submissive tone.

"Aren't you going to listen to your mother?" Thea hinted with her eyes.

Jarvis clenched his fists, a flicker of fierce light in his eyes, as he cooled his gaze and reluctantly said, "Dad."

Wade, ever pleased, patted his shoulder, "Learn to be calm like your mother. She's both gentle and formidable. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to help me as much as she did back in the day." Jarvis wanted to scoff at that. To him, Wade was nothing but a man who had risen to power by exploiting a woman's love under the guise of romance.

Yet, Wade had his ways.

If Jarvis wanted to take control of the Patrick Group, he had to tread carefully around Wade.

The Patrick Group was facing a significant crisis, and Jarvis knew he wasn't capable of solving it alone. Better to let Wade handle it.

For now, he'd bide his time before making his move. How ironic!

"You're absolutely right. My mom has endured so much for this family and for you, hoping you'd remember her love," Jarvis said, his words laced with hidden meanings as he left the room.

Wade masked his true feelings, looking affectionately at Thea, "Of course, I remember. Our love hasn't changed in thirty years."

"It better not have."

Once Jarvis had left, Thea felt Wade's warm touch on her wrist, softening her voice as she leaned in, "Wade, there's no lasting feud between you and your own son. Jarvis has never felt your fatherly love, and it's made him act out for attention. With the Patrick Group in trouble, I know both of you are worried.

But he's still inexperienced. What's the real situation with the Patrick Group? Maybe I can help?

We're about to get married. I'm your wife, and I'm with you all the way."

Wade was comforted by Thea's gentle persuasion, knowing she wanted to prove her worth over any glamorous mistress he might have.

"Thea, just hearing you say that makes me content. You've always been my one and only. We've been together since we were teenagers. Don't you believe in my love for you?

The Patrick Group is indeed in a dire situation. If it weren't so serious, I wouldn't be this stressed, lashing out at our son."

"Is it worse than what you were discussing earlier?" Thea's face paled.

She couldn't bear the thought of the Patrick Group, her source of pride and status, falling to the Lippert family.

Wade caught onto her fears.

He had spent over thirty years sweet-talking Thea, relying on her as a spy by Jason's side, to secure his position today.

He knew Thea's desires all too well.

This woman yearned for both love and wealth.

That's why she chose him over Jason, a man who couldn't appreciate her.

Having lived as the first lady of Harmonia Country, whether as Mrs. Lippert or Mrs. Patrick, her ambition was always to be the most distinguished lady.

Falling from grace was something Thea couldn't bear.

Wade, feigning distress, "You have no idea how cunning Ludwik can be. That boy is a hundred times more ruthless than his father. He's been plotting against us with the Inko Group for years, catching us and Bryce completely off guard. He's meticulously planned our downfall.

The Patrick Group's biggest issue now is being abandoned by Phineas.

Our new product launch was sabotaged by Ludwik, and the compensation we owe to those three arms dealers in the Middle East alone is enough to bankrupt us.

We're running out of liquidity fast.

Without any core technology or innovative products, we're about to plummet from the top ranks of Harmonia Country's enterprises!

Forget about reclaiming our status as the number one family; we're on the brink of bankruptcy."

"What do we do now?" Thea was out of her depth when it came to business matters.

Wade glanced at her, his expression fraught with urgency, "What the Patrick Group lacks is exactly that-cutting-edge technology and standout products!"

"But what we churned out was a dud, a complete flop when it hit the market."

"So, I got to thinking, if we could somehow get our hands on the Lippert family's goods right now, we wouldn't have to cough up a penny of that half a trillion to the arms dealers in the Middle East.

It would keep our reputation solid in Emperor City. With their products backing us, we won't be short of companies lining up to fill our order books.

That way, the Patrick Group could weather this storm," Wade explained, his voice smooth and persuasive.

Thea, half-understanding, felt a sudden chill in her heart. She turned sharply to Wade, "You're after the Lippert family's products?"

Taking her hand in his, Wade didn't hedge, "My dear, Jason's got his son backing him up, and now the Lippert family is making a big comeback!

You and Jason were married for thirty years. You split because he stopped loving you it was his fault, not yours.

I love you. I can't stand to see you hurt. But could you, for me, leverage his lingering feelings for you to get a piece of the Lippert family's action? I believe with your soft and charming ways, you could definitely sway him." A bucket of ice water might as well have been dumped over Thea's head!

Staring at Wade, her body shook with anger. The man she loved, for whom she'd betrayed Jason without a second thought, what kind of man was he? How utterly vile and contemptible!