Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
Chapter 928

"And all these misunderstandings, it's like you've been walking yourself deeper into them, step by step.

This whole mess between you two, it's really because you're too cynical about love, too chicken to give it a real shot!"

"Stop it! I did try, once, didn't I? And what came of it? He lost his memory, that's what! My brief happiness felt like stolen goods, those few days of bittersweet joy, that's all I ever had with him.

Just one Endora? Ha, isn't one Endora enough?

Look at what they've done to my family?

I'm the chicken because I knew, with Parker turning a blind eye, there'd be no place for me in Endora's world. I was afraid of exactly this outcome, sick and tired of her bullying for the past three years, sick of the deceit and manipulation!" Her words struck a nerve, echoing the gloom of the past three years.

Whitney, heart aching, wrapped her in a comforting embrace. "I'm sorry, Tiana, I didn't mean to call you a coward when it comes to love. I know, in the three years I was away, you and Cherry have been dodging and hiding, enduring Elaine's torment, and it's changed you." "Yes, I've become useless, and I hate myself for it! Because I have Cherry and parents who've lost everything in their old age. Despite putting on a brave face, my confidence is shattered."

Tiana's insecurity held her back from pursuing someone like Parker, a gem among men. Unexpectedly pregnant, she kept it a secret, convinced that Cherry was Barclay's child, too afraid to disrupt the natural order by seeking a relationship with Parker.

"Tiana..." Whitney silently vowed to herself, "I'll help you rebuild your confidence."

She was determined to help Tiana find her fearless self once more.

It was simple, really, just a matter of unraveling the mystery of Cherry's parentage.

Calming her emotions, Whitney took Tiana home, handed her some 'medicine,' and reminded her, "You still need to follow the doctor's orders, rest in bed for a few days."

Tiana shook her head, her eyes downcast. "Barclay must have been watching me undergo surgery today. He sent a message, forcing me to register our marriage tomorrow, and the wedding... it's set for three days from now." "That soon?"

"They only gave half the antidote, my dad's life is hanging by a thread, and I don't want to delay any longer. Let's just do the registration. As long as it saves my dad's life, I don't care anymore,

I've already ruined any chance of marrying into a decent family." She tried to appear nonchalant with a laugh, but her eyes were cold with despair for the future.

Whitney clenched her fists, raising an eyebrow. "Don't talk like that, Tiana. And I warn you, don't do anything foolish on your wedding day. Some things might just turn out better than expected!"

"What good can possibly come my way?" Tiana scoffed, thinking of her life as a tragic, twisted soap opera, "Now, my only goals are to bring down Endora and to get my dad through his heart transplant surgery." Speaking of which.

Whitney made a mental note, "Mr. Melford will pull through, things will turn around, I'll see to it that the hospital looks for a heart transplant."

"Thank you, Whitney." Tiana, exhausted, opened her laptop. "I've also placed an order on the black market, now I just hope my dad wakes up soon."

"Taking the other half of the antidote will surely bring Mr. Melford back."

So, the wedding would still have to be a sham.

Whitney sighed inwardly, glancing at her watch. "Tiana, get some rest, I've got to go."

"What was that thing you had to do this morning?" Tiana asked.

Whitney smiled, not giving a straight answer but hinted, "By the way, Cherry seems to have run off back to Banyan City with Ashton. Yael told me the little one has been missing you terribly in Emperor City, not eating or drinking properly. If she comes back tonight, don't be too hard on her, okay?"

"That little rascal! Why didn't she say anything?" Tiana panicked, trying to get up. "Where is she now, why isn't she coming home?"

Whitney gently pushed her back down, fibbing, "Don't worry, Ashton took her out for some fun. Remember, your dad was just released this morning, I didn't think it was right for her to see him like that, and you've been too busy anyway." Tiana, not suspecting a thing, thought of the upcoming wedding, her face paling, her lips pressed tightly. "She's running back now, how am I supposed to hide this from her? She absolutely despises Barclay!

What if Barclay has some cunning plan to publicly acknowledge her at the wedding? It could traumatize her, Cherry hates Barclay, she said she'd rather die than recognize him as her dad!" Whitney pondered, then offered a faint smile, "It might not even come to that, maybe Cherry will end up with a better fate than we thought. Her coming back now might not be such a bad thing after all." "What do you mean?" Tiana was puzzled.

Whitney just smiled, playing coy, "What I mean is, the wedding might not go as planned, where would Barclay get the chance to acknowledge his daughter? You've got plans, right?" Tiana grimaced, realizing the truth.

The wedding was bound to be chaos, a battlefield waiting to happen.

-

Leaving Tiana's place, Whitney drove to the Fuller family estate.

Cherry was sitting cross-legged in Ashton's lavish living room, busy with her Legos, while Ashton, a man of considerable size, surprisingly showed a rare patience, guiding the child step by step. "Well, well, Ashton." Whitney stood at the doorway, arms crossed, teasing Ashton, "Getting sentimental in your old age, starting to like kids now?"

"Whitney, we're not that close, cut the sarcasm!"

Ashton, clearly not amused by her ribbing, stood up with a stern face. "What took you so long? I was about to lose my mind with her!"

"Mr. Ashton, you're annoyed by me?" Cherry looked up with a pout, on the verge of tears.

"My little ancestor, I didn't mean it like that," Ashton hastily explained in his gruff voice.

Whitney chuckled as she approached, "Cherry, Mr. Fuller's just a big softie pretending to be tough. See, he got you those Legos, didn't he? No hard feelings, okay?"

"Those Legos didn't come from a shopping spree. Mr. Fuller just hauled them down from the attic, not exactly a grand gesture of generosity," Cherry revealed with a hint of smirk. Ashton's expression darkened a shade.

Whitney, on the other hand, seemed lost in thought as her gaze drifted upstairs.

She recalled Valerie once lived here. Although Whitney had never visited the Fuller household before, she was aware that Ashton's bridal suite was on the second floor.

"Attic?" Whitney's heart felt a sting as she turned to Ashton, veering off-topic, "You bought Legos? Could it be that you knew Valerie was..." Her voice trailed off, suggesting the pregnancy.

"I never bought them. Found them in the attic, must've been... probably Valerie's idea. She went through a phase, obsessing over setting up a nursery," Ashton explained away. Watching his clueless demeanor, Whitney was sorely tempted to hurl a bagel at him.

He was utterly oblivious. Oblivious to the fact that Valerie had been pregnant. What a clueless jerk.