Love Beyond the Mask novel Chapter 40

Whitney scrolled through the latest entertainment news about Stella on her phone, glancing over at her friend. "Tiana, let's head upstairs. Can you get us a private suite?"

Tiana was off like a shot, making a beeline for the club's manager. Securing a private suite was next to impossible without a reservation, but with a bit of cash persuasion, she managed to wrangle a room for an hour.

But why did Whitney want a private suite?

Whitney's eyes were calm and unreadable as she said, "An hour will be enough."

She took a seat, logged into a burner account, and sent a message into the digital ether.

In less than six minutes, the click-clack of high heels approached. Stella, who had claimed to be too busy, hurried in with a smile plastered on her face. "Monica, has Kyler arrived yet?"

The moment she entered, her expression turned to stone.

Even Whitney felt a twinge of stiffness for her.

Tiana, out of breath and pale, was the first to confront her. "Stella, whose name did you just call? Since when are you friends with Monica? Do you have any idea what she did to Whitney?"

Stella snapped back to reality, quickly putting two and two together after seeing the message.

Her demeanor chilled as she turned to Whitney. "You always were the sharpest one among us."

"Why betray me?" Whitney's question was straightforward.

Leaning against the wall, Stella no longer bothered to fake a smile. Annoyance flickered in her eyes. "Why do you think, Whitney? Standing beside you now, I feel embarrassed. You're not worthy anymore."

"Stella, why have you become like this?" Tiana asked, visibly upset.

"People change. I'm on the rise, and Whitney is spiraling down. There's no such thing as forever friends. Among the Valentine sisters, the rising star is Monica, and I’m only weighing the pros and cons. Aligning with you would tarnish my image. Don't blame me for making the smart choice."

Weighing the pros and cons, huh?

Whitney's eyes turned icy, her heart shedding the last threads of warmth. "Did you delete my files from my computer? Did you leak my designs to Monica step by step?"

Stella stiffened, then scoffed. "Did I? You have no proof."

"You've been using Whitney's trust to sabotage her career! Now, the news is painting her as a plagiarist. Do you want to ruin her life?" Tiana seethed, her eyes reddening with anger.

"If it wasn't for Whitney's trust, how could I have achieved my goals?" As they spoke, Monica entered with a smirk.

Stella quickly sided with Monica, and their group looked down on Whitney and Tiana arrogantly.

Monica laughed. "Stella, Director Kyler will give you the lead role. You're on your way to becoming the next big thing in Hollywood."

"Thank you, Monica," Stella said with a nod.

Disgusted by Stella's obsequious behavior, Tiana stepped forward.

"But there's a catch," Monica continued. "You need to prove your loyalty. Slap Whitney right here and drive her out. The Royal One Club is no place for a washed-up has-been like her, and I believe you’ve wanted to do that for a long time."

Stella's face tensed. She glanced at Whitney and reluctantly approached.

Tiana stepped in front of Whitney, and before Stella could act, she slapped her across the face.

"Stella, I can't believe you were about to hit her. I'm so disappointed in you. From now on, our sisterhood is over!"

"You naive fool, how dare you slap me?" Stella tried to retaliate.

Whitney's gaze was sharp as she stood up and grabbed Stella's hair. "Touch Tiana, and I won't hold back."

"I'd like to see you try," Stella spat venomously. "Is it not your fault I've become like this? When you were the darling of high society, knowing my family was struggling, with a little help from you, I could have been a star by now! But you had to talk about hard work, as if that meant anything in Hollywood. You can't stand to see me climb over you, so fine, I'll step over you without a second thought."

Monica and Stella, socialites of the highest order, were momentarily struck dumb.

The whole scene went quiet in an instant.

Parker craned his neck, peering over his glasses with a narrow-eyed gaze at the somewhat disheveled Whitney, then turned to look at the indifferent man beside him.

"Well, well," he quirked an eyebrow, a low chuckle escaping him. "Is this a case of old flames reigniting or foes reuniting?"

The man's eyes were piercing cold as he glanced at the young woman before moving on as if she were invisible.

Parker's lips curled into a sly smile. "Looks like it's foes, then."

Monica finally snapped out of her daze, instantly recognizing Whitney's thug boyfriend. A wave of inexplicable fear washed over her, but she quickly found her voice. Dripping with scorn, she said, "Oh, Whitney, did you call in your thug for backup? This guy probably could only enter this place because of his sugar mama or something, and you expect him to save you?"

Whitney ignored her, her gaze evasively dropping away from the man before her, her eyes falling to the side.

Parker could feel L's aura turn even colder.

"What's the situation?" Parker asked the manager.

The manager was quick to complain. "Parker, these two ladies just took over the private suite without a reservation and refused to leave. I was about to have security throw them out!"

Parker's eyes shifted to the man.

L walked past Whitney with utter indifference, showing no inclination to intervene.

Whitney watched his cold, heartless demeanor, her long lashes trembling as they fell.

Indeed, after their argument had been laid bare, their boundaries explicitly drawn, what was she expecting? That he would reach out to help her?