Love beyond the mask (Whitney)



Whitney Valentine tousled her son's hair, blinking with a hint of caution, "Don't give Tiana a hard time, okay?"

Daniel Lippert pouted slightly.

Alright then.

With his well-known need for cleanliness, he squirmed and took a seat on the play mat, pinching the saliva-covered teddy bear Cherry handed him with just his index finger.

"Mommy's leaving now."

"Come back to get me soon!" Danny reluctantly saw her to the door.

As soon as Mommy left and the door clicked shut, he turned back to survey the rather worn-out little house, tossed the teddy bear away, and told Tiana Melford with all the airs of a little prince, "You don't need to worry about me. Take your little sister out to play. I need some quiet."

Tiana couldn't help but think this kid must be an Alaskan malamute in disguise, clingy with his owner but cold to everyone else.

Before she could respond, the toy-thrown Cherry burst into tears, "Mommy, the little boy... he doesn't like me!"

Daniel: "..."

He didn't dislike her; he just didn't like anyone other than Mommy, okay?

Tiana's lips twitched as she quickly picked up her daughter to comfort her, "Don't cry, Cherry. Mommy will take you to the amusement park, how about the big one at the mall?"

"I want brother to come too..."

Sammy had already taken a few laps around the mall, selecting some of the sportswear he usually wore with all the seriousness of a gentleman. With bags big and small handed off to his bodyguards, he then, with a sly glance, headed towards a dessert shop, his cool demeanor slipping into that of a young lord as he declared, "I'm tired from shopping. I'll have some dessert here. Just leave two bodyguards with me; the rest can take the stuff back to the car!"

The bodyguards, already exhausted, knew all too well the young lord's temperament and didn't dare object, thinking two of them were enough to keep an eye on him, right?

Once the majority of them left, Sammy ordered his dessert and was pondering how to ditch these two when he suddenly caught sight of a figure flashing by the shop's little train outside.

That side profile...

He focused, slightly surprised!

Wiping the dessert on himself in haste, he quickly stood up and rushed out, "Ah, my clothes got dirty, and it's so cold, I need to go clean this off." "Young master, wait for me!" a bodyguard shouted.

"Why are you following me? The restroom is so close, do you think I'll get lost?"

Sammy turned back, cunningly smearing the table with more cream, "I made a mess here, aren't you going to clean it up?"

The two bodyguards were speechless, turning to see an approaching server with a face dark as thunder, momentarily held back.

Sammy quickly chased after the little train.

Reaching the front, he purposefully showed his face.

The genuinely bored young master Daniel, who had never ridden such a childish train, was looking around when suddenly, he saw a kid who looked just like him at the front of the train!Content is property © NôvelDrama.Org.

Daniel was stunned, his eyes wide open. What was more curious was that the kid gestured for him to come over.

Then, he ran towards the restroom.

What's going on?

Could that boy be the 'Sammy' Mommy mentioned?

A flash of surprise crossed Daniel's mind; he needed to figure out what was happening!

He swiftly followed the edge of the little train, stealthily climbing down.

Ahead, Tiana was holding her daughter, fascinated by the cotton candy being made.

Danny quickly ran towards the restroom, his heart racing, strangely exhilarated, his throat dry from the run.

But after checking every stall in the restroom, he couldn't find the boy from that brief encounter.

His gaze dimmed slightly, he murmured, "Weird, where did he hide..."

"Hey! Looking for me?" Suddenly, a hand tapped on his shoulder.

Danny spun around quickly.

The outgoing and very familiar Sammy jumped out from behind a bunch of brooms, dusting himself off, amazed at the face in front of him that was so remarkably similar to his!

Danny was equally shocked, wondering if he was looking into a mirror.

The two little treasures turned their heads left, then right, touching their hair.

After a somewhat awkward silence, Sammy couldn't help but laugh first, "You really do look exactly like me. I'm sure we're from the same mom. What's your name?"

Danny, a bit aloof and more nervous, replied hesitantly, "You first."

"I'm Sammy, Samuel Valentine in full."

"I'm Danny, Daniel Lippert."

"Yeah, I know! I've seen your picture."

"I've seen yours too!" Danny quickly added, not to be outdone, "On Mommy's phone."

"You really were taken by Mommy!" Sammy stroked his chin, understanding dawning on him.

"And you?" Danny frowned, piecing it together, "Were you taken by that lousy dad to replace me?"

"Bingo! They both got us mixed up and haven't even realized..."

"Lousy dad?" Danny frowned, his feelings for Ludwik Lippert were complicated, but hearing someone else call him lousy didn't sit right with the boy. "Isn't he lousy? If he wasn't, why would he abandon Mommy and me?"

"Dad never mentioned I had a brother like you. Maybe he didn't know," Danny tried to defend his dad.

Sammy was skeptical, "Mommy never mentioned you to me either, thinking she only had one son."

"What's going on?" Danny was quick, "Are you saying Mommy and Dad don't know about each other's other son?"

"It looks like it! Have you lived with lousy dad and asked about Mommy?"

"He told me Elaine Bartels was my Mommy. I didn't believe him, so he said my real mom was dead." Danny shared, crestfallen.

"

Danny looked down, "I asked Mommy about dad yesterday, and she said my dad died a long time ago."

Sammy's face twitched, "Seems like there's some serious grudge between them."

"But they have us, two little treasures. Shouldn't they make up?"

Danny was mulling over his feelings, primarily his disdain for Elaine. "I don't want Elaine to be my mom. She's always sneaky and underhanded. I'm all about being upfront and fair, but I just can't beat her at her game."

Sammy flashed a mischievous grin and clapped his little brother on the shoulder. "Don't worry, mate. I've been hanging at your place for the past few days, and I've already shown her a thing or two. You've had your fair share of grief from her, haven't you? Consider it a little payback on your behalf!" Danny blinked, looking into Sammy's sly, sparkling eyes and his warm smile. No wonder mom always said Sammy was a real sweetheart.

He really was a chatterbox and so full of life.

Feeling a pang of envy, Danny's usual gloomy self managed to say, "Well, thanks for that."

"Come on, bro, no need for thanks between us," Sammy boasted.

But then, he circled back to the previous topic, asking earnestly, "Danny, do you really want dad and mom to make up?"

"Yeah, I've never had a real mom. I've been sickly and weak, and I've always longed for a mother's embrace. And you've never got to experience those piggyback rides from dad, haven't you? Don't you want that?" Danny tried to tempt his brother, squeezing out the words with effort.

"But Auntie said dad's done a lot of things that hurt mom.

My loyalty will always lie with mom. As long as she's unhappy, I couldn't care less about him, and I might even side with mom to teach him a lesson!" Sammy declared.

Danny was taken aback. Sammy sure had a strong sense of justice.

"I want dad and mom to patch things up, but you're against it. What do we do now?" Danny lamented, feeling overwhelmed by the situation.