Love Beyond the Mask

Chapter 153

Whitney translated the coldness in his tone; he was questioning her tardiness; his world had been

shaken, yet she seemed indifferent.

She understood his sense of loss, but she had to swallow all the bitter consequences silently.

She could not tell him that she had run off to secretly save Braxton, turning danger into safety, all

because of

the sin her uncle had committed.

She felt guilt weighing heavily on her soul.

Nor could she mention being trapped in a hotel with Bryce. In such a situation, she feared it might drive

him mad.

Ludwik waited, a slow count of seconds ticking by.

Whitney choked back her bitterness, only able to look at him with hollow, sorrowful eyes and feign

indifference. “I was taking care of Uncle in Banyan City, and my presence here wouldn’t have changed

anything.”

The man’s grip on her collar suddenly loosened, his knuckles elegant and beautiful, yet so chillingly

cold.

Staring blankly at his large hand, Whitney raised her eyes to meet his, now cold and indifferent, and felt

the tears that had long been falling inside her heart.

He stood upright, his eyes red with anger, gazing into the distance.

The shareholders were discontent. “Mr. President, can you believe what she’s saying? The vice

president herself, with her errors, is still so brazen. She relies entirely on your favor!”

“Her incompetence could’ve ruined the company.”

“And then there’s Elaine, who dragged her sick body here last night, dealing with everything smoothly

this morning.”

“There’s no comparison. What’s so good about Whitney anyway?”

The shareholders‘ complaints filled the air, and Elaine’s hidden smirk widened with satisfaction.

She walked tenderly to the man’s side, saying, “Bro, you’ve been up all night. Go rest for a while before

we visit

Braxton.”

Ludwik’s lips were tightly sealed. Without another word, he left Whitney behind, his tall, stern figure

getting into

the car.

The convoy sped away, leaving behind the chill of the police station on a winter morning, along with

trailing exhaust fumes.

wind

Felix closed the car window and looked back at Whitney standing forlornly at the police station

entrance, his eyes welling up with pity. He refused to believe she was so indifferent, absent from South

City last night to care for her uncle. Plus, her appearance at the station suggested she had run there, Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

her clothes soaked.

What had happened?

But Ludwik was livid, clearly unwilling to inquire further.

Thus, Felix dared not provoke him and sighed silently.

Whitney slowly squatted down, staring at the sunlight streaming down. It was a beautiful day, no snow,

not too cold.

Yet her heart, why did it feel so cold, as if she could never climb out of this abyss?

It hurt so much, she wanted to say, but she could not as she watched him walk away in utter

disappointment. Maybe it was for the best, an end.

His disappointment in her, perhaps even suspicion, was the perfect end to a love that should never

have been.

To sever their shared future.

Because of the guilt her uncle had instilled in her and the remorse she felt towards this man, she was

tormented to the brink of madness.

Her phone rang. It was her uncle. She answered numbly.”

Keegan’s voice was laced with disappointment. “Did you save Braxton last night? Whitney, you just

couldn’t bear to see him in trouble. I was so close to success, and you’ve cost me to fail!”

Whitney did not know how to awaken his conscience, her voice filled with sorrow, “Uncle, revenge can’t

be sought this way; this is about taking a life for money.”

“What do you know? He owes me! Just insist it was your mistake and don’t expose me, or else, with his

means, you know what will become of me!” He was warning her to remain hidden.

With her face in her hands, Whitney’s eyes shimmered with tears. To protect her uncle, she had said

nothing earlier.

But this life was driving her mad.

Perhaps it was nearing the end.

He would discard her for such a grave mistake and banish her from United Realty Corporation.

Whitney clutched her chest, crying yet laughing.

At South City Private Hospital.

Ludwik visited Braxton in the ICU, where the Braxton’s consciousness was fairly clear. He was

recounting the previous night’s events, “In my delirium, I thought I saw a white figure, a young girl,

performing a procedure over my head.”

The Tarringtons exchanged puzzled looks, assuming the old man was confused by his illness.

Ludwik’s brow furrowed. Braxton’s condition had been dire the previous night; when Ludwik had

entered the police car, Braxton had been taken by ambulance, the doctors shaking their heads.

He knew he was in deep trouble, but everything had miraculously turned around by morning.

“Ludwik, you have integrity, but the land deal has been finalized. It’s gone to the previous bidder,”

Braxton said, his eyes still showing admiration for the young man.

Ludwik nodded calmly, “It was my oversight. Please focus on your recovery.”

“You don’t seem like someone who makes errors. Who did you entrust with the bid?” Braxton inquired.

Ludwik did not reply, merely nodding before turning to leave the room.

In the corridor, Ludwik’s eyes narrowed as he asked, “Which company was the previous bidder?”

Felix understood his implication. The previous day’s events had been suspicious; Ludwik’s competitors

had been in lengthy talks with Braxton from afternoon until evening, deliberately delaying, causing

Ludwik to be late.

And then there was Whitney’s error in the bid, coinciding with Braxton’s stroke.

It all seemed too convenient.

Now that the land had gone to that company, Felix immediately began investigating.

“Mr. Lippert, it’s an overseas construction firm,” Felix replied with a frown, “Their representative

yesterday was the chief delegate. The owner of the company is shrouded in mystery, quite secretive.”

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Ludwik’s expression tightened with an edge of cold fury in his voice.

“Dig out everything you can! And have you tracked down Orion’s whereabouts?”

Felix paused, then looked sharply at Ludwik’s icy gaze, “You suspect that this overseas company is his

doing?”

“It doesn’t matter if it is. A hundred–billion project, we can still afford the loss.” Ludwik’s face was stoic,

a cold smirk forming. “He’s always liked to lurk in the shadows, competing with me since we were kids.

His mother certainly did not raise Orion well.”

Felix clenched his fists; Kaden’s favor had always been with the second son, Orion, and Ludwik had

not had an easy life.

Orion was still hell–bent on taking down Ludwik’s enterprises!

The doors slid open just in time as the group approached the elevator.

Out stepped Bryce, the epitome of sophistication, and the sight that befell him caused his brows to

furrow in contemplation.

What on earth did Whitney see in this man? Did his looks simply spellbind her? Rumors had it that

Ludwik was as cold–hearted as they came, both in tactics and spirit.

Ludwik’s eyes met Bryce’s, but he did not offer the slightest acknowledgment, striding into the elevator

as if the other man were no more than a wisp of air.

As Ludwik brushed past, Bryce’s frown deepened, and he let out a pointed, chilly barb, “Mr. Lippert,

you’d better treat Whitney right, she…”

The previous night’s events flashed through his mind–Whitney’s unauthorized medical intervention and

her obvious desire to keep it a secret.

He choked on his words, deciding against speaking them out loud.

But Ludwik’s icy glare was piercing, his aura unyielding, and the tension between the two men was

palpable.

Ludwik let out a derisive chuckle, his every expression bearing the weight of dominance. “And if I do

not treat her well, what could you possibly do about it? Do you really think you have what it takes to

take her from me, Bryce?”