Love Beyond the Mask

Chapter 142

Whitney’s hands were clenched so tightly that beads of cold sweat trickled down her skin.

Her heart grew colder inch by inch, as if wrapped in frost.

Keegan wheeled over to her, pushing her out of the Valentine mansion. His gaze was piercing into her

shame–filled veins like needles. “Whitney, the Surelia District mining maps fed the Imperial Gem

Corporation, catapulting it to greatness and spawning United Realty. But the irony of it is that you

married him!”

She crumpled to the floor, her eyes brimming with tears.

Could it really be him?

Her mother and grandfather had died such horrific deaths, and her uncle had lived in such hardship.

Clutching her aching heart, Whitney looked up in confusion, pulling out the executive name tag and the

black card that L had given her. “But uncle, you said he was behind my mom and grandpa’s death.

Then why does he keep me close? He let me into United Realty and gave me a black card with no

limit–shouldn’t he be wary of me?”

Keegan’s chest heaved with fury as he swept the card from her hands onto the ground, “Do you know

Ludwik’s tricks? He’s got you falling for him! With these perks, could you ever leave him with your pride

intact? When he met me today, he acted like nothing was amiss, probably thinking I was clueless about

the past. He’s been spinning you around with a mask! Open your eyes and see the truth! Otherwise,

you’re betraying your mother and grandfather!”

Whitney’s mind reeled, and she slowly collapsed to the ground. Her heart was drowning in anguish.

She had met Ludwik, carried his child, married him, and even fallen in love with him.

Why was fate mocking her?

She thought she had defeated Elaine, that she and L had finally developed a relationship, that they

were finally finding happiness. NôvelDrama.Org owns © this.

But the harsh slap of truth followed swiftly.

Her grandfather’s contact book was with Ludwik’s name. Her uncle said his mask had pierced her

grandfather’s heart, that the Imperial Gem Corporation had used her grandfather’s Surelia District

mining maps to build its empire.

She found it impossible to find excuses for him anymore.

Imperial Gem Corporation and Skye Gem Ltd.’s past was not just business competition.

It was blood vengeance–her mother and grandfather had died with eyes wide open!

“I know it’s hard to accept, but you need to pull yourself together. I came back to exact revenge on

Ludwik! I just didn’t expect to find you… by his side,” Keegan said, gripping her hand, his eyes cold and

sarcastic as he glanced at her swelling belly. “But family vengeance cannot be forgotten! You must cut

ties with him completely and stand by me!”

Whitney felt shattered by his words, her heart sliced open, tears clouding her vision.

Realizing she was close to breaking, Keegan softened his tone. “You must be tired. Go home and have

a rest. But don’t alert him and don’t expose me. The day after tomorrow is your mother and

grandfather’s memorial. You should come, and we’ll talk more then.”

Whitney nodded. “Uncle, but you don’t have a place to stay.”

“I’ve bought an apartment before coming back. I have a small company overseas, and I’ve relocated it

here.” Keegan managed a wry smile. “As for your cousin, I left her abroad.”

Hearing that her uncle had a daughter gave Whitney a glimmer of solace. “Aunt is taking care of her

right?”

Keegan’s expression darkened, his smile turning into a scornful one. “Your aunt ran off long ago. In my

condition, what woman would stay? I raised your cousin alone.”

Whitney gasped, her heart aching as if torn asunder.

Her uncle’s life had been bitter, but who was to blame?

She dared not continue that thought, her fingertips trembling as she left her uncle’s apartment, her face

pale as death.

Inside the apartment, Keegan watched Whitney’s retreating figure and made a phone call.

The man on the other end had a devilish tone. “How’s the first day back home, Mr. Tennyson?”

“Orion, there’s been a complication,” Keegan’s voice was heavy. “My niece, Whitney, the one you saw

at the airport, she’s right by Ludwik’s side.”

“Oh?” The man feigned surprise, then chuckled darkly. “But Mr. Tennyson, is that really such a bad

thing?”

Keegan frowned, his thoughts shifting, his eyes revealing a sinister resolve. “Whitney being with Ludwik

might not be bad after all. In fact-”

“Congratulations, Mr. Tennyson. You’ve got an insider. What’s a little pain for your niece if it means

avenging your family and reclaiming what’s yours?” the man hummed.

A cold, obsessive light flickered in Keegan’s vengeful eyes. “Yes, indeed. Thanks for the advice.”

“I’ll support you. Pleasure doing business with you,” the man said before hanging up.

Whitney returned to the villa, a place she had secretly dubbed ‘House of Love‘ just a fortnight ago.

Love had just sprouted, and as tangible as it had become, fate handed her a cruel joke.

The sweetness of before was now the ultimate irony.

She stared blankly at the sudden snowfall outside her window, wishing for a moment that she could

dissolve into snowflakes, to avoid the pain, the conflict, the doubt, and the inevitable despair.

Seeing her return with snow on her shoulders, Taryn was horrified and hurried to fetch a towel. “Ma’am,

why didn’t you use an umbrella?”

But Whitney, pale as a ghost, ascended the stairs and locked herself in her room with a heavy thud.

Late into the night, Ludwik returned.

His overcoat was covered with snowflakes, which he brushed away gently.

This was the first snowfall of the winter, and also the first since he had met her. Maybe in the morning,

he could hold her and enjoy the snowfall together.

The weariness etched in his brow eased slightly, though his brow remained furrowed. Donning his

silver mask, he pushed open the bedroom door.

Only to find Whitney collapsed on the carpet!

“Whitney?” Ludwik rushed to her side.

Whitney was lost in dreams.

She had dreamed of her grandfather and mother, bloodied and broken in the twisted wreckage of a car

accident. Her uncle’s severed leg was there too, the sight of it vivid in her mind. Her mother’s face

always so gentle and beautiful, was contorted with rage and accusation. “Whitney,” she hissed, “why do

you stay with the

murderer who did this to us? Why are you carrying his child?”

It wasn’t the first time Whitney had dreamed of her mother, but it was the first time she’d seen her so

horribly injured, her eyes filled with loathing.

“Whitney,” a deep, warm voice called out, as strong hands gripped her shoulders, steadying her. “Did

you have a nightmare?”

Through the blur of tears, Whitney looked up to see the man with a silver mask before her.

She shuddered and pushed him away with all her might.

He was back, wearing that mask again – the deceiver and the manipulator.

What kind of ruthless man was he, capable of hiding behind countless facades? The hands that now

reached out to her were the same hands stained with her mother’s and grandfather’s blood.

“Don’t touch me,” Whitney stammered, her voice a mix of fear and hatred. She recoiled until her back

hit the wall, seeking the cold comfort of the corner.

“What’s wrong?” Ludwik furrowed his brow, a look of confusion and concern darkening his face as he

realized her hands felt icy to the touch.

Ludwik crouched down, reaching out to her, his brow furrowing in concern. “Why are you sleeping on

the ground, freezing like this? You’ve caught a cold already. Don’t you realize you’re pregnant?”

The word “pregnant“, a reminder of his child inside her was like a dagger to Whitney’s heart.

She recoiled from his touch, her eyes filled with icy detachment and her heart quivering. “I told you,

don’t touch me!”

“What are you talking about?” Ludwik retrieved his hand, irritation creeping into his tone. “What’s wrong

with you? I know I left you alone at the diner this afternoon, and that upset you, but Elaine was in a bad

way. She slit her wrists. If she’d been taken to the hospital a second later, she’d be dead!”

Why was she giving him the cold shoulder over something like this?

ū = = = =

Had he been too indulgent with her lately?

Whitney’s chilly gaze met his, filled with an unfamiliar strangeness and what seemed like hatred.

Ludwik’s heart skipped a beat.

Why was she looking at him like that?

Was it just because he’d neglected her and her uncle?

A flare of anger lit in his chest, but he tried to reason with her. “Whitney, you’re usually sensible. We

can have another dinner with your uncle anytime.

Elaine’s now dealing with depression and a suicide attempt. I bear some responsibility. You were the

one who suggested she should date, and I pressured her too. I didn’t think she’d give up on herself,

end up with some playboy from Riverlyn City, get taken advantage of. She was nearly raped. Don’t you

have any empathy? Did you find out I had her transferred to Banyan City for treatment?”

Seeing no response from Whitney, Ludwik felt certain of his guess. His gaze turned colder. “Her

condition is critical, and there was no other choice. It happened on my watch at the branch office, and I

have to answer to the Bartels family. Can’t you understand that?”

Whitney’s slow reaction caught up with his words. She couldn’t care less about Elaine’s troubles. In her

mind, she clung to his question of “don’t you have any empathy?”

She wanted to laugh bitterly, to ask him where his empathy was.

He had empathy for Elaine, but what about her mother and grandfather? After his business dealings

had devastated her family, how could he nonchalantly keep her by his side, trapping her in a web of

so–called love, treating her like a plaything?

Whitney could no longer see the depth in his eyes. Once, she thought them mysterious and profound,

with a deep–seated allure,

Now, she understood where that depth came from: his ruthless ambition and calculated schemes.

With a bitter chuckle, she looked at him coldly. “Is she dead? Was she raped? No. Forgive you? No, I

will never forgive you!”

Tears welled up in her red–rimmed eyes, but she was responding to something else.

If he had truly been responsible for her grandfather and mother’s deaths, she would never forgive him.

But obviously, her uncle was still alive–a living testimony that Ludwik was a criminal.

Whitney covered her face in agony, the hatred buried deep in her eyes invisible to Ludwik, who

mistakenly took her words as a response to the current situation with Elaine.

He grabbed her in frustration, unable to believe her words. “What do you mean by that? She’s not

dead, she