Love Beyond the Mask

Chapter 207

Ludwik didn’t dwell on it, and the conversation didn’t continue. He

watched silently as she ate two bowls of oatmeal.

The phone rang, and the man stood to go upstairs, “I need to sign some paperwork.”

“Oh.” Whitney’s lips paused, surprised by his initiative to speak to her. Could they be mending fences?

Her heart raced with excitement yet feared it was all an illusion.

After taking the dishes to the kitchen, Whitney went back to her room for her phone and found several

missed calls.

They were from Bryce, Valerie Bartels, Skye Gem Ltd.’s Nyx, and Tiana, who had called over a dozen

times.

She was about to call back when her phone rang again. Whitney answered with a rare cheerfulness,

“Why so many calls, Tiana? What’s up?”

“Whitney! Did you catch the news? You’re in deep trouble,” Tiana Melford’s voice was laden with

urgency.

Whitney was taken aback. What news could she be in?

She immediately opened the day’s trending topics and saw the top headline, ‘Mr. Lippert’s wife caught

in scandalous affair, explosive video released.‘

Whitney was dumbfounded and anxious as she clicked on the video. After watching, she felt the room

spin.

“Whitney, why were you at a hotel with Bryce? The video has a timestamp–it’s from the 28th before the

New Year. Weren’t you in South City that day? Could you be possibly set up?”

20:57

Tiana was frantic, “The news is blown up. I can’t pull it down. I can’t believe you’d do this. I trust you,

but Ludwik might not.”

As she spoke, there was a sudden noise from upstairs.

Whitney trembled, belatedly realizing she should get up. Her face was pale, and she ran out

immediately.

At the stairwell, Ludwik strode out with a chilling gaze.

Whitney’s mind buzzed to

a

standstill.

Outside the villa, Elaine glanced at the stormy trending news and dialed a number, “Jaxon, get the PR

manager from Skyfaith over to Everwood Villa Estate.”

She walked inside just in time to hear Whitney’s panicked voice, “Ludwik, I…”

“Ludwik!” Elaine rushed to his side, feigning concern, “You haven’t seen the news, have you? You’re

still not fully recovered. Let’s skip today’s news and take a walk.”

Her peacemaker facade barely concealed her intentions.

Ludwik clenched his phone, the video still playing on the screen, with Bryce’s heavy breathing

unmistakably audible. Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

Whitney’s face drained of color.

She shook her head, “Ludwik, this is a misunderstanding. Let me explain…”

“The 28th before the New Year, you were in South City taking care of Braxton and still found time for a

tryst with Bryce? Tell me that’s a misunderstanding?”

Ludwik descended the stairs slowly and stood before Whitney. His eyes were penetrating as he

pressed the phone to her nose, “Quite the

215

frenzy, biting each other’s lips off! Where did I get the confidence to assume that you wouldn’t dare

cross the line? You harlot, playing me for a fool, is that fun for you?”

“It’s not like that!” Whitney’s voice trembled as she tried to explain,

“That night Bryce was drugged, he called me in a panic to help him. The drug made him lose control,

that’s why he clung to me in the bathtub. It was just a few mistaken kisses before I subdued him with

acupuncture. Trust me. Nothing happened between us, really!”

“Do you think I’m blind?”

Ludwik scoffed coldly, “An eight–second video, and there you were clinging to him like you couldn’t

bear to let go. So you’ve been sleeping together all this time, right? I’ve been the utter fool!”

“I haven’t; I don’t love him! It’s you I love! I went to save Braxton for you.” “Whitney, you’re so

hypocritical. You’ve cuckolded Ludwik so grandly and you still deny it?”

Elaine joined in, her voice filled with feigned distress for Ludwik, “I can’t stand by and watch. You might

not know, but Bryce is Braxton’s prized student. Whitney went to help him that night, not for you. She

wasn’t in South City for you at all. Maybe she’s been in cahoots with Bryce all along!”

“What nonsense are you spouting, Elaine?” Whitney shouted back, but Ludwik’s expression had

already shifted.

He couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.

Elaine poured fuel on the fire, “Ludwik, I’ve been meaning to tell you, Whitney’s been playing you from

the start! When Keegan sought revenge, she colluded with Orion and already lined up Bryce as her

next step!

They’ve been intimate long before. She cheated during her pregnancy,

20-57

and these days she’s insisted on staying under the pretense of taking care of you. Perhaps Bryce knew

about your stake in Skyfaith

Electronic Tech, and Whitney’s after it too!”

Ludwik felt like he’d been struck by thunder. All reason left him when he saw the video, which

convinced Whitney had been with Bryce.

Elaine was right, it wasn’t the first time she had shown interest in the wealth of Imperial Gem

Corporation.

But this was too dirty.

Ludwik’s hand shot out, gripping Whitney’s throat.

Whitney clasped his icy hand, “Elaine’s framing me. I really went to save Braxton for you that night. It

had nothing to do with Bryce…”

“Shut up, you harlot.” Ludwik sneered, his eyes cold, “Ten minutes ago I asked you what you did that

night. What was your answer? All night by Braxton’s side, huh? Aren’t you disgusting?”

“Bryce saw you in that sorry state, didn’t he? I finally figured out where that little show happened!”

“Ludwik, that’s too much.” Whitney’s face turned as pale as a ghost. How could he say that to her?

“Too much? You came to see me that morning, drenched like a drowned rat, filthy as can be.”

Ludwik lost it, his hand swung out and slapped her across the cheek.

His eyes reddened with fury, but it did little to quench his anger. He shoved her to the center of the

room, glaring at her swollen belly. It felt like his spine was crushed, his head throbbing with pain. “That

child is mine, you tramp! You’ve been defiled by another man, where does that leave me? I, Ludwik,

have never suffered such indignity in my life, and I want to end you right now.”

He was on the verge of madness, his hand raising to strike her again.

20:57

Elaine laughed bitterly, wishing he would just step on Whitney’s belly

and crush the bastard child.

“Mr. Lippert! Mr. Lippert, what in God’s name are you doing?” The door

burst open, and Felix rushed in.

Behind him followed a parade of managers from Skyfaith Electronic Tech’s PR department.

Felix immediately intercepted Ludwik, casting a frantic glance at Whitney who was barely hanging on.

“Mr. Lippert, emergency. The trending.news has dragged Skyfaith into the mud. You need to deal with

the company crisis first!”