Love beyond the mask (Whitney)



Whitney slammed the door in his face! Oh, how she wished she could give him a couple more kicks, but the opportunity had passed. She didn't dare stay any longer; who knew if he would try to lay a hand on her again.

Biting her lip hard, she looked around and, seeing no one outside the study, quickly made her escape.

Ludwik leaned against the wall, rolling a cigarette in his throat, watching her cautious, thief-like retreat.noveldrama

He took a drag, chuckling softly.

She was gone, but a trace of her feminine fragrance lingered, softly echoing in Ludwik's heart. He savored the memory of their kiss behind the narrow partition, involuntarily licking his lips.

This sneaky thrill made him wildly infatuated, his heartbeat unstoppable.

Whitney didn't dare approach Bryce and instead sought refuge in a restroom.

Ludwik had smudged her lipstick in their hurried encounter; she needed a makeup touch-up.

After fixing herself up, she took a deep breath and returned to the party.

"Whitney! Where have you been? I've been calling you, searching everywhere for you."

The sight of her made Bryce rush over, concern written all over his gentle face.

Whitney felt a twinge of guilt.

She hastily adjusted her hair. "Bryce, sorry, I just saw you chatting with Ronan and the others, so I went to the restroom. My dress was uncomfortable, so I took a while to adjust it."

She scrambled for an excuse.

"Is that so?" Bryce's eyes darkened slightly.

He had checked the restroom earlier, even asking a lady to inquire inside, but Whitney was nowhere to be found.

She had lied to him.

Moreover, Ludwik was also conspicuously absent from the party!

Perhaps, they had met...

Bryce's hand tightened around his wine glass, but he maintained a smiling face, "Glad you're okay. I had a chat with Ronan; he asked about you, admiring how you've become a businesswoman at such a young age. He's invited us to dine with him later."

Whitney wasn't keen on mingling with high-profile figures.

She excelled in business, not flattery, especially after Ludwik accused her of using her charms for business success three years ago, which had hurt her pride. Since then, she'd been cautious about keeping her distance from clients and superiors.

Now with Skye Gem Ltd. doing well, she wasn't eager for relentlessworking but simply wanted to live a straightforward life.

However, Bryce had made his wishes clear, seemingly wanting her to be present for appearances, making it hard for her to refuse.

During the dinner, Whitney found herself amidst encouraging toasts, drinking more than she was accustomed to.

Bryce intercepted some drinks on her behalf and later escorted her aside to rest, offering her a warm cup of tea. "Whitney, you've done well, I didn't expect them to be such heavy drinkers. I'll handle the rest; you just relax."

Whitney glanced at him, her head throbbing.

Bryce seemed in his element, his demeanor gentle yet adept at socializing.

Recalling Ludwik's words, she hesitated before softly asking, "Bryce, you came here tonight mainly to connect with Ronan, because he's a candidate for deputy president next year, right?"

Bryce's palm stiffened. How did she know?

But after a brief pause, he regained his composure, a hint of resignation on his lips, "Whitney, I indeed came to the party concerned about you. Meeting Ronan was unexpected, so I thought why not make an acquaintance. You're unaware, but The Lutz Group's auditing, tax, and foreign trade companies all require insider information. We've been slow to develop because we missed out on such information from officials before. Meeting some senators and ministers tonight is an opportunity for me. I hope you understand."

"I get it," Whitney responded coolly, managing a faint smile but added, "Next time, you can just tell me straight. I won't mind, but I do mind if you beat around the bush, Bryce... you should understand, I wish for more honesty between us."

"...Right, I was careless, my apologies, my dear."

Bryce offered a conciliatory smile, but as he turned to leave, his refined facade concealed his discomfort.

Whitney's rebuff felt like a slap for his excuses the night before.

He hadn't been obvious in his intentions that evening.

Perhaps... the encounter with Ludwik had spurred her suspicions?

That damned man.

After leaving, Bryce didn't return to schmooze with the politicians but instead met up with Jarvis in a secluded corner.

Jarvis, looking equally grim, was chewing on a cigar.

"Mr. Lutz, I was just about to seek you out for advice. I need to settle the score with Ludwik tonight, make him regret it, preferably for good." Bryce was taken aback, their thoughts aligning.

He feigned surprise, "Nolan, what's got you so suddenly against him?"

"Suddenly?" Jarvis scoffed, "He had no right to be at this banquet. It would've been fine if Brielle had managed to kick him out. But then Shane had to step in and help him! Shane is Ronan's distant nephew, a tough nut to crack. Plus, my uncle mentioned Phineas seemed interested in Ludwik, querying the Patrick family about him. Is he catching wind of something, trying to probe our feud with Ludwik? Keeping Ludwik around disrupts the Patrick family's plans."

Bryce, grasping the situation, held his glass tighter, smiling slyly, "With Ludwik's current lack of status, wanting him gone should be easy, right? Even if it causes a stir, the Lippert family won't be able to make much of a wave."

Jarvis eyed him warily, "Doing it here won't work. This is the Wilson Manor, during sensitive negotiation times with Phineas. I can't afford to offend him."

"What if it goes unnoticed? Ludwik deserves a lesson."

Bryce swirled his wine glass with a smirk. Leaning in, Jarvis whispered menacingly, "Got a plan?"

10 PM.

The party at Wilson Manor was winding down.

Bryce and Whitney left together. Just as their car rounded a corner two miles away, Whitney's phone rang. It was Shane.

"Whitney, are you still at Wilson Manor, or have you left?"

Though Shane sounded calm, Whitney detected an unusual undertone.

Puzzled, she replied, "I've left. What's up? Is there something wrong at the manor?"

Hearing her safe, Shane let out a deep sigh of relief. "Good, you're safe. Yeah, something happened. You wouldn't believe it-the greenhouse next to the villa exploded!"

Whitney's heart skipped a beat. "An explosion? How could that happen? Was anyone inside?"