Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

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Chapter 113
But this time, she did not show her face.
She simply shared some exciting news: she was about to return from abroad and wanted them to prepare for her arrival.
For Whitney and Tiana, this was undoubtedly great news! They would definitely grill Valerie about her love life once she was
back.
Moreover, Whitney had a hunch that the mysterious benefactor backing Monica would be revealed with Valerie’s return.
Whitney stood up to settle the bill, but Tiana stopped her with a frown, reminding her, “Do you realize Monica is staying at this
hospital? Didn’t she suffer a broken rib recently? It hasn’t quite healed yet. Elaine and Monica are out to get you, and you need
to be careful not to let Monica cause you trouble.”
Tiana had a feeling that many bad things were happening to Whitney lately, so she reminded her.
Yet a thought flashed across Whitney’s mind, connecting her earlier suspicions..
Monica, Elaine...
Her eyes darkened. What if Monica’s benefactor was Elaine?
The thought sent shivers down her spine.
“I got it.” Whitney said, calming her thoughts and waving her hand dismissively.
But no sooner had she stepped out of the café than a few police officers blocked her way.
They spoke to her in a negotiating tone, “Ms. Valentine, your husband disagrees with using you as bait to lure the criminal, but
we still need your assistance...
He is hospitalized, and the criminal is lurking nearby. He’s skilled in martial arts, so he’s quite dangerous. I suggest we take the
offensive instead of you being on constant guard. Don’t worry. We’ll ensure your safety and that of your unborn child. You just
need to make an appearance, and we’ll have officers everywhere...”
“No, Ms. Valentine!” The bodyguard who accompanied Whitney immediately rushed over to stop them..

Whitney looked at the police, then at her bodyguard, her eyes reflecting deep thought.
She was pregnant, and under normal circumstances, she certainly would not take risks.
But the fact that the criminal had suddenly targeted her the day before was peculiar. Felix and L thought the criminal had
followed L and thus discovered she was his wife.

Harmning her and her child was to take revenge on her husband, the CEO of United Realty Corporation.
But Whitney’s intuition told her otherwise.
She really wanted to ask the criminal a few questions face–to–face.

Clutching her slender fist tight, she said, “If the police can guarantee my safety 100%, I’m willing to cooperate.” *L would never
allow you to be in any danger!” The bodyguard reached for his phone to contact Felix. Whitney stopped him, persuading, “Do
you want your boss to always be at risk? He was nearly killed by falling glass last night.”
While the bodyguard hesitated, Whitney quickly followed the police to their car.
They had a witness who had seen the criminal in an alley next to the hospital, possibly hiding in a motel.
What Whitney needed to do was walk down the alley, of course, with officers stationed in every building on both sides.
Whitney had two bodyguards follow her in plain clothes so she would be completely safe if the criminal appeared
She was afraid, but the officers‘ assuring glances made her willing to risk a confrontation.

As she walked into the dimly lit alley, in less than two minutes, a shadow emerged from beneath the building.
next to her
“The criminal!” Whitney shouted
Her bodyguards charged forward in the nick of time, but someone was even faster. Before the criminal could bring the knife to
her throat, an arm swiftly intervened.
The bodyguards arrived quickly, and Bryce shielded Whitney to the side. His shirt was torn, and blood was
visible!
“Mr. Lutz? You again?”
“What a coincidence, right?” Bryce said with a pained grin.
Whitney turned and saw the criminal pinned down by the bodyguard. Remembering her purpose, she rushed over, crouched
down, and demanded, “How did you know I’m the wife of United Realty Corporation’s CEO?” “I’m going to kill you. Without you
and the child in your womb, he’d taste the pain of losing a father! Damn capitalist, poor safety measures at the construction site
cost my father his life, and to suppress the news, they gave us a pittance. I kept petitioning, and your husband pretended to be
oblivious. I don’t believe he was unaware of my father’s case climbing up the ranks in his company!”
Whitney frowned, shocked and puzzled.
She was shocked that the criminal even knew she was pregnant.

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She was puzzled because, from L’s conversation this morning, he genuinely seemed unaware of the construction site incident.
Why had his subordinates not informed him?
“How did you get such detailed information about me?” Whitney asked again.
you?
The criminal violently pulled a photo from his pocket, sneering as he compared it to her, “Isn’t this yo Someone gave me this
picture. You are his wife!”
Before the police could seize the photo as evidence, Whitney quickly pocketed it.
She needed that photo!
Someone had deliberately given the criminal her picture, clearly using him to harm her.

But who?
Connecting recent events and her suspicions about Monica’s benefactor, Whitney could only think of one
person.
Tiana said she had been plagued with misfortune. Indeed, Whitney was starting to piece everything together. The recent series
of incidents seemed accidental but targeted her and her child’s lives.
She was carrying L’s child. Who viewed that as a thorn in their side?
It had to be Elaine...
A chill ran through Whitney’s body.
Bryce saw her staring blankly, her face pale and cold. He moved towards her but winced in pain.
Whitney immediately turned, having forgotten he was injured while saving her.
Just now, he had been quicker to save her than the bodyguards.
“Mr. Lutz, I’m sorry! Come on, I’ll take you to the hospital; it’s very close.”

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Chapter 113
“I know” Bryce pressed his bleeding arm with a smile. “I heard you were injured and came to visit you at the hospital I parked my
car in this alley and just happened to see you when you were being held at knifepoint. gave me quite the scare.”
Whitney realized why he had appeared so coincidentally.
She smiled weakly, her face pale. “Scared you, yet you still risked yourself to save me?”
Bryce looked at her intensely, took a breath, and said softly, “Saving a woman I fancy is a man’s instinctive act.” Whitney’s
fingers, supporting him, stiffened suddenly,
He saw her turn pale, and an embarrassed smile crossed his refined face as he grunted in pain.
Whitney hurriedly helped him towards the hospital.
He had sliced a tendon and needed minor surgery. Whitney felt too guilty to ask him to call his assistant; it was her fault he got
hurt, after all. She felt obligated to stay by his side in both conscience and reason, so she reluctantly asked Tiana, who had not
left yet, to help with the paperwork and run errands.
The medical team quickly whisked him away to the operating room.
Tiana pulled Whitney aside, her eyes wide with curiosity as they fixed on Whitney’s striking face, her gossip–hungry soul on full
display. “Bryce is Gunner’s uncle! He is known in Banyan City as the quintessential gentleman.
He spends most of his time abroad, but his Lutz Group is a big deal, too, only second to giants like Imperial Gem Corporation
and United Realty Corporation.
You’re on fire, girl! In just two days, two guys have risked their necks for you. It makes the whole rescue by L seem less like a
miracle now, doesn’t it? I mean, you do have this way with men. Could it be that Bryce is into you?”
Whitney stiffened, her thoughts racing back to Bryce’s ambiguous comments.
A wave of distress washed over her, and she shook her head. “It’s not the same. Last night, L nearly died for me. You did not see
how he shielded me and the kid, how he did not budge and took the knife.”

“I get it, I get it,” Tiana clicked her tongue sympathetically “Poor Bryce took this hit for nothing, huh?”
Chapter 114