Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

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Chapter 85
“You’re off the hook now, Carter might not want to cross you,” he snorted with feigned indifference.
“I won’t admit to something I didn’t do. I know you’re a business tycoon who looks down on fernale entrepreneurs, but I do have
my principles. Believe it or not, that’s up to you, Whitney said with a light smile, her lips brightened by the warmth of the heater,
looking quite fetching. Ludwik’s gaze darkened with longing for that pretty mouth.
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he spoke with a chilling tone, laced with biting sarcasm, “Congratulations, getting nabbed was
supposed to land you life behind bars. Who was blind enough to bail you out? Your husband?”
Whitney flinched, life imprisonment? She muttered, “My friend said it would be just over a decade, tops.”
“Ignorant,” he scoffed arrogantly, “Billions in counterfeit diamonds, and the Lutz family pressing charges–did you really think
they’d settle for anything less than life? They wouldn’t bother otherwise.”
Whitney felt her blood run cold.
With a thin smile, he taunted, “Scared now? Do you actually think that ex of yours could save you? Hunters temper is explosive,
and Wyatt is slick as they come. Would he really attract hatred for someone like you? If you’re blind, perhaps it’s time to wash
your eyes out.”
She sat there stunned, shocked by his furious words.
But his reminder made her think. Wyatt was indeed cunning and would not curry favor with the Lutz family over a few words from
Simon, a love child.
That day, Tiana also mentioned Simon being inconsequential, but she had not seen anyone else but Simon.
“Mr. Lippert, perhaps you’re privy to what happened that night? Then tell me, who saved me?”
Ludwik felt his blood boil with irritation, his handsome face framed with a frosty sneer, “Apart from a husband saving his wife,
who else saves someone else’s wife? Because you’re pretty?”
Whitney’s face stiffened slightly, she had considered it, but L never mentioned saving her, bursting in only to fight and berate her.
Her face showed hurt, eyes brimming with unshed tears.

Ludwik knew he had been somewhat...harsh that night.
He just would not admit it. And this stubborn little mule would not back down either.
So, the cold war lasted until today.
Now, assuming the role of ‘Ludwik‘, he explained awkwardly, “If your husband is mad at you, did you ever stop to think why?
Maybe he dropped everything to save you, went through all that trouble, and what does he see? An ungrateful woman not only
failing to recognize her savior but also tangled up with her ex. How do you think he feels? Isn’t it natural for him to lash out at
you?”
His blunt guidance made Whitney stiffen again.

Thinking back to the heated argument that night, she was so furious she was not thinking straight. When L charged in, she was
thanking Simon.
And when her anger peaked, she sarcastically accused L of being too busy to answer his phone.
If it was L who saved her, would that not mean he completely misunderstood her? No wonder he was so angry
with her.
Her delicate fingers twisted in self–reproach, her face paling.
He watched with a touch of satisfaction. Had she finally realized her mistake?
Chapter 95

Ludwik’s eyes softened a bit.
But the next moment, she bit her lip defiantly, looking up to challenge him, “Even if he misunderstood, he had no right to berate
me without knowing the facts. Does he have any idea how much I’ve suffered?”
Ludwik frowned, “Suffered, how?”
It was just a scare, was it not?
Tears glittered in Whitney’s eyes, and even though he was a stranger to her, she felt an overwhelming sense of injustice. She
rolled up her sleeve, revealing the bruising, “I was beaten in the holding cell, and even my child was in danger. But you men are
all the same, only caring about your pride and jealousy. He didn’t even see my injuries, just mocked me for being just fine.”
What?
His pupils dilated, and he saw the deep bruises on her delicate wrists. She had been beaten in jail?
Why had no one told him?
He had not noticed that night and he had been so cruel to her.
And the caregivers these past days, were they blind or mute?
His gaze hardened as he realized how fragile she was and how she should not have been hurt.
Damn, he had been blind with rage, oblivious to everything.
“Does it... hurt?”.

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“What hurts more is my heart,” Whitney clenched her teeth, pulling her sleeve back down, her eyes stubbornly holding back
tears, “Thinking about how I was throwing up for his child in that bathroom, all Simon did was hand me a tissue, and L blindly
accused me of kissing my ex. I’m about to die from this jerk’s rage.”
Ludwik’s handsome eyes froze, wondering how many more bruises like that she had, her face barely a hand–span wide, now
even thinner, her eyes shimmering as if in pain. His heart softened, mixed with regret.
She was angry because he had been negligent and kept taunting her.
He reached out with his long fingers, wanting to comfort her, but Whitney sensed it and withdrew like a startled crab, guarding
herself. “Mr. Lippert, what are you doing?”
His eyes narrowed. Clearly, she still remembered she was a married woman, that day with Simon in the bathroom, maybe it
really was...

“Thank you, Mr. Lippert, for listening to my explanation today, and for letting me vent so much. Skye Gem will slowly return to my
hands. Watch out for me as a fair competitor,” she said, picking up her bag and walking away with a smile.
He leaned back in his chair, his long legs stretched out awkwardly, dress pants revealing a hint of a sensually bare ankle above
his sharp leather shoes, as stern as his expression.
“Damn,” he muttered, clenching his fist.
Felix followed Ludwik back to his office as the temperature seemed to drop.
Ludwik said, “Find out what exactly happened to her in the holding cell that night. And why was there no mention of bruising on
her medical records these past days?”
Ludwik had been monitoring the baby’s condition every day, he had seen her records, too, although he never mentioned it.
Elaine received a call from the hospital and stepped into her private office, the caller said, “Elaine, Mr. Lippert is suddenly
questioning why Whitney’s medical records failed to mention her injuries. I’ve responded that it wasn’t reflected because
pregnant women don’t take medication.”
Elaine paused, then said, “You did well, your director’s position is secure.”
23:36

Chapter 85
After hanging up, Elaine’s eyes narrowed. She had instructed the doctor to hide Whitney’s injuries, hoping to fuel a
misunderstanding between Whitriey and Ludwik, causing a rift between them.
Wasn’t Ludwik still angry? Why did he suddenly care about Whitney?
An ominous premonition hit her as she picked up a stack of documents and headed to the CEO’s top–floor office.
Felix was giving his report, “I checked with the attending physician and the nurses, the patient wasn’t on any medicine because
she’s pregnant and it did not show up on her chart. But the nurse mentioned that Madam had been sneaking off to the restroom
for a while every day. She’s probably self–medicating in secret.”
What? His woman was reduced to taking medicine on the sly?
Ludwik felt a lump in his throat.
What on earth had he overlooked?
She had mentioned her pregnancy nausea earlier, and as a soon–to–be father, he was desperate to see his little lady, to see his
unborn child, to soothe her with a gentle touch.
Ludwik’s emotions were in turmoil, but his voice was ice–cold. “Fire that doctor!”
Elaine walked in just in time to hear him demanding accountability.
Was it for Whitney? Her slender fingers curled into a fist.
Behind his desk, the man stood tall by the window, his mind clearly not on work. A restlessness marked his brow, yet he
suppressed it with an air of nobility, “Felix, call Nolan, tell him to set up a gathering night. It’s been too long since we got
together.”
“What? Mr. Lippert, aren’t you the workaholic type? Usually, when Nolan invites you out, you tell him to take a hike,” Felix
thought.
Despite his confusion, he carried out the order, only to hear Ludwik add casually, but with a pronounced depth to his words, “Tell
him to bring that woman along.”

“Which woman?” Felix asked, puzzled.