Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

Chapter 340

Whitney rolled her eyes in frustration and said, "Of course, I'm thrilled. All thanks to Bryce's legwork..." Bryce?

Ludwik's eyes darkened instantly, his patience wearing thin. "Bryce? You think he's qualified to help you?" "If not

him running around, then who? You?" Whitney shot back with a cold gaze.

Ludwik was fuming.

Normally, he wasn't one to seek recognition, but this woman had a knack for driving him to the edge.

He loomed over her with a chilling sneer, "Do you think anyone in Banyan City has the clout to get a criminal

released on the spot? Bryce is nothing but a speck of dust in the high court. You naive fool!"

If it hadn't been for her tears and Keegan's undeniable innocence, he wouldn't have bothered showing a shred of

compassion.

After all, his mother was still bedridden, a living ghost...

Whitney was momentarily taken aback, disbelief etched on her face. Did he intervene on her behalf?

Satisfied with her reaction, Ludwik's eyes narrowed slightly, his lips curling into a proud, cold smirk. "Ever

wondered why Parker suddenly changed his mind and helped you find Jaxon's daughter?" Whitney paused,

recalling Parker mentioning someone wanted to help her.

She had assumed it was Tiana who had convinced Parker...

So, it wasn't her after all.

Her fingers clenched slightly, realizing she hadn't considered the possibility that Ludwik had given Parker the

nod.

But wasn't he on Elaine's side?

Reading her mind, Ludwik's lips thinned, his expression turning grim. "I'm not as morally blind as you think. |

wasn't familiar with Keegan's case; | thought Jaxon was merely a witness. If you needed to find his illegitimate

daughter to ensure a fair trial, | was willing to assist. Little did | know, the Bartels family was the real culprit

behind it all..."

Whitney suppressed the turmoil in her heart, her tone icy. "So, Mr. Lippert, you mean to say you had no idea the

Bartels family were the murderers, hence your fairness. Had you known beforehand, | wonder if you would've

been so just, considering your ties to Elaine." "Are you deliberately twisting my words?" He hadn't been partial to

Elaine! And yet, no word of thanks.

The usually proud man glowered. "Ungrateful much? Perhaps | shouldn't have interfered."

Whitney's eyes turned cold, her tone laced with sarcasm. "Your intervention wasn't meddling; it was merely not

contributing to the tyranny. Have you ever stopped to think why the mighty Bartels Group, Zane included, would

go to such lengths to have my uncle killed in prison? What threat did my uncle pose to the Bartels family?"

Ludwik too found the case bizarre. It was clear in court that the Bartels family, one of the top families in Emperor

City, had no apparent reason to target Keegan, a seemingly insignificant man.

But when he confronted Elaine, she claimed ignorance.

Whitney's skeptical look turned into a cold laugh. "Your beloved Elaine and the Bartels family have a vendetta

against my uncle's family, the Tennysons! That's why Zane was in a hurry to silence my uncle, to eradicate the

Tennysons. The Bartels family had wronged the Tennysons years ago, and out of guilt, they acted. My uncle,

however, mistook his enemy three years ago..."

Ludwik's handsface darkened at her words.

Was she suggesting the Tennysons' real enemy was the Bartels Group, and Keegan had mistakenly targeted him

for revenge?

Realizing the misunderstanding from three years ago, which had turned him and Whitney into sworn enemies,

was actually a misdirected vendetta against the real culprits, the Bartels Group...

Ludwik felt a chill towards the Bartels family, his disdain for them growing.

Whitney's gaze turned somber. "To target a disabled man, Ludwik, do you still believe the Bartels Group and

Elaine are righteous? Think about it, have you truly understood this family?" Ludwik's expression froze slightly.

Before today, he had been unaware of the Bartels Group's murky history in Emperor City. Sure, Whitney's

narrative was to be taken with a grain of salt. However, the Bartels family's ruthless tactics against Keegan were

despicable in his eyes.

And Elaine...

Perhaps it was tto reassess his opinion of her. She had always seemed gentle, patient, and understanding.

His previous doubts arose during an incident involving bullying towards Danny.

Back then, he had rationalized Elaine's apparent lack of empathy towards a non-biological child as a human flaw,

understandable to sextent.

But now, the Bartels family's actions against Keegan spoke volumes about their character. Growing up in such a

family, could Elaine truly be as pure as he had believed?

Ludwik cast a profound look at Whitney, her eyes clear and striking even in the night's haze, her integrity

undeniable.

Recalling how she had treated Danny earlier that night, he thought she might have made a wonderful mother

had she been the one to take him in...

Perhaps... Elaine wasn't as kind-hearted as he had thought, and Whitney wasn't as malicious as he had

concluded three years ago.

His thoughts briefly lingered before he shifted away, dialing Felix. "The Keegan case, if the police uncover any

motive linked to the Bartels Group, | want a report."

Whitney watched him, his jawline casting a sharp shadow in the night. He didn't fully believe her yet.

Whitney was all about the facts, but she hoped a seed of doubt would sprout between him and Elaine. It was a

start, at least.

She curled her lip coldly, catching the man's gaze as he looked back, his eyes dark and inscrutable.

Ducking her head to grab sclothes, her silence clearly meant she wanted to end the conversation.

But there he was, standing in her way like a mountain, lounging with a cigarette in one hand, leaning against the

railing. Was he really that bored that he found watching her hang laundry entertaining? "Mr. Lippert, could you

move? You're in the way of my chores."

His gaze pinned her face. "Let's get back to the topic. | helped you with the case, got no thanks, and instead

caught ssarcasm. Should | just let that slide?"

Whitney was speechless.

This again? How could he have the nerve, especially when it was his Elaine who caused the mess, and now he

wanted credit for cleaning it up?

"What do you want then?"

"A thank you."

In her dreams.

Whitney didn't even want to utter those words.

Slim and straight, she tried to push past him with the laundry pole. "Are you going to move, or what? Why don't

you go back to your love nest? You're not welchere!" "Danny's staying over tonight. As his father, how can |

leave him alone?"

So, he wanted to squat here too?

Not happening.

Whitney instantly got mad. "There's no bed for you here, and | don't want you on my floor either."

"Then where should | sleep?" He smirked, catching on fast.

His gaze locked on her, somehow darkening, as if facing her always unleashed a side of him he couldn't control,

along with a burst of inappropriate comments. And watching her graceful figure sway in front of him stirred

something reckless inside...

Whitney pursed her lips, ignoring his crude remarks.

Picking up Danny's tiny shirt, she tossed it at his face, a smirk playing on her lips. "Since you're so free, you can

take over the laundry!"

"You woman..."

Ludwik's face darkened instantly. As a man with a high need for cleanliness, having his son's tiny underwear

thrown at his face was too much. "Damn it, take it off!" He stood frozen, unable to move his hands.