Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

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Chapter 77
“Don’t come any closer. I don’t know you,” Whitney said, clutching herself with a mix of caution and fear.
“You look familiar though, like a style I fancy,” the woman said with a sleazy and sinister approach.
Her accomplice stood by the door, peeking out cautiously.
Whitney slowly realized something was off. As she pushed herself up against the wall, her face turned pale.
This was no ordinary cellmate situation. Why had they been locked up right after her?
She tried to scramble away, but the tall woman swiftly pinned her against the corner with a strong grip on her delicate neck.
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“What do you want?” Whitney struggled.
The woman confirmed they were in a blind spot and revealed her vicious intent, not at all intoxicated as she had pretended.
“Someone wants you to enjoy the ambiance here,” she said with a low chuckle, tightening her grip on Whitney’s neck. “When I
‘drink,‘ I love to get rough.”
Whitney’s eyes widened in horror as she screamed for help, “Officer, officer! Someone’s attacking me... mph!”
Her mouth was promptly silenced. The lookout hissed, “Hit her in the stomach.”
No... not the baby!
Whitney was shoved next to a cabinet as the brute kicked her shin, bringing her down to her knees in agony,
unable to stand.
The woman quickly aimed another kick at Whitney’s stomach, but she curled up tightly, protecting her belly. Unable to pry her
open, the woman grew furious and began to pummel her relentlessly.
Whitney’s face turned ghostly white as she could only think of one person, “L, why haven’t you come? Save me, please save
me.”

Tears streamed down her face in desperation, and in her panic, she began to foam at the mouth.
The beating continued until the lookout panicked, shouting, “Enough! She’s foaming at the mouth; she’s not gonna die, is she?
The cops are coming!”
The assailant stood up and quickly stuffed a blanket into Whitney’s mouth.
The police were at the door, and Whitney could no longer cry out. The officers didn’t notice her plight, “Your folks are here to bail
you out. Come with me now.”
“Sure thing,” the two women hastily exited.
Once the door shut again, Whitney lay curled up on the floor, trying to crawl. However, even the slightest movement sent waves
of pain through her abdomen, causing sweat to bead on her forehead.

Panic took hold, and as she lay on the cold ground, her consciousness began to fade. Helplessly whimpering, she uttered, “My
baby, my baby is in danger, L...”
The helicopter landed swiftly in front of the Lutz Mansion.
Ludwik stepped out, feeling an inexplicable heaviness in his chest, a terrible premonition.
A car seemed to have been waiting, and a man rushed towards him, “Mr. Lippert, there’s trouble at Imperial Gem Corporation!”
The man was the materials purchasing manager from Imperial Gem Corporation, and he reported nervously, “My monitoring fell
short, Mr. Lippert. Following Whitney’s arrest this afternoon, Carter, implicated alongside her, confessed that a few months ago,
under Whitney’s recommendation, he delivered counterfeit gemstones

12:15
Chapter 77
to a subsidiary of our company. These fakes have now been used in the production of diamond rings. It might have gone
unnoticed, but today’s routine inspection by the commerce and quality inspection bureau discovered a substandard product in
our store. This could be a deliberate act by Whitney against Imperial Gem Corporation! We’ve made the negative headlines now,
and the reputation of Imperial Gem Corporation, cherished by aristocrats worldwide, is at stake.”
Ludwik’s expression stiffened, his eyes unreadable in the night.
Elaine glanced at the purchasing manager before approaching Ludwik cautiously, “What nonsense are you spouting? Do you
even know who Whitney is to Mr. Lippert?”
Ludwik gestured for silence with a swift hand.
Elaine obediently stopped talking, then whispered, “Bro, you didn’t even know Whitney a few months ago. There’s some
business rivalry between Skye Gem Ltd. and Imperial Gem Corporation...”
A chill rippled through Ludwik’s eyes, growing more intimidating.
He had come to rescue her without fully understanding the situation or knowing that Imperial Gem Corporation was involved.
He instinctively trusted Whitney. But he had forgotten, Whitney had been in commerce since her teens, and anyone in business
was never simple, including himself.
Recollections of her vendetta against Imperial Gem Corporation and her provocative actions came to mind.

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Since their marriage of convenience, he didn’t truly know her character, only being drawn in by her stunning face and vibrant
personality.
She wasn’t a bad person, but could she potentially harm Imperial Gem Corporation? That was harder to say.
His mood cooled, and his face grew stern, a change Elaine clearly perceived.
Nevertheless, Ludwik dismissed his doubts and remained determined to save her, making his way towards the
Lutz Mansion.
Elaine, ever understanding, asked, “Bro, do you need me to suppress the news about Imperial Gem Corporation? You could
cover this up for Whitney, but we must ensure your dad never finds out.”

As if on cue, Ludwik’s phone rang with a call from the Lippert family estate.
The man’s face turned icy.
Elaine feigned surprise, “Your dad might already know about Whitney’s deeds...”
“It might not be her doing,” Ludwik corrected sharply.
Elaine paused.
As he quickly entered the Lutz Mansion, Elaine clenched her fingers. He was determined to save Whitney at all
costs.
Upon catching sight of Ludwik gracing his presence, Hunter immediately grasped the gravity of the situation. The Lipperts, one of
the city’s four magnates, operated on a different level, with a complex hierarchy matching their sprawling estate.
With roots deeply embedded in Banyan City, the Lipperts surpassed other elite families. At the helm of their commercial empire
stood Ludwik, the inscrutable third–generation magnate of immeasurable depths.
Sensing the weight of Ludwik’s prestige, Hunter meticulously prepared some coffee.
But Ludwik didn’t come for coffee. He sat for barely two minutes before laying bare his purpose.

Hunter’s expression stiffened. Whitney had been peddling counterfeit diamonds and boldly selling fake diamonds to deceive him.
Shame that his wife had such a strong affinity for the True Love Collection‘. He was ready to drag that girl through the courts, to
have her clapped in irons. Yet here was Ludwik, declaring her
12:15
under his protection.
Though reluctant to concede, Hunter couldn’t ignore the influence of the Lipperts, not just as the first family of Banyan City but
with a reach extended deeper into Emperor City.
Ludwik, the young patriarch, was the last man in the Lippert line one would want to cross, his tactics daunting even to an old
hand like Hunter.
A single call to the precinct and Ludwik’s brow eased.
As the man with the ice–cold aura stepped out of the Lutz Mansion, his commanding silhouette pressed heavy against the night.
The Lippert’s old butler drove up, blocking the Lutz’s gate. His voice trembled as he spoke, “Sir, the master wishes to see you at
the mansion. He has questions for you.”
“Felix, make haste to the station and get her out,” Ludwik ordered into the night, his urgency cloaked in calm.
Elaine, ever empathetic, chimed in, “I’ll lend a hand. I’ll get a lawyer. You return to the Lippert Mansion, Bro. We’ll make sure
Whitney is released.”
“She’s with child. Handle it with care!” Ludwik instructed coolly before climbing into the car.
Simon had been pacing outside the police station for hours after two inebriated women had been hauled in earlier.
Two hours later, they stumbled out.
Simon, leaning against his car and smoking, went unnoticed as they whispered to each other, “She’s been in there so long; hope
she hasn’t kicked the bucket.”
“We only took a small bribe, why push her to the brink...”.

Simon froze mid–drag, the cigarette dangling from his lips. He straightened up, his expression shifting rapidly as he bolted
toward the station, “Officer! Was Whitney locked up with those two women? She might be in danger. Go check on her now!”