Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

Chapter 175

Ludwik’s eyes flashed with a second of shock before plummeting into the abyss of rage.

He grasped her slender neck with an icy grip, pinning her against the wall anger lending him a violent

edga

Through gritted teeth, he seethed, “Even with death breathing down your neck, you show no remorse,

pushing every mistake onto Elaine ”

Shaking his head with a cold laugh, he declared, “Whitney I won’t believe another word you say. Tve

paid my dues.”

Whitney stared blankly, tears streaming down her face as he abruptly withdrew his hand as if touching

her was

akin to filth.

The pain in his eyes, those words Tve paid my dues, utterly defeated her

What could she say? He didn’t believe her, stubbornly choosing to trust Elaine’s feigned warmth, now

his sole comfort.

He had no trust left for her.

“Felix, take her away. From now on, unless I say otherwise I dont want her within my sight!” he

commanded, pressing his temples fiercely

Felix hurried in, awkwardly pulling Whitney away. “Miss Ms. Valentine, please Mt. Lippert’s just starting

to get better, don’t provoke him further.”

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Whitney’s eyes brimmed with bitterness, aware she couldnt stir his temper anymore. Clutching her

aching belly, she bit her lip till it bled, dragged out like a discarded doll

A few meters out, she leaned against the wall, slumping down Felix please call Tiana.”

Cold sweat beaded on her forehead, Felix noticed her sweater bulging cody and didn’t dare delay,

dialing immediately.

Looking back after the call, he saw the ghostly white woman crouched in a corner clutching a

shapeless bag. stuffing its contents into her mouth, choking on tears and coughs in self torture

Felix couldn’t stand it, pitying the lady’s unspoken woes despite the deep wounds she’d inflicted on the

boss. He intervened, “Don’t do this, it’s bad for your stomach”

“These are his favorite treats, cookies, she sobbed, he told me last night how he loved the ones his

mom made, but now I can’t even give them to him, Felix, what dolog. “Her tears flowed like those of a

lost child.

Felix, his emotions in turmoil, saw Tiana with medical staff, helping the fallen Whitney

Returning to the hospital room, he found Mr. Lippert, weakened after his outburst gasping for air, his

fingers digging into his brow

After a hesitant silence, Felix spoke. “Mr. Lippert, I thought I saw Mrs. Valentine near your room early

this morning: did she come in last night?”

Elaine, emerging from the bathroom, cursed internally, had Felix seen Whitney leaving the room? With

a feigned smile, she said generously, “Ludwik, I was busy treating you all night, I didn’t notice if anyone

was at the door Maybe Whitney stopped by.”

“To laugh at me?” Ludwik’s features turned frosty

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If not for her hurting his mother, he wouldn’t have collapsed. Yet, she showed no remorse, casting

Elaine as the scapegoat. He was at his limit with her.

“Have you been fooled by her too?” Ludwik glared at Felix, dismissing he words. I hear you speak.

again, you’re out.”

Felix stiffened, wanting to mention the cookies and what Whitney had said to him, but fearing it might

remind Ludwik of Natalie

Apologizing, Felix suggested a psychiatrist, but Ludwik insisted on leaving, aware of the hallway

incident.

Before leaving the hospital, Elaine ordered her assistant Jaxon to erase the surveillance footage,

eliminating. any hint of Whitney’s role in saving Ludwik.

Whitney, after waking from a restless sleep, received a taunting text from Elaine. Unfazed, she replied

indifferently and turned off her phone.

“Tiana,” Whitney said weakly, penning a list of herbs, “get these made into pills and somehow get

Ludwik to take them.”

As Tiana left to fulfill the request, Valerie arrived, concern etched on her face.

“What’s wrong. Valerie?” Whitney asked, weary from the relentless tide of misfortune.

Valerie didn’t mince her words, “Last night, Kaden and Orion were holed up at the hospital for hours on

end. No matter how much Ashton and his crew tried to shield it, the reporters got wind of Mr. Lippert’s

mental breakdown, and now it’s all over the news. Ludwik Lippert, once a titan of Banyan City’s

business world, has seen his reputation nosedive…”

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Whitney’s face turned ashen. She quickly said, “Turn on the TV. I want to see the news.”

Valerie knew she couldn’t keep it from her forever, so she reluctantly switched on the flat–screen TV

mounted on the wall and tuned into the business channel.

Just then, Tiana came back, disappointment etched on her face. “Whitney, Ludwik’s gone. He’s not in

his mother’s room or anywhere in the hospital. He’s left.”

“What?” Whitney gasped, her fingers tensing. “His condition is severe. How could he leave the hospital

at a time like this?”

Tiana sighed, “Not just him, Elaine is gone too.

Hearing this. Whitney felt a lump in her throat. Was Elaine by his side?

Her eyes started to glaze over, like deep, dark caverns. She gave a self–deprecating chuckle, “He’s still

ill, yet he insists on leaving the hospital. Is it because he’s so disgusted with my persistence that he

can’t wait to get away from me?”

“Don’t think like that!” Valerie quickly responded.

She glanced at the financial news, analyzing the situation logically, “The current scenario is extremely

unfavorable for him; it’s not about you. The reporters have been here once; they’ll surely come again,

so of course, he can’t leave any more traces. The days ahead will be even tougher for him.”

Whitney’s gaze followed Valerie’s to the TV, her expression undergoing a sudden transformation. The

business news was broadcasting live from the Imperial Gem Corporation’s shareholder meeting, where

they were officially appointing Orion as the new CEO!

Chapter 176

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Chapter 176

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