Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
Chapter 280

your wedding next month will go off without a hitch?"

"Look, if I go public with these explicit photos of you and your ex, how do you think your darling Elaine would react? Would it break her heart, spark a bit of jealousy? With your marriage certificate in one hand and these suggestive photos in the other, do you really think Ludwik's face darkened as he stared at the revealing photos. He couldn't let Elaine see these.

The woman before him was all ice and edge, and any faint, dreamy haze from last night was now utterly gone. Clearly, she had played him again! She had used her leverage over him.

Fists clenched, his face turned icy, "You wretch, spit it out. What do you want?"

"I want you to pull some strings at the Banyan City Jail, let me visit my uncle without the Bartels family's influence getting in the way!"

"Don't drag Elaine into this. She has no interest in meddling with your uncle. Unlike you, she's not despicable to the core!"

Ha. Your Elaine is a saint, you're blind.

A sting of mockery crossed Whitney's heart, her voice laced with sarcasm, "We'll see if I'm smearing your precious Elaine when the truth about my uncle's case comes out. Cut the crap, are we making this deal or not? If not, I'm reaching out to every major media outlet in Banyan City."

Saying this, Whitney reached for her phone.

Watching her relentless demeanor, Ludwik felt a surge of loathing. He was a fool to think he had seen a different side of her. This kind of woman, heartless.

At that moment, he felt stupid for letting his guard down with a drunkard last night. Why did he give in to his impulses, giving her an opportunity to exploit? She was only out to blackmail him, the chaos was all on him. This despicable woman, probably even found humor in his vulnerability.

With a cold heart and a shadow over his brow, Ludwik stood up, wrapping himself in a bathrobe, his long legs moving towards Whitney. His grip was strong, suddenly seizing her delicate neck!

"What are you doing, Ludwik..." Whitney hadn't expected such violence, struggling against his hold.

"Did you think there wouldn't be consequences for scheming against me?" Ludwik's fingers tightened dangerously until she could hardly breathe. He suddenly let go, his eyes cold with disdain, "Fine. As part of the deal, get your divorce finalized! Don't even think about using that marriage certificate to cause trouble or make Elaine upset. Sort out your uncle's mess and better leave Banyan City with your divorce papers. Forget about Skye Gem Ltd.; it belongs to Elaine now. If you don't leave, don't blame me for not showing mercy." The venom in his gaze made Whitney shiver, a cold laugh escaping her. So, for Elaine, he was willing to play dirty, to drive her out of Banyan City.

"Alright, a divorce certificate for a jail visit, it's a deal," Whitney said nonchalantly, a smirk on her lips. But then, she laughed again, walking past him, "Too bad, your Elaine is going to keep being unhappy."

Ludwik frowned, about to question her meaning. His phone suddenly vibrated. He walked back to the bedside, picking it up to see Elaine's call, who had tried to reach him countless times last night.

Ludwik's brow furrowed, recalling how close he had come to messing up with Whitney, feeling both frustrated and guilty. Squeezing his forehead, he grabbed his jacket, not giving Whitney another glance, and stormed out. It wasn't until he was in the hotel elevator that he called back, taking a breath, "Elaine, what's up?"

"Ludwik, you promised to come home last night, but you didn't, and I... I just felt so uneasy..."

Elaine's voice was soft and filled with grievance. Ludwik felt a twinge of apology, softening his tone, "Sorry, I got held up with something last night and didn't make it home..."

"People in our circle said you ran into Whitney at the dinner. Is she the reason you didn't come home?"

Elaine asked cautiously.

Ludwik stiffened, his guilt muddled, "Of course not! I had to stop by the office. Don't worry; I'll be home soon to see you and our son."

Elaine, hiding under the hotel's portico, watched his car pull away, almost grinding her teeth, yet she smiled, "Okay."

"By the way, Ludwik, there's been a huge issue with Skye Gem Ltd. This morning, Mr. Rufus suddenly announced he's not selling to us and will continue to freeze the assets. Did you hear about that?"

"What? Impossible!" Ludwik scoffed, "I told him over the phone to finalize everything today so you could take over as CEO."

"But the news broke this morning, and I was so puzzled. Ludwik, I checked, and Whitney used some underhanded tactics to threaten Mr. Rufus!"

""What?" Ludwik was caught off guard, a chill in his eyes.

"Ludwik, you better check the news. Whitney's moves are clearly aimed at me... and also, it's like a slap in the face for you in front of the entire Banyan City business community!" Elaine fumed.

Ludwik hung up and immediately checked his phone, his face darkening. He then realized Mr. Rufus had also tried to call him multiple times last night. Ludwik angrily dialed, "Mr. Rufus, you dare defy my orders? Want to lose your chairman's seat?"

Mr. Rufus was in a bind, fearing more the exposure of his scandals than losing his position.

"Mr. Lippert, Whitney has my dirt in her hands. I'm sorry, but following the official auction process, Whitney legally reclaimed the company first. If it goes to court, she has a strong case. I... I have another matter to attend to, so I'll hang up now."

Mr. Rufus hung up, leaving Ludwik in a cold rage, throwing his phone out of the car window. He had underestimated this woman, never expecting Whitney to stoop so low, to actually blackmail Mr. Rufus into defying his orders. The news released this morning meant she must have sought out Mr. Rufus last night. Damn woman, plotting against him while simultaneously ditching him for that Mr. Rufus, that old fat cat. The very thought made his blood boil even more.

Bentley sped away from the hotel. Elaine emerged from the shadows, her fists clenched, her gaze piercing through the hotel lobby. Whitney, bag in hand and dressed to the nines, leisurely checked out and descended the steps. "Whitney!"

Suddenly, a voice called out from behind her. Whitney blinked, turning around, only to be met with a vicious slap aimed at her face! But her reflexes were quick, and she dodged, extending a hand to block the aggressive arm. Only then did Whitney's eyes travel up to see Elaine's nearly contorted face.

Looking at her icy demeanor and then back at the hotel, thinking of Ludwik who had just left... Whitney suddenly put two and two together. She couldn't help but laugh, "Elaine, good morning. Looking for Ludwik, are you? He just left, didn't you see him?"