Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
Chapter 289

"I just can't see how it's possible. With the Bartels family and Ludwik keeping things under wraps, there's no way the prison would turn a blind eye unless..." Elaine paused abruptly, a thought crossing her mind, only to dismiss it immediately. "No, there's no way Ludwik

would help her. Given his grudge against Whitney, he wouldn't lift a finger for Keegan's mess."

That was exactly why the Bartels were confident they could take Keegan down without consequence.

"You need to test the waters with him..." Delphine said, clearly frustrated, "Whitney met with Keegan, and he must've spilled everything. The drugs in his system should've metabolized in a month, but that depends on the individual's metabolism, and Whitney might've taken samples! The drugs are banned substances from Bartels Hospital. If we retrieve them, she can't trace anything. Our top priority is, she'll definitely start digging into Lyle, and before that witch replaces any leads, you need to clean up everything, got it? We can't leave any loose ends!"

Elaine's gaze turned icy as she nodded briskly.

After hanging up, she kicked a cabinet over in frustration. Whitney had been quietly making moves behind the scenes. First, she took back Skye Gem Ltd., and now she's trying to save Keegan, hitting Elaine where it hurt without her noticing.

Elaine felt a strong threat looming over her, especially remembering the night three years ago when, in her arrogance, she spilled the beans about the feud between the Bartels Group and the Tennyson family to Whitney.

This witch, wanting to save Keegan, was clearly not going to let the Bartels off the hook.

"Well, let's see if you have what it takes," Elaine muttered to herself, taking a deep breath before hastily calling Jaxon, "Whitney's definitely going to dig into Lyle's family. Jaxon, you've been managing this case from the shadows, and being Lyle's nephew, she'll be onto you soon. Buy a ticket and get out of the country, deal with Lyle's family, and lay low!"

Jaxon was equally shocked, not expecting Whitney to move so quickly for Keegan's case.

"Don't worry, Miss. I'll leave the country immediately. Once I'm gone, she won't be able to replace anything."

Elaine finally let out a cold laugh and hung up, her mood as dark as the clouds.

She went upstairs to change, grabbed her bag, and headed straight for Skyfaith Group. She needed to replace out if the prison's cooperation had anything to do with Ludwik!

With anger burning inside her, Elaine rushed to Skyfaith Group, arriving just before ten, only to replace Ludwik wasn't in the office. After questioning the entire secretarial pool, she learned that Ludwik hadn't been in the office all morning.

"A little bird told me," a nervous secretary said, "for some reason, the assistant Felix moved the signing ceremony to the Christian Hotel. Mr. Lippert has probably been there all morning."

Christian Hotel?

Elaine suddenly remembered the morning news report about Skye Gem Ltd.'s top brass holding a celebration luncheon at Christian Restaurant. Wasn't that the same place?

Her eyelids twitched violently, and she stormed out of the building, driving straight to Christian Hotel.

-

Meanwhile, at Skye Gem Ltd., the company's PR team had dispersed the journalists and media, concluding the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Whitney stood in her office, waiting for her bodyguard to bring Sammy to the company, while she and Bryce monitored the airport's surveillance system hacked by Tiana.

After visiting her uncle yesterday, Whitney had wasted no time visiting Tiana's home, urging her to get back to her old ways. They had thoroughly investigated Lyle's distant relatives and close neighbors. Jaxon, a key figure, emerged as Lyle's nephew. And Jaxon was a familiar face around Elaine, having assisted her with numerous tasks three years ago.

Whitney remembered him. As a competent handler of affairs, things Elaine wouldn't bother with personally were undoubtedly Jaxon's responsibility. This case involving her uncle, the framing, the setup... Jaxon was a pivotal figure.

As expected, the Bartels family, upon learning of Whitney's secret visit to the prison, immediately made moves to have Jaxon flee. And there he was, about to slip through the international departure checkpoint at the airport, disguised with a mask and carrying a travel bag. Whitney looked up at Bryce, "Bryce, it's time for your men to close in."

They had strategically placed a large number of bodyguards throughout the airport an hour earlier, preparing for this moment.

Once this was handled, Whitney allowed herself a moment of relief.

Bryce returned from a call outside, bringing Sammy in, and casually said, "The beautiful Ms. Valentine, your son is here, and the executives are eagerly waiting for you. Can we head to the Christian celebration banquet now?" "Let's go. Today's lunch is on me, Mr. Lutz."

Sammy, holding his mommy's hand, looked up and blinked, "Ms. Valentine and Mr. Lutz, you're both so cool."

Their playful banter made both adults chuckle.

Whitney playfully pinched her son's ear, "Today is a big day for mommy, so can't I show off a little?"

"Of course, you can. My mommy took back her company, and that's awesome," Sammy giggled.

If not for the celebration, Whitney wouldn't have risked bringing her son out, leaving him all alone at home felt too heartbreaking.

The trio left Skye Gem Ltd. in Bryce's car, heading for Christian Restaurant.

-

In the business meeting room of Christian Hotel, Ludwik had just concluded a signing ceremony. Felix was seeing off the guests at the door when suddenly a graceful figure burst in. Felix couldn't stop her in time. "Elaine..."

The tall man seated at the head of the table, exuding an air of detached elegance, was smoking. He looked up, clearly not pleased with the intrusion, and frowned, "Elaine, what are you doing here?"

Elaine, fueled by anger and ready to confront, suddenly met Ludwik's stern gaze. The aura of authority emanating from the man, accustomed to commanding positions, made her involuntarily flinch.

Instantly softening the sharpness in her eyes, Elaine, clutching her purse, slowly stepped forward, her expression filled with a mix of grievance and plea, "Ludwik, it's just... I needed to clarify something with you. Is the meeting over?" Ludwik crushed his cigarette in the ashtray. Then, with a calm demeanor, he stood up, "Yeah, go ahead."

"I heard the lunch service here is quite good. How about we head to the restaurant and talk there, Ludwik?"

Ludwik glanced at his luxurious wristwatch, seemingly lost in thought for a moment. Surprisingly, he didn't object. He got up, his long legs leading him towards the door without waiting for Elaine, and pressed the elevator button.

Elaine, feeling slighted, stamped her foot quietly, sensing his mood was particularly off today. She glanced at the 'Christian Hotel' sign, her patience wearing thin, and decided to probe, "I heard from the folks at the office that today's signing was initially scheduled at the Grand Hotel. Why did Felix, your assistant, change it to the Christian Hotel at the last minute, Ludwig?"

Ludwik paused slightly, a flicker in his deep eyes as he recalled that morning's conversation with Felix, He had indeed mentioned off-handedly about having a premium card for Christian. Felix had seen the news about Ms. Valentine hosting a celebration at the Christian Restaurant. How could he miss such a hint?

He simply chose not to burst Mr. Lippert's bubble and went along with changing the venue.

Felix responded cheerfully to Elaine, "Indeed, I made the change, Elaine. Noticed there was quite a bit left on the premium card."

Elaine turned to glare at him, her look clearly conveying, 'Who asked you?'

She sensed Ludwik was distracted today, possibly due to something related to Whitney. Regardless of the nature of this distraction, it was enough to irk her.

The elevator dinged to a stop, and Ludwik told Felix, "Book the best private dining room. Elaine likes a view by the window, so make sure it's by the window."

Hearing this, Elaine's mood brightened a bit, and she was about to speak. The man glanced over, "What did you want to ask me?"