Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
Chapter 443

Camilla's villa was modest, with a simple staff.

When Ludwik walked in, his grandmother greeted him with a warm smile, dressed in an elegant green cheongsam, and gestured for him to sit. "Ludwik, try the tea I've brewed."

After taking a sip, Ludwik complimented, "It's really good, Grandma."

He sat up straight, waiting for her to speak. Still fiddling with the teapot, the old lady said, "Poor Whitney Sheldon had quite the ordeal tonight."

Ludwik looked up sharply. Grandma knew about the incident at the front of the house?

Meeting his gaze, the grandmother explained, "Someone used my name to summon her to Justin's place. I feel terrible about it and had to intervene. After she left Justin's, she wouldn't tell my servant where she was hiding. She's quite cautious. Is she safe now?" Ludwik thought, "Why is she asking me?" but managed to say, "Yes, she's safe."

"Did you confront your brother Riley?" she inquired further.

"Riley wronged a decent girl, trying to arrange a marriage in such a despicable manner," Ludwik replied, his tone even but his eyes cold.

The grandmother looked at him thoughtfully. "Riley is at fault, but it's not solely on Joanne. Tonight's incident is actually an internal matter of the Sheldon family. I hope you don't take your anger out on Riley too harshly. It won't benefit your recent return." Ludwik paused, then asked, "An internal matter of the Sheldon family?"

With a sigh, the old lady continued, "I might be old, but I still see and hear. Mrs. Sheldon had a long talk with Joanne tonight. Joanne, bless her, might have been manipulated into trying to lift her son's status. It's somewhat pitiful, dealing with a stepmother's challenges." Ludwik was shocked. So, Mrs. Sheldon and Joanne conspired against Whitney?

His anger had been directed at Justin, perhaps too hastily. Joanne had brought people to his villa, with Holly and Sienna following closely. Sienna had even said in panic, "Whitney escaped?"

Ludwik's expression turned icy, realizing Florence, Whitney's stepmother, might have had malicious intentions, not as cordial as she appeared.

"Alright, grandma's main concern is that you don't exacerbate the feud with Riley over the Sheldon family's internal disputes. I, like your father, wish for you to solidify your foundation, cleanse the Lippert family of leeches, and maintain our status as the premier family of Harmonia Country."

The grandmother's words carried weight, hinting at the hidden turmoil within the household, especially concerning Jarvis Thea.

Ludwik nodded, "I'll do my best, Grandma."

"I know I've chosen well. You're the most outstanding grandson of the Lippert family. And Jason mentioned you have a son? I've yet to meet him. Bring him over sometime; I'd love to meet my great-grandson." With a smile, Ludwik stood up, "Sure, I'll bring him by soon."

As he left, the maid came to assist the old lady, "You've always had the family's best interests at heart."

The grandmother sighed, "It's not easy building a relationship with Ludwik, especially considering his marriage to Florence, yet tonight he was helping Whitney..."

"Young people's affairs should be left to them," the grandmother mused, having noticed Ludwik's particular gaze on Whitney, which was markedly different from his indifference towards Florence.

"I hope he can cleanse the Lippert family without causing too much internal strife."

The maid almost mentioned Jarvis's name, hinting at external threats to the family.

The next day, Whitney returned to her hotel, dedicating her day to accompany Danny. They explored Emperor City, buying summer clothes for Danny and his friend Sammy, hoping to reunite with Sammy soon. Thinking of contacting Parker for leads, Whitney received a call from Tiana about a scandal involving Justin and Parker that had taken the city by storm.

Shocked, Whitney found the news online, showing photos of Justin and Parker together, which she knew were fake. Parker had only helped her escape that night. Who leaked this news?

"Tiana, can you replace out who's behind leaking Justin's news?"

"I already did. It was Ludwik, which is why I'm asking you what's going on."

"It looked like Ludwik and Parker had set a trap for Justin, and I couldn't help but wonder if it had anything to do with you."

Whitney was taken aback, slowly biting her lip in silence.

She thought this whole mess had been smoothed over.

Why would Ludwik go so far to mess with Justin? Could it be...

Her heart skipped a beat, cheeks flushing. Was he jealous or trying to stand up for her? Just last night, he had aggressively asked her if Justin had laid a hand on her.

But that thought quickly cooled. Whitney chided herself for being too sentimental.

It was probably just his way of dealing with internal conflicts within the Lippert family. Besides, they were broken up. Him caring about her honor now would just make him look worse.

Whitney scoffed, responding to Tiana's question, "What does this have to do with me?"

"But Ludwik going to such lengths to get back at a guy, it's probably because he's jealous over you. He's never been this extreme with Bryce before."

"Let's not talk about him," Whitney muttered, tired of Tiana's theorizing.

Tiana paused, treading carefully before asking, "Whitney, you were crying so hard that day, was it because of Ludwik..."

"Yeah, we're completely done. Better off apart, he's happier this way."

Tiana stopped short, "What do you mean, does he have a new girlfriend?"

Danny, who had been silently observing, suddenly snatched the phone, speaking up to make sure Whitney heard, "Tiana, it's my dad being awful! I'll replace out why he's got a new girlfriend. Please help comfort mom, don't let her give up on dad completely. That homewrecker, I'll deal with her sooner or later!"

"Oh, Whitney, did you hear that? Your son doesn't want you to split up," Tiana smirked.

Whitney glanced away, annoyed at Danny, a spitting image of Ludwik in his cold demeanor, yet she couldn't bring herself to be angry with him.

"Stay out of grown-up business, Danny. Mommy can take good care of you and Sammy just fine."

But Danny didn't want to choose between just dad or mom.

He sighed, wishing Sammy were here; Sammy was the best at dealing with troublemakers.

No matter, he, Daniel, could handle it himself. He'd confront that woman soon enough.