Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

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Chapter 106
Whitney snapped back to reality. She had just tried to call Tiana on a borrowed phone, but there was no answer-Tiana was
probably tied up with something.
She knew the way, so Whitney nodded in thanks and revved up her e-bike, speeding down the alleyway as a
chill set in.
Suddenly, three motorcycles roared up from behind, speeding straight toward her. Whitney swerved to the side, but it was too
late to avoid them completely. She quickly jumped off the bike, sensing the riders had ill intentions. Just past the construction site
lay Tiana’s neighborhood, a cluster of suburban mansions.
Whitney hurried along the path next to the construction site, but as darkness enveloped her, without her phone’s GPS, she
quickly lost her bearings.
Looking up, she found herself cornered in the middle of the construction site by the three motorcycles.
A helicopter sliced through the sky, heading north over Banyan City.
Felix said gravely, “Mr. Lippert, the mansion’s security reported that Madam fled on an e-bike...”
“A bunch of incompetents, can’t even keep track of one woman. Doesn’t that bike have a tracker?” Ludwik’s brows furrowed with
anger.
Felix found him intimidating and was surprised that Ludwik had left Natalie unattended to chase after Whitney. It was obvious
how important she was to him. He feared that once caught, Ludwik might tear her apart.
“It takes some time to activate the e-bike’s tracker,” Felix replied, equally anxious.
The helicopter circled several times, clueless about where to search.
Suddenly, Ludwik’s phone rang. It was Tiana, her voice laced with urgency, “Mr. L? What’s going on with Whitney? She borrowed
a stranger’s phone to call me, but I missed it. When I called back, he said she left looking dazed. I’m worried she’s in danger...”
“Where did he see her?” Ludwik’s voice was icy.
“At the bank on South City Road.”
“Head there and land!” Ludwik commanded the pilot.
The helicopter descended rapidly on South City Road. Ludwik leaped out and quickly spotted the e-bike parked at the roadside.

But where was she?
His gaze swept around coldly until he saw a large housing development across a street to the left. His intuition twitched.
Damn that woman, fleeing so far on an e-bike. And now, why had she abandoned it? She was unarmed, and it was getting
dark...

Felix pointed to the right. “Madam wouldn’t head toward the construction site. There’s a supermarket to the right; she might have
taken shelter there.”
Ludwik glanced toward the supermarket, his eyes darkening.
Whitney stood in the dark, the motorcycles gone.
The empty building loomed ominously, a little terrifying.
She could not tell which direction to go without her phone to light the way. Suddenly, a chilling laugh echoed
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Chapter 106
from above-someone was there!
Whitney’s heart raced, and she prepared to run, but a familiar voice descended from the darkness before she could. “Whitney.”
L? How did he find her here?
Before she could think further, his voice boomed, “Dodge!”
Confused and sightless in the dark, she heard something crash from above!
Looking up, Whitney saw a piece of glass plummeting from the building, and she froze in terror, unable to
move.

In that instant, a man seemed to appear from nowhere and lunged toward her.
Whitney was enveloped in a familiar warmth. L did not let her fall, but she heard a dull thud above her head followed by the drip
of blood on her face.
Panic-stricken, Whitney cried out, “L... you’re bleeding!”
The sinister laughter from above grew louder, and then suddenly, the glint of a blade and chaos ensued. Whitney was aware only
that she had not been thrown to the ground, and she heard the sound of the knife penetrating the flesh at least twice as the man
shielded her like a rock.
Tears streamed down her face as she whispered, “L, are you hurt, aren’t you?”
He did not push her out of the way because she was pregnant and could not afford a fall. He was unwavering in protecting their
child, a father guarding his child and the child’s mother.
Finally, when he gently pushed her aside, he said, “Run carefully.”
Whitney, pale as a ghost, took off in small, quick steps. Looking back, all she saw in the pitch dark was his body poised like a
mighty tiger, the assailant wildly attacking, each strike aiming for his life...
“Sir! Damn it!” Suddenly, Felix burst onto the scene with security guards in tow.
The attacker fled swiftly in an instant.
Stunned, Whitney ran to him. He stood unflinchingly, shaking off blood from his chiseled jaw.

He wore a black suit, looking imposing, and Whitney could not see where he was wounded. Her voice shook. “Oh my god... Are
you okay?”
“It’s just a flesh wound. Stop crying!” He reprimanded her sternly, then scooped her up. “We need to move.” “Call an ambulance,
now!” Felix’s voice was grave, and Whitney heard the unmistakable urgency.
Back at the office, Elaine slammed her hand on the desk as her assistant delivered the news, “What? Ludwik rescued Whitney
and got stabbed in the process?”.
How could this be? She had initiated her plan as soon as Whitney escaped, and Ludwik was far in the north-how did he find
Whitney so quickly?

Trouble, the assistant said, “Mr. Lippert had just ended a meeting early and received a call from the mansion. How he found
Whitney so soon is unknown.”
Elaine’s face clouded with anger. No matter how she plotted, Whitney always managed to escape danger, and now even Ludwik
got implicated!
She had not expected to shoot herself in the foot.
Furious, Elaine swept the documents from her desk and stormed out, “Which hospital was Ludwik taken to?”
Chapter 106
Outside the operating room, Whitney clutched Ludwik’s personal items, anxiously waiting.
She could not forget the sight of his blood-soaked back as he was wheeled in, haunting her...
He had lost so much blood yet had not uttered a word, carrying her all the way out of the construction site until the ambulance
arrived. His imposing frame then collapsed on the stretcher...
What kind of man was he? Whitney could not fathom it. Imposing, powerful, domineering, and bad, yet without a second thought,
he risked his life for her.
If it were not for him, she surely would have
Her face was a mask of fear and uncertainty
Soon, Nolan and Parker arrived as well.
The surgery was swift; after two hours, Ludwik was wheeled out.
Nolan and Parker rushed to speak with the doctor.
Whitney sprang to her feet, her gaze landing on the gaunt, chiseled face of the man lying motionless before her, his eyes closed,
his head and torso swathed in bandages.
She moved towards him slowly, her heart pounding.
Nolan finished negotiating with the hospital staff and turned to look at the petite woman with a heavy heart. His eyes darted
around before he let out a mournful sigh, saying, “How did it come to this?”
Whitney’s heart skipped a beat. She looked up at him, “What’s wrong?”
Nolan covered his eyes, the pain evident in his voice. “Whitney, the doctor says Bro’s not going to make it. That’s why they
rushed him out here so quickly. The glass shattered and caused severe internal bleeding in his brain. He might not even make it
through the night... Alas, if there’s anything you need to say to him, say it now. You might not get another chance.”
“What?” Whitney felt a chill run through her, her legs nearly giving way beneath her.