Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

Chapter 200

After asking for the favor, Whitney finally relaxed and picked up the menu to order, “So, Mr. Lutz, what

will you have?”

“Call me Bryce, would that be okay?” His smooth voice carried a warmth with it.

Whitney paused, looked up, and met his gentle gaze. With a resigned smile, she said, “Bryce, it’s my

treat.*

The man chuckled, “Alright. But you haven’t answer my question yet.”

Whitney was speechless, and quickly turned to place their order.

But Bryce wasn’t one to let her deflect the topic easily. He caught the sleeve of her blouse and sighed

deeply, “With your frequent hospital visits, the baby’s at risk. You can’t keep bending backwards for him

to torment you. I hope you’ll seriously consider your future, and the child’s.”

“I mean every word. I’m waiting for you, and I want to be with you, pregnant or not. Just give me a

chance.”

“What kind of chance? The chance of swooping in on someone else’s wife?” A mocking voice

interrupted them, and Ludwik loomed over the table, casting a shadow over Whitney.

She looked up sharply as Ludwik kicked back a chair and sat down uninvited.

He smirked at Bryce, his natural air of authority palpable.

The two men were evenly matched, but the women nearby couldn’t help but give Ludwik, with his sharp

edges and dominant presence, more attention.

Unruffled by the sarcasm, Bryce met his gaze evenly and with a smile suggested, “Mr. Lippert, there

are plenty of empty tables around. Why squeeze in with us?”

“Us?” Ludwik chuckled darkly, “Is there an ‘us’ between you two?”

His biting words clenched Whitney’s fists, a numb pain at her heart.

Bryce gave her a reassuring glance and coolly retorted, “Mr. Lippert, no need to be so aggressive.

Since you’ve moved on to someone else, let Whitney go. That Elaine who was with you the other day

seemed quite a match for you.”

He added with a hint of irony, “As I understand it, you’re engaged to Elaine at the end of the month,

aren’t you?”

Ludwik’s eyes danced mockingly to Whitney, “Eager to share the news with your new lover?”

“Ludwik, mind your language.” Whitney took a deep breath, barely containing her frustration as she

clarified, “Bryce and I are completely innocent!”

“Wearing his shirt, meeting up eagerly before the ink is dry on the divorce papers – how innocent can

you be? Can you get any more hypocritical?”

She closed her eyes tightly, feeling bitter and powerless.

“Mr. Lippert, she had to change into a new shirt at the summit because you neglected her, and she,

being pregnant, had an accident. Also, she didn’t tell me anything. I simply learned you were getting

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a divorce and decided to find out more because I plan to pursue her,” Bryce explained with a chill in his

volce..

An accident? Ludwik’s eyes darkened dangerously at the thought of such intimate details witnessed by

Bryce. His forehead veinis bulged as he glared at Whitney.

Whitney, oblivious to why his gaze had turned so terrifying, suddenly found herself yanked from her

seat and pulled into his cold embrace.

He pinched her chin, and Bryce’s demeanor changed as he caught Whitney’s other hand, his eyes

flashing with danger, “Mr. Lippert, what do you think you’re doing in broad daylight?”

“I’m getting intimate to my own woman. What’s it to you?”

“Bryce wants to pursue her? She’s not divorced yet; you can only watch what I choose to do.”

Ludwik’s eyes flared, and without hesitation, he captured Whitney’s lips in a deep, possessive kiss.

Whitney froze, desperately trying to pull away. “Ludwik! No… you shouldn’t…”

They were in the middle of a bustling diner, and her protests drew countless eyes. Humiliated, she was

pinned against the table, her movements uncooperative, her gaze flicking toward Bryce.

Enraged by her resistance, Ludwik growled against her lips, “You better be careful. Until the divorce is

final, you’re mine!”

“Ludwik, enough! I refuse to play these tiresome games with you.”

Whitney stared at his handsome lips, recalling the hospital scene, wondering if he had already been

intimate with Elaine in the dark of the cinema. Her heart filled with revulsion.

The more she resisted, the more Ludwik saw it as a sign of her concern for Bryce’s opinion.

Ludwik tightened his grip around her waist, pulling her closer.

“Mr. Lippert, show some respect in public!” Bryce’s anger flared as he saw the woman in his arms

shaking, vulnerable as a blade of grass.

Cursing internally, Ludwik finally released her. In front of Bryce, he provocatively wiped the redness at

Whitney’s lips, his touch deliberately suggestive, “See this, Bryce? She’s been my woman. No matter

how much you want her, she’s out of your reach.”

Whitney couldn’t believe the vile words he’d spoken.

Tears glimmered in her eyes as Bryce’s brow furrowed, “Whitney, come with me!”

Whitney attempted to leave,

Ludwik’s gaze turned icy with warning, “Don’t forget about your cousin. I still have her.”

Whitney stiffened, staring at him helplessly.

Ludwik pulled her out of the diner, and Felix promptly brought the car around.

He lifted her into the vehicle.

Bryce followed them out, his fist slamming into a pillar as he watched the Bentley drive away. He had

never felt such rage.

All because she was still Ludwik’s wife, and he couldn’t take her away.

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Chapter 200

A dark glint flickered in Bryce’s usually gentle eyes. It was time to play his hand.

He turned and made a call.

Elaine had been waiting in the cinema for half an hour.

Ludwik had gone to the restroom and never returned.

Her face shifted from anticipation to gloom as she sensed something was off.

She called Lyra immediately, who informed her, “Mr. Lippert left the cinema with that wretch and hasn’t

been back.”

Elaine’s eyes turned frosty. Her Valentine’s Day, ruined by Ludwik’s absence!

It’s Whitney again! That woman just wouldn’t leave Ludwik alone!

When two attempts to reach Ludwik went unanswered, Elaine furiously tossed her popcorn away.

Lyra stormed in, her cheeks flushed with anger, “Miss, Felix just drove off, did Mr. Lippert ditch you on

the way home?”

Elaine turned to face Lyra. A slap landed across Lyra’s face. “Why on earth would Ludwik ditch me? If

you can’t speak properly, then shut your trap!”

Lyra clutched her face, too scared to let out a sob.

In the Bentley, Whitney gripped her stomach tightly as the speed frightened her.

The tension inside the car was palpable. She attempted to speak, “Could you slow down-”

“You’d do well to keep quiet,” Ludwik said, his grip on the steering wheel betraying his tension.

Whitney was taken aback as she noticed the veins on his arms bulging, hinting at his troubled state.

She chose to remain silent.

Finally, they arrived at the villa.

Ludwik didn’t wait for her to get out; he scooped her up roughly and carried her straight to a guest room

on the first floor that seemed rarely used.

He didn’t bother with the lights. Trapped between the door and his unyielding embrace, Whitney could

feel the dangerous and irrational gaze of the man in the dark.

She didn’t dare to meet his eyes, instead, she fished out a pill from her pocket and handed it to him

indifferently, “If you can’t keep your cool, then take this.”

“Heh.” He tossed the pill out the window, his chest heaving with emotion, “The reason I can’t be calm,

isn’t that because of you?”

“As long as you’re here, my sickness won’t heal! Whitney, it’s all you.”

His voice was husky as he dragged her into the bathroom, glancing at the hand Bryce had touched, he

lifted her under the shower and turned on the hot water.

“Ah, are you insane?” The hot water forced Whitney’s eyes shut, and she trembled from the heat.