Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
Chapter 463

Florence gave Ludwik a mischievous tug. "Hey, Ludwik, looks like we've got the place to ourselves. Let's sit down and eat, shall we?"

"You go ahead. I need a smoke. Your nutritionist will bring your meal over!" Ludwik replied, his tone detached as he walked away, leaving Florence's smile to freeze on her lips. She knew he was just putting on a show for Whitney. No matter, as long as it gets under Whitney's skin!

-

At another restaurant.

"Whitney, are you okay? Ludwik seemed pretty eager to get rid of us, and you looked upset," Sandy said, still trying to grasp the situation.

Whitney responded with a cold, humorless laugh. "Why should I care about someone who means nothing to me?"

"It seems like Ludwik is always picking on you because of Florence," Sandy remarked innocently.

Her words, however, stung Whitney like a sharp needle, causing her to pause mid-bite.

Shane, on the other hand, looked amused, thinking to himself that Ludwik's actions weren't about Florence at all-he was just jealous of Whitney... Ding-a-ling—

Whitney's phone rang, and her lips tightened into a frosty line as she saw the caller ID.

What now? Wasn't kicking me out because of Florence enough?

She didn't want to answer, but the persistent ringing felt as oppressive as Ludwik himself.

With her nerves on edge, she stood up to answer, "Mr. Lippert, what can I do for you now?"

"You messed up the documents you submitted. Get up here right now! Otherwise, I'll have you fired from S-T Group."

"I didn't submit any documents this morning. You're just looking for trouble, aren't you?" Whitney spat out.

Click-His response was to hang up, cold and dark.

Whitney couldn't suppress her anger, her face pale as she grabbed her jacket.

Sandy and the others had overheard, their anger palpable yet unvoiced. "Is Ludwik giving you a hard time again? Is Florence behind this? You barely touched your lunch!" Whitney felt a chill in her heart. Was Florence playing tricks? The thought of food made her stomach turn with discomfort.

She left the restaurant, with Sandy quickly following suit.

The assistant glanced at Shane, who whispered, "Go, take care of her."

Understanding his meaning, the assistant nodded and followed Sandy.

-

In S-T Group's sales department, Whitney stormed into Ludwik's office, only to find it empty.

Surprised, she caught a glimpse of Ludwik's silhouette in her own small office across the way.

Fuming, Whitney marched in, only to have Ludwik turn around and point at the lunch box on her desk, his eyes cold and furious. "Eat!"

His commanding presence was intimidating, his eyes ablaze with anger.

Whitney was taken aback, then laughed out of sheer frustration. "Are you out of your mind or just plain schizophrenic? You've already made it clear I'm not welcome to eat in the restaurant because of your precious Florence!" Ludwik didn't have time for her. Glancing at his watch and then coldly at Whitney's angry face, he was frustrated. He simply didn't want her dining with Shane!

Did she not get that?

"I don't have time to argue. Eat or don't - it's up to you. If I catch you flirting during work hours, you'll regret it," he said coldly before leaving, his long strides carrying him away as he began making a phone call. Whitney could barely catch him saying, "Parker, where are we meeting?" Whitney bit her lip, watching him leave, puzzled. Was he meeting Parker and not tormenting her at Florence's behest? She turned back to the lunch box.

After being virtually kicked out of the restaurant, why bother sending her food now?

Remembering how he had driven her out on Florence's account, Whitney was about to throw the lunch box away when its lid popped open, revealing her favorite dish, egg and lean pork congee, instead of the lily bulb porridge she'd ordered for Sandy, who had burnt her mouth. Three years ago, when she was pregnant and newly married to him, she had craved this dish, but he had strictly refused to let Taryn prepare it for her.

Suddenly, her eyes misted over with complex emotions. Did he still remember?

But now, this memory only served to highlight his insensitivity even more!

Ludwik, what are you playing at? Trying to make amends after being so vile?

Whitney's feelings were a whirlwind of indignation, yet in the end... she couldn't bring herself to throw the congee away. With tears streaming down her face, she began to eat.

-

"Florence, why did Ludwik leave you to finish lunch alone?" Sienna asked as she helped Florence into the company, nodding towards the female bodyguard behind them. "Why does Ludwik need to set you up with a bodyguard? Isn't he supposed to be your best protector?" Both questions made Florence uncomfortable.

In the eyes of the Sheldon and Lippert families, she had worked hard to cultivate the image of Ludwik being utterly devoted to her.

Sienna believed it without question.

But in private, Florence knew the truth. Ludwik had the bodyguard assist her instead of offering his own support, unless Whitney was around.

Florence's voice tightened. "Sienna, Ludwik adores me. He's just busy today. And he arranged for a bodyguard because he's overly protective, preferring to carry me himself whenever I can't walk."

"Ha, Ludwik really is head over heels for our Florence. If only Mr. Nelson could see I'm the good girl here, not someone like Whitney," Sienna lamented.

Florence encouraged her, "Sienna, you've liked Mr. Nelson for so long. It's not easy, but you must win him over. My playing the field isn't fair to you." Sienna, fueled by the conversation, grew more irate. "I will win Mr. Nelson over. Whitney is just in my way, and I'll deal with her sooner or later!" Florence smiled slyly, checking the time. It was 2 PM, time to get back to work.

After sending Sienna off, Florence entered her office, where her assistant, a trusted ally placed by Uncle, awaited her.

Just then, her phone rang-it was Holly.

Narrowing her eyes, Florence answered, "Mother, what's up?"

"Florence, since when does Ludwik have another son? This morning, Camilla showed up at the Sheldon residence with this kid in tow! The little rascal was all sneaky, eyes glittering with mischief, said he was looking for you the moment he arrived! Relying on Camilla's backing, he even had the nerve to try and sneak into your bedroom to snoop around... I barely managed to stop him, and now he's disappeared again. Who knows where he's off to? He really shouldn't be wandering around the Sheldon estate... especially not near that back villa, you know..."

Holly trailed off, clearly frustrated, "I have no idea what he's up to. And now we can't exactly kick him out, can we?"

Florence's eyes darkened.

That little devil Danny dared to stir up trouble at the Sheldon Mansion?

Could it be... did he suspect something was off with the way she looked at him that night?

Twins might have a connection, and the thought of them being so close now made Florence's expression change abruptly, "We can't let him poke around. Mom, we need to deal with this!"

"But Camilla brought him herself. I can't let anything happen to him on Sheldon grounds..."

Something clicked in Florence's mind, her eyes narrowing, "Then let someone else do it! Heidi has a daughter who can't stand the boy. Invite her over, Mom, trust me, that little troublemaker can't swim! Got it?"