Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

Chapter 176

The Imperial Gem Corporation had fallen into the clutches of that ruthless father–son duo? Whitney couldn’t believe the whirlwind of events, her anger boiling over.

“Ludwik’s being smeared with rumors of mental problem. The major shareholders will never reappoint him. A simple board meeting will see him ousted. After all, four hundred billion in liquid assets… it’s a lot to leave in his hands.” Tiana blabbered on without a filter.

Valerie’s eyes widened in warning, and Tiana instantly clammed up. But Whitney was lost in a daze.

Four hundred billion… In his downfall, she had inadvertently added to the momentum.

Without Imperial Gem, everything he had built from scratch was gone. What would he do now?

Whitney couldn’t picture the once–admired t reduced to nothing. Could he accept it himself?

She was deeply concerned for him. His sudden disappearance from the hospital, was he in hiding, was his mind unraveling?

“Tiana, can you use your contacts to find out where he is? His hysteria hasn’t healed, and this shock might trigger a relapse. I’m terrified he won’t recover…”

Tiana shook her head sympathetically, “I can’t find him. No matter how low Ludwik has sunk, his methods of keeping things under wraps are beyond my reach.”

“Whitney, don’t worry too much. He’s weathered many storms. Maybe he just needs some time to cool off? But you mustn’t go looking for him. Your situation is even more precarious,” Valerie said somberly after reviewing the medical reports.

Whitney knew her bleeding hadn’t stopped. She was bedridden.

“Let’s wait. A man like Ludwik isn’t the type to just roll over. Maybe he’s preparing his next move,” Tiana tried to stay optimistic.

Whitney believed he wouldn’t simply fade away, and all she could do was wait.

A week passed without any news from Ludwik, as if he had vanished from the earth.

Whitney was cooped up in her hospital room by Tiana, under strict orders to rest for the sake of her unborn child, living in a daze.

to use the restroom and when she tried to visit Natalie, she found Natalie’s room sealed off, no one

Ludwik’s doing? Whitney speculated dejectedly,

the limelight, the news was abuzz with his ascension as the new

Lippert family, Banyan City’s elite, also graced

and Orion on screen, Whitney realized Natalie was right; they were indeed a family of three. She couldn’t fathom how Kaden could be so cruel to his own flesh and blood, to his lawful wife? But on the eighth day, the Lippert

was making a grand entrance onto the Stock Exchange in

familiar with Skyfaith, “Oh my God, Isn’t that the tech giant from Banyan City, on par with Imperial Gem and United Realty? They’ye always been so secretive, and their market value is insane! They’re going public in Amoria Country, and even Imperial Gem, a top global company, hasn’t achieved that distinction.

half–listened as Tiana rambled

“Skyfaith’s news has completely

chips. Today, Any machine, car, or electronic product needs a chip. It’s

“Tiana, my cousin Yael Tennyson, have you been able

slumped her shoulders, I’ve got hacking skills, but anything related to Ludwik, I just can’t trace.”

knew if Ludwik was hiding her, no

days went by.

morning, as Whitney was getting

breakfast and suddenly announced, “I went upstairs to see the doctor and saw people in Natalie’s ward. They looked like they were preparing to move her

of excitement lifting her from the bed. “Does that mean he’s back?”

nodded, panting heavily.

hope lit in Whitney’s eyes. She was about to get out of bed

on the screen made her

changed the

but she hid her joy, answering the phone with a

didn’t leave room for her words, “Meet me at the Ether Cafe downtown. There are some documents you

tone was almost devoid of

but before she could

Ludwik had hung up.

the phone line, his breath was chillingly detached. A shiver ran through Whitney.

was filled with relief; he was willing to

the documents were, he was